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The customer should always be present in the quotation process. It is not a case of drop off your vehicle and come back later. Besides, the quotation process in general should not take more than 15 – 30 minutes to complete. In cases where the vehicle may be too damaged, have old damage or paint is faded, an explanation to the customer with them present is always ideal so they can move to the next step in their process – insurance company writing off the vehicle or a conventional repair quotation. Furthermore, old damage or non-related damage in particular should be written down with the customer present. This eliminates any issues in the final pickup process – things can get a little uncomfortable or even heated if things were not discussed earlier. Discussion of other issues in the repair process such as push-to-paint can also be discussed with the customer.

Initial Contact

The initial customer contact be it by phone and in person is crucial in ascertaining a sense of trust and understanding of the customer needs. Always bear in mind that PDR is a relatively new process and customers are often being exposed to the process for the first time. They may have heard bad things about PDR from the friends or even media be it from bad experience or poor quality by another PDR company. Regardless of this, one of the main reasons they have come to you is because of the processes from insurance companies.

• Act professionally

If you advertise that you are a professional company, then the initial contact should reflect this. Greeting them with a “Good Morning” or “Good Afternoon” is more professional than “G’day Mate”

• Show concern about their vehicle and situation

In Australia, behind the family and house, often the vehicle is the third most important commodity. Having it severely damaged is a traumatic experience and this needs to be respected. You need to assure them you will do whatever it takes to repair the vehicle if it is possible using the PDR process.

Added to the damage itself, some people have never experienced very large hailstones or violent hailstorms. Not knowing is traumatic in itself let alone the damage.

• Explain each and every process

• Provide assurance that you offer a lifetime warranty

• Find out what the customer wants to do regarding repairs

It should not be assumed the customer wants to repair the vehicle under insurance because they came through insurance. Excesses are sometimes quite expensive and in some cases loss of any non-claim bonus may be of concern. Perhaps the customer needs some guidance as to the extent of the damage and may require some time to consider options.

In some cases, particularly with vehicles that work in rough environments such as mining vehicles and council company vehicles, they may not necessarily require a thorough job and the company may want to limit the quotation as such. So a vehicle that may have been borderline repairable based on your usual quality may not be required and general tidy over may be sufficient.

• Avoid making promises you cannot keep

Once you have made a decision to repair or agreed upon a specific pricing, making changes may not be an ideal solution unless circumstances have been discussed prior. In some cases parts may have been included in the quotation and available but suddenly manufacturers may limit the supplies due to a major hailstorm event.

In other cases, if you promise value added components, the customer appreciates it and you should deliver it. Not delivering on promises can and often will work against you sometime in the future.

Brief observation and analysis

A quick scan of the vehicle under lights for a quick initial assessment can save your time. With experience, you will quickly gauge what constitutes write-off vehicles. As explained in detail in the previous section on Limitations on PDR Viability, there are limiting factors on whether PDR is viable on parts or all of the vehicle.

• In summary
  • Too many dents
  • Old and faded paint
  • Old vehicles with thick gauge metal
  • False or fraudulent claims
  • Vehicles bought from auctions after being written off by insurance companies

Factors that require consideration for at least one or more panels

• Dents close to each other
• Extreme large or deep dents
• Cracked paint
• Dents near edges or lack of access
• Vehicle written off
• Old damage (including previous hail damage)
• Old vehicles with thick gauge metal

Cleaning the vehicle

To get an accurate assessment of the size depth and number of dents, the car needs to be clean. Using a non-abrasive cloth when cleaning and use water if required to get the shiny clean surface you require. This will also reveal any old damage, cracked paint, and the condition of the paint.

Taking Images

Documenting each step that you do and information about the vehicle is crucial in the quotation process. Insurance company requirements and images for your records require at minimum images of:

• odometer – fuel and mileage reading (some electronic dash reading require ignition to be turned on to observe mileage)
• internal – reminder of whether automatic or manual
• number plate and rear (be sure to make number plate and badges clearly visible in the photograph for later reference – some special car editions have unique parts for instance)
• rear corner view of vehicle
• front opposite corner view of vehicle
• VIN compliance plate information that clearly show the VIN
• Take Images of Odometer and Noting Old Damage
• Take Image of Front, Side and Rear
• Take Image of Compliance Information Registration and Badge

Note that compliance information including the Vehicle Information Number is either on a compliance plate under the bonnet but can also be on the windscreen as shown in the video and even on the inside of the door! You can ask the owner to locate it for you or contact the manufacturer.

Here is an example of information and views taken of a vehicle: