How does a photo estimate for car repair work?
Quick answer
You send three photos — a full corner shot, a close-up of the damage, and a wide shot of the whole vehicle — and a real estimator writes a line-item repair plan from them. At Collision Auto Center the written number comes back fast and free. It covers what a camera can see; hidden damage found at teardown is documented and approved before any extra work.
- Drivable or not
- At fault or not
- Free written estimates
The three photos that matter
Shoot in daylight if you can, and capture:
- Full corner shot — the damaged corner with half the vehicle in frame
- Damage close-up — from about half a metre away, straight on
- Wide shot — the whole car, so stance and panel gaps are visible
- Bonus: the VIN plate on the driver’s door jamb and the odometer, for exact parts
What happens on our side
An estimator — at our shop, that’s the owner himself — identifies the damaged parts, checks OEM availability and the paint code against your VIN, and writes a line-item estimate: the same document an insurance company works from. It comes back to you in writing, fast and free, with a repair timeline attached.
A photo estimate is a starting number, and we say so plainly: no camera sees behind a bumper cover. If teardown reveals hidden damage, we photograph it and clear the supplement with you — and your insurance company — before any additional work begins.
Why this beats driving shop to shop
You can price the repair from your own driveway, compare it against an insurance estimate, and book the job with parts already ordered — which trims the days your car actually sits in the shop. Nobody wants to burn a Saturday crossing the 401 to collect quotes. Standing in a parking lot next to a freshly dented car? That is exactly the moment the photo estimate form was built for.
