An estimator at a Chevy dealer made me rethink how I write up dent repair

I had this guy from the local Chevy dealership come look at a job I was pricing out for a '17 Silverado with a dented bed side. He told me I was over quoting labor because I wasn't accounting for the inner structure bracing behind that panel. He showed me how the reinforcement ribs make pulling from the outside way harder than I thought. After that I started breaking down bed side repairs into two separate line items, one for outer skin and one for any access work needed inside. Has anyone else had an adjuster or estimator point out something that totally changed your write up process?

3 comments

3 Comments

smith.lee2d ago

Did you start adding a separate line for removing the bed liner too? On those Chevys with the spray in liner, I found that cutting it out and resealing it after adds almost a full hour of labor time that I used to just eat before a dealer pointed it out. Breaking out the inner access work as its own line item made my estimates a lot more accurate, especially on late model trucks where the bracing is welded in tighter than on the older ones.

margaret5512d ago

Yeah that's interesting. I was reading somewhere that some of those newer trucks have bracing that's triple layered in spots, makes it a real pain to get to.

the_john2d ago

That extra line item for inner access sounds like overkill to me. Half the time you can still work the dent from the inside with a long spoon or a slide hammer if the bracing is in the way. Most adjusters aren't going to pay for both the outer skin repair and a separate line for access work unless it's something extreme like a cab corner. I feel like you're just giving them more ammo to nitpick your estimate.