Damage Assessment
Purpose
Damage assessment decides what is damaged, how far the damage extends, whether to repair or replace, and what the job will cost. The exam tests systematic inspection, not guesswork.
Inspection sequence
- Interview the customer: what happened, impact angle, speed, previous repairs.
- Wash the vehicle and inspect in good light.
- Check panel gaps and flushness around the whole car.
- Look underneath: floor pan, rails, suspension mounts, exhaust and fuel lines.
- Open bonnet, boot and doors; check inner panels, aprons and hinge pillars.
- Check cooling pack, wiring, lamps, sensors, tyre and wheel.
- Measure the structure when gaps or history suggest movement.
- Scan for fault codes and check ADAS sensors and calibration needs.
- Photograph everything before strip.
Direct and indirect damage
Direct damage is where the force hit. Indirect damage appears elsewhere: buckled rails, distorted apertures, cracked seam sealer, stressed hinges. A light corner hit can move a rail enough to tighten a door gap on the opposite side.
Worked example
A car has a damaged bumper and headlamp after a low-speed corner impact, but the door gap on that side is tight at the top and the boot lid sits proud. That pattern suggests body sway, so measure before ordering panels. Replacing the bumper alone leaves a car that will not align.
Traps
- Quoting only visible parts and missing blend panels, clips, badges and sensors.
- Ignoring tyre and wheel damage after a kerb strike.
- Forgetting pre-existing damage in the check-in photos.
- Promising a completion date before strip and measurement.