A vehicle may hide signs of past damage, so it’s important to ask the seller about its accident history and repair quotes. The Repair Quote History feature records these details, helping buyers assess damage value, anticipate costs, and buy with confidence.
When to use it
The Repair Quote History report is a vital player in the buyer’s auction game. It gives the buyer a comprehensive look into the not-so-wonderful parts of the vehicle they’re interested in. Full disclosure of the vehicle’s accident details is the key element of this report.
When signs of damage are not immediately obvious.
Subtle signs of damage may occur when a vehicle has already gone through the repairs process. Regardless of the repairs being done flawlessly, the damage must be disclosed for future reference should the vehicle begin to reveal other signs of error.
When you sense a seller is not disclosing all of the facts.
Vehicle maintenance reports are provided by the mechanic responsible for repairing the vehicle. On these quotes, the trusted mechanic will clearly state what repairs must be done to the vehicle. When you assess the list of repairs, it becomes clearer which areas of the vehicle needed repairs and that will lead you to question why. It is crucial that you conduct your own research into the vehicle’s damage.
When a vehicle has changed ownership multiple times.
The change of ownership may result in the vehicle details altering slightly over time. By the time the inspector requests all the information pertaining to the vehicle, the third owner may not remember the finer details that were given to them by the second owner.
This reiterates the importance of refraining from blindly taking the seller’s words as gospel, but conducting independent research and requesting recorded proof will provide the inspector with the nitty gritty details they may have omitted in the accident history conversation.
Where to find it
- From the auction grid, click on the vehicle that you are interested in to open the vehicle’s valuation report.
- From the report, navigate towards the Repair Quote History button.
- You can now view the details of the repair quote history.
How to use it
Understand the report
Each report varies from the next one as the extent of the damage is indicated on the report and every recorded accident damage will evidently be different.
From this report, you can view the accident date, the panels where the damage is found and the value of the damage repair costs.
Button vs button
As you become more familiar with the valuation report and ways of the auction, you may notice the occurrence of two “Repair Quote History” buttons.
- The first button is found on the top of the report. All buyers and sellers have access to this button to view the Repair Quote History report.
- The second ‘Repair Quote History’ button is found on the right-hand panel of the report. This additional button is only accessible to the seller of the vehicle.
Capture vehicle damage
For the damage information to be loaded onto the report, the vehicle damage must be captured thoroughly and correctly via the inspection tool.
You can find more information about the best way to capture vehicle damage in the Guide to Inspections module.
