Not every case needs the same thing. This page shows what a repair estimate (Kostenvoranschlag) and a full report (Gutachten) do. It also shows who pays for them and which one fits your case.
Maximilian Fromm
Founder and Mechatronics Engineer (B.Sc.)
1 Describe your case: briefly by phone, with a few photos first if you like. 2 We classify it: repair cost calculation or full report, with reasons. 3 You decide: even if the result is that you need neither.
Briefly by phone, with a few photos first if you like
Repair cost calculation or full report, with reasons
Even if the result is that you need neither
The difference is not who writes it. The difference is what is documented.
Calculation only, useful for very minor damage
Complete, and usually free of charge for you for accidents that were not your fault
Photos from set angles, impact height measured with a measuring rod, paint thickness measurement and the separation of earlier damage. This takes time on site. It is exactly the part that a calculation alone cannot do.
We come to you, to the repair shop or to the place where the car is parked, usually within 24 hours. For damage on the underbody, we have a vehicle lift ready in our hall in Erlangen.
Then the full report is the usual choice. There is no fixed limit. About €750 is a guide. What matters is how the damage looks to the person whose car was damaged at the time the report is ordered.
For a scratch or a small dent, a repair estimate is enough. Still, call us briefly before you decide. We will tell you whether your case contains items that a repair estimate does not cover.
Then the repair estimate is the cheapest option. If the repair shop repairs the car anyway, it usually prepares one at the same time. If you want one that is independent of the repair shop, we do that.
For hail, collisions with wild animals, marten damage (martens are small animals that bite cables) or storms, your own insurer usually sends its own expert. If you want to hire us yourself, please confirm with your insurer in advance that the costs will be covered.
Insurers, lawyers or courts decide how fault is shared, not the vehicle expert. For you this means one thing: what is not documented today cannot be calculated later. If the question of fault is open, the full report is therefore the more reliable choice. Our guide explains who pays the report costs if fault is shared: Accident with shared fault (in German).
The expert sent by the other party's insurer works for that insurer. If the accident was not your fault, you can choose your own vehicle expert. If you are not sure, call us before you agree to an appointment with the insurer's expert.
For the repair alone, it is enough. But it contains neither Diminished value nor replacement value or residual value, and no downtime. Photos are usually not included at all. If another person caused the accident, these items are therefore left out.
No. The term is common in the market, but it is misleading. A document without diminished value, residual value and downtime is not a report. With us, you get the repair estimate or the full report.
Yes. A repair estimate does not have to come from the repair shop. If you want a calculation that is independent of the repair shop, this is the way.
About €750 is a guide. There is no rigid limit. The Federal Court of Justice (Bundesgerichtshof) judges this by how the damage looks to the person whose car was damaged when the report is ordered. If in doubt, call us. We will look at the photos first.
You usually get an appointment within 24 hours. The finished report is usually ready within 24 hours after the inspection.
If diminished value, replacement value, residual value or downtime matter in your case, the repair estimate does not cover them. These items are missing from it. If the car is already repaired or sold, its condition cannot be documented afterwards. In this case, you need the full report.
You reach the independent vehicle expert directly. Our initial assessment is free and does not obligate you to anything.
