Second Opinion Express, Seattle, WA

Somebody handed you an estimate and you have a feeling about it. Maybe the number seems low for the damage, maybe a line item reads oddly, maybe you just do not know what you are looking at. Bring it here and we will read it with you. There is no charge and we are not trying to take the job.

What we look for

Whether the parts specified are OEM or aftermarket, and whether anything structural is being sourced from a salvage yard. Whether required calibrations for your radar and camera systems appear at all. Whether the operations listed match what the manufacturer publishes for your exact vehicle. Whether "repair" has been written where the automaker says the panel must be replaced. And whether the labor hours are plausible for the work described.

The common omissions

Blend time on adjacent panels, which is the difference between an invisible repair and a visible one. Corrosion protection inside a replaced panel. Pre- and post-repair scans. Sectioning where the procedure permits none. Almost all of these are invisible to an owner and all of them affect either safety or the resale value of the car.

Then what

Sometimes we find nothing and tell you the plan is sound and the other shop is doing right by you. That happens and it is a perfectly good result. Sometimes we find real gaps, and you take our written notes back to the shop or the adjuster and ask for them to be addressed. Either way you are better informed than you were.

If you would rather have us do the auto body work, we will. But that is your call, not the price of the review.

Bring the estimate to 11514 Lake City Way NE, or email photos and we will start there. (206) 495-4774.