CALA Repair Cost Estimating 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In estimating, what is 'door time' or 'access time' added to an estimate for?
- The time required to open and close doors during a test drive
- Extra time needed to access damaged components through restricted or difficult-to-reach areas (Correct answer)
- The administrative time to process the claim
- Time spent waiting for parts to arrive
Correct answer: Extra time needed to access damaged components through restricted or difficult-to-reach areas
Access time accounts for the additional labor required to reach damaged components in locations that are difficult to access during the repair process.
Question 2: What is the function of an estimating database's 'labor rate' field?
- The hourly wage paid to individual technicians
- The shop's posted labor rate charged per hour for each labor category (Correct answer)
- The minimum wage required by law for auto technicians
- The insurance company's standard approved rate for all repairs
Correct answer: The shop's posted labor rate charged per hour for each labor category
The labor rate is the shop's posted hourly charge for each labor category (body, frame, paint, mechanical) used to calculate total labor costs on an estimate.
Question 3: When a repair requires replacing a side curtain airbag, the estimator should also consider:
- Only the cost of the airbag module itself
- Replacement of the headliner, pillars, and any other components damaged during deployment (Correct answer)
- Filing a separate safety recall claim
- Reporting the deployment to NHTSA only
Correct answer: Replacement of the headliner, pillars, and any other components damaged during deployment
Airbag deployment typically damages surrounding components like headliners and pillars that must also be included in a complete repair estimate.
Question 4: A vehicle requires a new bumper cover. The damaged cover had a factory-installed rear parking sensor. The estimator should:
- Ignore the sensor since bumper covers don't include electronics
- Include the transfer, calibration, or replacement of the parking sensor in the estimate (Correct answer)
- Write a separate mechanical estimate for the sensor only
- Advise the customer to install an aftermarket sensor
Correct answer: Include the transfer, calibration, or replacement of the parking sensor in the estimate
Factory-installed sensors must be transferred or replaced and may require calibration, which must be captured in the estimate for a complete repair.
Question 5: When is it appropriate to use an aftermarket (non-OEM) part in a repair estimate?
- Never; only OEM parts should be used in all estimates
- When the vehicle is beyond the manufacturer's warranty period and the part meets quality standards per applicable guidelines (Correct answer)
- Only for mechanical repairs, never for body panels
- Whenever the insurer requests it regardless of vehicle age or part availability
Correct answer: When the vehicle is beyond the manufacturer's warranty period and the part meets quality standards per applicable guidelines
Aftermarket parts may be appropriate for out-of-warranty vehicles when the parts meet quality standards, subject to state laws and insurer/shop agreements.
Question 6: A vehicle sustains damage that requires sectioning a rocker panel. What does 'sectioning' mean in this context?
- Painting the rocker panel in sections to match the vehicle color
- Cutting out and replacing only the damaged portion of the rocker panel rather than full replacement (Correct answer)
- Dividing the estimate into sections for billing purposes
- Inspecting the rocker panel in sections during the appraisal
Correct answer: Cutting out and replacing only the damaged portion of the rocker panel rather than full replacement
Sectioning involves cutting out only the damaged portion of a structural component and welding in a replacement section per OEM or I-CAR repair procedures.
Question 7: What is 'betterment' in the context of a vehicle repair estimate?
- A discount given to repeat customers
- A charge applied when a repair restores a worn component to better-than-pre-loss condition (Correct answer)
- An upgrade to OEM parts from aftermarket parts
- The labor bonus paid to technicians for quality work
Correct answer: A charge applied when a repair restores a worn component to better-than-pre-loss condition
Betterment is a cost reduction applied to compensate for the fact that a new part replaces a worn one, improving the vehicle's condition beyond its pre-loss state.
CALA Repair Cost Estimating 4
In estimating, what is 'door time' or 'access time' added to an estimate for?