Before you instruct, call us
A questionable repair estimate lands on your desk. The impact damage does not quite match the accident description, the hire period is growing, storage is mounting, and everyone wants an answer. Before you formally instruct an engineer, call us.
At Laird, some of the most useful work we do for claims handlers happens before a report is commissioned. A quick conversation with one of our engineers can triage the damage & let you know whether it's likely to be a repairable car or total loss. We can help you decide whether a claim needs investigating, what evidence is worth obtaining and, just as importantly, whether the technical evidence is likely to support your position at all.
When the repair estimate does not quite add up
Consider a vehicle sitting in a bodyshop with a substantial repair estimate following what is described as a relatively minor collision. Is there pre-accident damage? Does the proposed repair method or cost sound right?
Before authorising further investigation, an experienced engineer can often identify where the real issues lie and what needs to be established.
Accident management claims can escalate quickly
The same applies to accident management company claims. A vehicle may have been recovered, stored and placed into credit hire while a sizeable repair claim develops in the background.
If there are concerns over the extent of the damage, whether the vehicle was genuinely unroadworthy, or whether the claimed repair period is reasonable, getting an engineering view early can be extremely valuable. The longer those costs continue to accumulate, the more important those early decisions become.
Does the damage fit the accident?
Sometimes the concern is not the cost of repair, but whether the damage actually fits the reported accident. Two vehicles may both have visible damage, but that does not automatically mean the physical evidence supports the circumstances being alleged.
Damage height, direction, severity, contact areas and vehicle geometry can all raise questions. A short discussion with one of our engineers can help a claims handler decide whether those questions justify a formal consistency investigation.
When something simply does not look right
There are also cases where something simply does not look right. Perhaps the photographs show damage that appears disproportionate to the collision. Perhaps several areas are being presented as part of the same incident.
These do not automatically mean fraud or exaggeration, but they may justify a closer look. On the other hand perhaps your gut says it might be manipulated or exaggerated with AI. We can help clients identify which concerns have genuine engineering relevance and which are unlikely to lead anywhere.
Sometimes the best advice is not the answer you wanted
We're honest, sometimes brutally honest! Our advice will not always be what you or the bodyshop hopes to hear.
If the damage supports the claimant's version of events, we will say so. If the repair methodology looks reasonable, we will say so. If we think further engineering work is unlikely to change the position, we will say that too.
An independent opinion is most valuable when it allows a claims handler to make a commercial decision early, even if that means reassessing the case, negotiating differently or bringing an argument to an end before more cost is incurred.
A few minutes now can save a lot later
That can be particularly important in claims where repair, hire, storage, recovery and litigation costs are all moving in the same direction. Spending a few minutes discussing the engineering issues at the outset can trigger damage limitation & often prevent weeks of unnecessary investigation and escalating spend.
Of course, some cases do need a formal inspection and expert report. Others may require a desktop review, consistency assessment, diminution opinion or detailed consideration of repair methodology. The point is that you do not always need to know exactly what instruction you require before speaking to us.
Tell us what has landed on your desk, what concerns you and what you are trying to establish. We can help you work out the next step.
Laird engineers are only a phone call or email away, and we are happy to discuss a claim before you formally instruct us : 0151 342 9961
