A Day in the Life of an Insurance Collision Appraiser
For individuals who are interested in working in the automotive world, a career as an insurance collision appraiser isn’t only rewarding but features in-depth involvement in the collision repair technology world. But many automotive enthusiasts have a skewed understanding of the duties of insurance collision appraisers.
Automotive Training Center (ATC) is here to provide automotive enthusiasts with a description of a day in the life of an insurance collision appraiser so you have a strong understanding of this exciting career field in the automotive world.
Damage Analysis
An insurance collision appraiser needs to have a strong understanding of the various parts in vehicles since one of the appraiser’s primary duties is analyzing the damage that has occurred to a vehicle. When a vehicle is brought to an insurance collision appraiser, they need to estimate all of the parts and labor needed to repair the damage based on the collision damage. A good insurance collision appraiser can identify damage to the body structure, mechanical configuration, electrical engineering, or interior of the vehicle and determine what repairs will be needed to restore it.
Connecting With Automotive Repair Shops
Once the damage to a vehicle has been analyzed, an insurance collision appraiser needs to connect with a reputable automotive shop to review the damage and cost of repairs with the collision repair technician who will perform the repairs. An agreement on the cost of the repairs is needed between the two parties, which is why an insurance collision appraiser needs to have a good sense of the different car parts and how they work in order to have leverage and effectively communicate with the repair shop. Knowing exactly what needs to be done to a damaged vehicle will help an appraiser identify unneeded mechanical repair, thus helping their client.
Finalizing Reports
After the vehicle damage has been assessed and an agreement is reached with the repair shop as far as the cost of repairs, an insurance collision appraiser must finalize the report of the damaged vehicle. This includes the preparation of insurance forms that indicate the recommendations for repair and the total cost of the process.
It’s crucial for an insurance collision appraiser to determine and identify the salvage value on total-loss vehicles as well as evaluate the repairs being done on the vehicle compared to the market value of the vehicle before it was involved in an accident.
While a day in the life of an insurance collision appraiser is filled with diligent and thorough reporting, individuals in this career field interact with different vehicles frequently. Working with a wide variety of vehicles helps to keep your duties interesting and engaging. Dissecting the damage done to a vehicle requires thorough knowledge of various automotive parts, but the right training and preparation from an automotive school can help you pursue a career as an insurance collision appraiser.
If you’re looking for more information on vehicle restoration and how it’s accomplished, you can download ATC’s free ebook: Dents and Damage: The Car Lover’s Guide to Vehicle Restoration.
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