Accident damage appraisal
Why your own expert after an accident?
After a road traffic accident that was not your fault, you have the right in Germany to choose your own expert. The other party’s insurer will happily send its own inspector – but that person works for them, not for you. Insurers employ trained specialists whose job is to keep the settlement amount small.
An independent accident damage appraisal sets something against that: it substantiates repair costs, diminished market value, loss of use and – in the event of a total loss – the replacement value and the residual value, in a way that can be followed. We are employed neither by an insurer nor by a workshop, so we have no interest in any particular level of damage.
What a small scratch can cost
Around 2.5 million road traffic accidents happen on German roads every year. Even if only the bumper is scratched on the outside, the cross member, brackets, sensors and driver assistance systems underneath may be damaged. Hidden damage like that reduces the value of the vehicle and comes to light at the latest when you sell – the loss quickly runs into the thousands.
We document visible and hidden damage with photographs, determine the diminished value and, if you wish, take over the correspondence with the other party’s insurer.
The duty to mitigate loss – and why it costs you nothing
Right at the accident scene, the „duty to mitigate loss“ is often invoked to push you towards a quick solution that suits the insurer. That duty does not mean you have to do without your own report.
After an accident that was not your fault, the expert’s fees form part of the recoverable loss and are borne by the other party’s insurer – the report costs you nothing. Only for minor damage below the de minimis threshold does a repair estimate suffice. We point that out beforehand, not afterwards.
Valuation report
When a valuation report makes sense
Before a sale, before a purchase, before a lease contract ends, when dividing an estate or in a divorce: whenever the value of a vehicle has to be evidenced rather than estimated, a vehicle valuation report is the right route.
Online calculators work with average figures. They know neither the state of care nor the optional equipment nor the history of your vehicle. A report knows all three – and substantiates the value so that it holds up in a negotiation.
What we check when determining the value
The interior, the engine bay, the boot, the complete bodywork and – as far as possible without dismantling – the lower part of the chassis are given a visual inspection. We check that the equipment works and carry out a short test drive in accordance with the German road traffic regulations.
On top of that comes the positioning in the current market: our experts follow price developments continuously, so that even short-term market movements are taken into account in the valuation. You receive the result as a PDF with photo documentation and a substantiated value.
Condition report
Don’t buy a pig in a poke
Buying or selling a used car carries risks – for both sides. The vehicle condition report documents the actual general condition of a vehicle as well as earlier damage that has contributed to a loss in value. Buyers know what they are getting into; sellers can show that they are concealing nothing.
The results give you the best arguments for the price negotiation. You receive the report by email and pay conveniently by invoice or PayPal.
What the condition report contains
In form, the condition report resembles a valuation report, but it concentrates on documentation: signs of wear, defects, previous damage and repaints are named and evidenced with photographs. It is prepared for vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes gross weight.
If you have the chance to have a vehicle’s condition checked before you sign, you should take it. Fair and transparent when buying or selling a car – that is cheaper than any legal dispute afterwards.
