Hi guys,
Just wanted to get an idea of how accurate body shop estimates are? I know it all depends since they can't really see some damages until they start tearing things down, etc. but on average, are actual costs around 10%, 20% higher than estimates? Thanks!

Hi guys,
Just wanted to get an idea of how accurate body shop estimates are? I know it all depends since they can't really see some damages until they start tearing things down, etc. but on average, are actual costs around 10%, 20% higher than estimates? Thanks!

It depends on who's paying...

out of pocket

out of pocket

In that case, it has been my experience that their initial estimates are pretty accurate. Expect maybe a 5% increase.

It depends on the estimator. Usually it's pretty close. Most that I've dealt with assume that if its under something that is broken, it's also broken.

iirc- and this varies state to state- actual cost cannot exceed a certain percentage of a signed estimate.

thanks for the quick responses guys. i may just do some of the repairs now and save some for later on...