Home / Damage we repair / Post-Repair
What we do
Post-repair inspections
Got it back and something feels off? We inspect work done somewhere else, compare it against what was billed, and put our findings in writing.
A post-repair inspection is an independent look at a vehicle that has already been repaired — usually by another shop — to establish whether the work was actually done, done completely, and done the way the manufacturer says it should be. It is not a second opinion on an estimate. It is a check of finished work against the paperwork that came with it and against the procedures the vehicle's maker publishes for that repair.
When people come to us for one
- Something isn't right and nobody will say why. Wind noise that wasn't there before, a door that needs slamming, water in the carpet, a rattle, a pull to one side, a warning light that keeps coming back.
- The paint doesn't match, or isn't holding up. Color off in daylight, a blend line you can see, orange peel, overspray on trim and glass, or new paint already lifting.
- The gaps look wrong. Uneven panel gaps and edges that don't line up are usually telling you something underneath was never brought back into position.
- Buying a used vehicle with history on it. A report says it was hit. Whether it was repaired properly is a different question, and worth answering before you hand over money.
- Selling or trading, and the value took a hit. Documentation of what was and wasn't done supports a diminished value conversation.
- A disagreement with a shop or a carrier. An independent written report moves that conversation off opinion and onto findings.
The estimate, every supplement, and the final invoice or parts list, if you have them. Half of an inspection is comparing what the vehicle actually has on it against what was billed for — and that is impossible without the documents. No paperwork doesn't stop us, it just narrows what we can conclude.
What we're checking for
Calibration. Automatic braking, lane keeping, blind-spot monitoring and adaptive cruise all depend on sensors that have to be recalibrated after the bodywork around them is disturbed. A sensor reinstalled but never recalibrated leaves a car that looks finished and reads the road wrong. It is invisible from the driver's seat, and it is one of the first things we check.
How the inspection runs
- Read the file first. Estimate, supplements, invoices and parts list, so we know what the vehicle is supposed to have had done to it.
- Pull the manufacturer's procedures for the repairs that were performed, because ‘done properly’ means done their way, not ours.
- Inspect the vehicle inside, outside, underneath and in the engine bay — with panels, trim and liners removed where a real answer requires it.
- Measure and scan where the repair calls for it, including a health scan for stored and active fault codes.
- Photograph everything as we go, findings and clean work alike.
- Give you a written report setting out what we found, what it means, and what putting it right would involve. It is yours — take it to the shop, your carrier, or your attorney.
We report what the vehicle shows us. If the work was done properly, the report says so — plenty of them do, and that answer is worth having too. We are not attorneys and we do not decide who owes whom; we document findings against published procedures so that you, your carrier or your lawyer can act on something factual.
What we work on
We repair this damage on
Our work
Post-Repair before & after
Photos from real jobs. Swap these placeholders for your own shots of this kind of work.
Common questions
Post-Repair FAQ
The other shop says it's fine. Why would your answer be different?
Because we are not the ones who did the work. An inspection by an independent shop compares the finished vehicle against the manufacturer's procedures and the paperwork, rather than against the memory of the people who repaired it.
Do you need the repair paperwork?
It helps enormously. The estimate, supplements and final invoice let us check parts billed against parts fitted, which is where a lot of findings come from. Without them we can still inspect the vehicle, but the conclusions are narrower.
Will you repair whatever you find?
We can, and we will quote it — but the inspection stands on its own. You are free to take the report to the original shop and have them correct their own work, which is often the right first move.
Can this help with a diminished value claim?
It can support one. A documented record of how the vehicle was repaired is the kind of evidence those conversations turn on. What a carrier ultimately pays is between you and them, and diminished value rules vary by state and policy.
I'm buying a used car that shows an accident on its history report. Can you check it?
Yes, and that is one of the better uses of an inspection. A history report tells you a vehicle was damaged; it tells you nothing about the quality of the repair. Better to know before the money moves.
How long does it take, and what does it cost?
It depends on how much has to come apart to answer the question. Call the shop, tell us what happened and what is bothering you, and we will tell you what it involves and what it costs before we start.
Get in touch
Tell us what
happened
Send us the details and a few photos if you have them. We'll come back with next steps and a time to get eyes on it.