Free estimate
Free written auto body estimate in Van Nuys
Send photos, drive in, or call. The estimate costs nothing, and asking for one does not commit you to a repair or to a claim.
Three ways to get one
All three cost the same thing, which is nothing. Pick whichever fits where the car is right now.
Send photos
Fastest if the car is parked somewhere with decent light. Upload them on the estimate form and we write up what the photos show.
We reply during shop hours, usually the same day. If a photo leaves something ambiguous, we will ask for one more rather than guess.
Drive in
Bring the car to 14332 Oxnard Street, Van Nuys, CA 91401 during Mon–Fri, 9am–5pm. We look at it with you, say what we are seeing, and write it up.
This is the better option when the damage involves how a door or hood closes, or when something is rubbing, dragging, or leaking. Those are hard to read in a photo.
Call
310-993-3255. Useful when the car is not drivable, when you are not sure whether this is worth a claim, or when you would rather talk it through before sending anything.
Set expectations
What a written estimate is, and what it is not
What it is
A document that lists the damaged panels, the parts needed, the labor operations, and the refinish work, each on its own line. It is the starting document your insurer works from and the one you approve before anything is touched.
What it is not
A final invoice. A first estimate is written from the outside of the car, so it describes the damage that can be seen. What is behind the panel is still an open question until the panel comes off.
Why the number can move
Collision energy travels. A bumper cover with a scuff can sit in front of a cracked absorber, a bent reinforcement bar, or a deformed rail end.
When teardown reveals damage the first estimate could not see, that becomes a supplement. It is a normal, expected part of collision claims, not a sign that something went wrong.
We document the additional damage for your insurer and get it approved before that work goes ahead. You are not asked to cover the difference out of pocket because the outside of the car hid something.
How we handle the claim and the supplement with your insurer →
Written estimate
Four photos that make your estimate accurate
One wide shot
The whole side of the car where the damage is, taken from far enough back to show where the damage starts and stops.
Close-ups of each panel
One per damaged panel, straight on, close enough to read the depth of the dent, any creasing, and any paint transfer.
The VIN plate
Through the windshield at the base on the driver's side, or the sticker in the driver's door jamb. It gives us the trim, the paint code, and which parts actually fit.
The whole car
One from a front corner, one from the rear corner. These show whether the impact moved anything beyond the panel you are looking at.
You do not need three estimates
This one is worth saying plainly, because it costs people days. Three estimates is a habit left over from an older way of handling claims.
A California insurer cannot require multiple estimates as a condition of your claim. Under Insurance Code section 758.5 it may recommend a shop, but it cannot require you to use one, and it must pay the reasonable cost of repair at the shop you choose.
Choosing your own shop also cannot be used to raise your deductible or cut your coverage. You should receive a document called the Auto Body Repair Consumer Bill of Rights, and that choice is on it.
If an insurer pushes back on where you take the car, the California Department of Insurance consumer line is 800-927-4357.
An estimate is not a claim
Asking a shop to look at your car does not open a claim and does not notify your insurer of anything. Nothing starts until you say it starts.
Some people get the estimate first for exactly that reason, to decide whether filing makes sense at all. Having the written number in hand before you talk to an adjuster is the stronger position either way.
If the collision was recent and you are still working out the order of things, start with what to do after an accident in California.
What usually comes next
Where the estimate leads depends on what the car turns out to need. Most of what we write up falls into collision repair, bumper repair and replacement, or body and paint work.
If the panel is dented but the paint is intact, ask about paintless dent repair when you send the photos. It is a different process with a different line on the estimate.
Questions
Estimate questions people ask
Is the estimate really free?
Yes. A written estimate costs nothing whether you send photos, drive in, or call, and it does not obligate you to book the repair. You can take it to your insurer, to another shop, or nowhere at all.
Do I need three estimates?
No. Three estimates is an old habit, not a rule. A California insurer cannot make multiple estimates a condition of your claim, and under Insurance Code section 758.5 it must pay the reasonable cost of repair at the shop you choose.
Will an estimate change after you start work?
It can. A first estimate is written from what is visible on the outside of the car, and removing damaged parts sometimes reveals more — a bent bracket, a cracked absorber, a mount that took the load. That additional damage is written as a supplement and approved with your insurer before the work goes ahead.
Do I have to file a claim to get an estimate?
No. An estimate is a repair document, not a claim, and asking for one does not notify your insurer of anything. Some people get an estimate first precisely to decide whether filing is worth it.
Damaged car? Start with a photo.
Text or upload photos of the damage and we'll come back with a preliminary estimate and next steps — usually the same day. Prefer to talk? Call. A person answers during shop hours.