Blog · Estimates
How to Read a Body Shop Estimate
Line by line, what the abbreviations on a collision estimate mean, why panels that were not hit show up on it, and what to ask if two estimates disagree.
A collision estimate is a few pages of abbreviations and line items that look like they were written for someone else. They were: the format is built for the shop and the insurance company. But it is your vehicle and your money, and you should be able to read the thing. Here is what each part means.
The header
Vehicle year, make, model, trim and VIN. Mileage. Your name and, if there is a claim, the carrier, claim number and adjuster. Check the VIN and the trim. Two vehicles that look the same can take different parts, and an estimate written against the wrong trim is wrong from the first line.
The lines
Each line is one operation on one part. Reading left to right, a typical line tells you:
- The part or panel. Front bumper cover, left fender, hood, right headlamp assembly.
- The operation. This is the abbreviation column, and it is where most of the confusion lives.
- Labor hours, split into body, paint, and sometimes mechanical or frame.
- Parts cost, with a code for what kind of part.
The operations
- Repair (Rpr). The existing panel gets fixed. The hours are the estimator's judgment of how long the metal work takes.
- Replace (Repl). The panel comes off and a new one goes on. The part cost appears on this line.
- Refinish (Refn). Paint. Listed on repaired and replaced panels, and on panels that are being blended.
- Blend. A light coat of color feathered onto a panel next to the repaired one so the eye cannot find the edge. This is the line people ask about most, because the blended panel was not hit. It is not padding. It is how a repair disappears.
- R&I (remove and install). A part comes off so something behind it can be worked on, then goes back on. Lights, handles, moldings, bumper covers.
- R&R (remove and replace). Same as replace, on some formats.
- O/H (overhaul). Take an assembly apart, replace what is damaged, put it back together.
- Sublet. Work sent to a specialist: an alignment, a glass replacement, a sensor calibration.
The parts codes
Next to the parts cost there is usually a code telling you where the part is coming from. OEM or OE is the original manufacturer's part. A/M or AFT is aftermarket. LKQ or used is a recycled part from a salvage vehicle. Recond is a reconditioned part, often a bumper or a wheel. Which of these goes on your vehicle depends on the vehicle, the part, and what your policy says; here is how we think about that. If you have a preference, say so before parts are ordered.
Paint and materials
A separate line, calculated from the refinish hours on the job. It covers primer, sealer, color, clear, masking, and the consumables that go into a paint job. It is a standard line on every estimate and it scales with how much painting is being done.
The totals
Body labor, paint labor, mechanical labor, parts, paint and materials, sublet, tax. Then, on an insurance job, the deductible subtracted and the net amount the carrier pays. The deductible is what you pay at pickup; everything else is between the shop and the carrier.
Why the shop's estimate and the carrier's differ
An adjuster's estimate is often written from photos or from a quick look with the panels on. The shop's is written by the people who will do the work. They disagree in predictable places: whether a panel is repair or replace, whether a blend is included, how many hours the metal work takes, and what kind of part goes on. None of that is unusual, and it gets resolved between the shop and the carrier through the supplement process after teardown. Ask us about any line that differs and we will explain the reason.
What to ask
- Why is a panel that was not hit on the estimate? (Usually blend or R&I.)
- What kind of parts are these, and can I choose?
- Which lines depend on what teardown finds?
- Is anything on here sublet, and to whom?
- What is the deductible, and is it already subtracted?
We would rather answer those at the counter than have you wonder about them at home. Estimates are free, take about fifteen minutes, and you leave with the paper.
FAQ
Is a longer estimate a worse sign?
Not necessarily. A thorough estimate lists every R&I and every clip. A short one may be leaving those out and adding them later.
Can I get the estimate before I decide anything?
Yes. Nothing is scheduled until you say so, and you can take the sheet to your carrier or to another shop.
Why are the labor hours not the actual time?
Estimate hours are standardized times for each operation, published by the estimating systems and used by shops and carriers alike. They are what the job is billed on, whether the actual work takes more or less.
What if the final invoice does not match the estimate?
It should match the estimate plus any supplement you or the carrier approved. If a line is a surprise, ask before paying. Here is what happens at pickup.