Collision estimating software that keeps the estimate, the supplement and the authorization in one file
Collision estimating is the written pricing of an auto body repair, line by line, before the work starts and again every time the job grows. California puts the format in statute: Business and Professions Code 9884.9 requires an itemized written estimate for all parts and labor on body work, with each crash part identified as an original equipment manufacturer part or a non original equipment manufacturer aftermarket part. Neurobird holds the estimate, every supplement and the authorization behind each one.
Neurobird Collision Estimating in short
- Keep the original estimate intact and stack supplements on top of it rather than overwriting the number
- Record each authorization with the time, the person and how you reached them
- Carry the OEM or aftermarket status of each crash part from estimate through to invoice
- 9884.9 The California section requiring an itemized written estimate for auto body work, with labor and parts described separately and each crash part identified as OEM or non-OEM aftermarket. California Business and Professions Code 9884.9
- 3356(c) The invoice rule. Each part must be described as new, used, reconditioned, rebuilt, an OEM crash part or a non-OEM aftermarket crash part, with subtotals for labor and parts shown separately. 16 CCR 3356
- Pricing runs 179 to 1290 US dollars per month across 3 tiers. Early access is free.
What collision repair shops actually deal with
Why it stays broken
A collision estimate has three audiences with three different interests: the customer who signs it, the insurer who pays most of it, and the state that regulates its format. The estimating platforms are built around insurer data exchange, the shop management systems are built around scheduling and invoicing, and the authorization for the extra 4.6 hours found behind the quarter panel gets a verbal yes on a Tuesday. The rules are precise about what the paper must say and silent about who keeps the trail.
California Business and Professions Code 9884.9 requires an itemized written estimate for all parts and labor on collision work, with every crash part identified as OEM or non-OEM aftermarket.
An auto body or collision repair estimate must be itemized and contain the same information that is required in a standard estimate.
Neurobird Collision Estimating Operations Platform
One file per repair: the first estimate, every supplement with the authorization that allowed it, the parts as ordered and as fitted, and the invoice that has to match all of it at the end.
- 1Keep the original estimate intact and stack supplements on top of it rather than overwriting the number
- 2Record each authorization with the time, the person and how you reached them
- 3Carry the OEM or aftermarket status of each crash part from estimate through to invoice
- 4Hold the total loss timeline so the decision date and the teardown date are not in dispute
What changes with Neurobird Collision Estimating?
The same work, read left to right: how it runs today, and how it runs once the record is in one place.
| Today | With Neurobird Collision Estimating |
|---|---|
| A supplement is approved on the phone and the only proof is a note in a technician's handwriting | Keep the original estimate intact and stack supplements on top of it rather than overwriting the number |
| The estimate says aftermarket, the invoice says OEM, and nobody can say when that changed | Record each authorization with the time, the person and how you reached them |
| A total loss decision lands mid teardown and the file has no timeline anyone can reconstruct | Carry the OEM or aftermarket status of each crash part from estimate through to invoice |
Who is this for?
The same quarter panel, three different shops.
You write your own estimates
Direct repair work and walk in customers side by side. You need one file that holds both without keeping two sets of paper.
You compare shops on the same job
Cycle time, supplement rate and parts mix across locations. You need those numbers to come out of the files rather than out of a monthly meeting.
You live on supplements
Structural work where the estimate always grows. You need every authorization timestamped, because that is what the argument will be about.
What the rules say about estimates
The California statute and regulations that set the format of a body shop estimate and invoice, and the insurance rules that govern the parts and the total loss decision on the other side of it.
The California section requiring an itemized written estimate for auto body work, with labor and parts described separately and each crash part identified as OEM or non-OEM aftermarket.
California Business and Professions Code 9884.9The invoice rule. Each part must be described as new, used, reconditioned, rebuilt, an OEM crash part or a non-OEM aftermarket crash part, with subtotals for labor and parts shown separately.
16 CCR 3356Where the vocabulary is defined: crash part, OEM crash part, non-OEM aftermarket crash part, sectioning, structure and corrosion protection all have regulatory meanings.
16 CCR 3303Window a California insured gets after a first party total loss payment or final offer to say they cannot buy a comparable vehicle for that amount, which the insurer must notify them of.
10 CCR 2695.8The claims rule that makes an insurer specifying non-OEM crash parts warrant they are at least equal to OEM in kind, quality, safety, fit and performance, and disclose that in writing in the estimate.
10 CCR 2695.8Additional authorization obtained orally or electronically must be recorded on the invoice with its date and time, the name of the person who approved it and the number or address contacted.
16 CCR 3356How does Neurobird Collision Estimating work?
Write the estimate
Parts and labor listed separately, each part described as new, used, rebuilt or reconditioned, and each crash part marked OEM or non-OEM aftermarket the way the statute asks.
Authorize the growth
Every supplement records the date and time, the person who approved it and the number or address you reached them on, which is exactly what the invoice rule wants written down.
Close it clean
The invoice is built from the estimate and its supplements, so the parts description on the final document matches the one the customer agreed to.
The repair file, as your estimator would work it
Add a supplement and watch the authorization, the parts list and the invoice total move together.
| Line item | Amount | |
|---|---|---|
| RO-7728, front structural, non-OEM parts disclosed | $1,840 | |
| RO-7735, total loss review, teardown photos attached | $620 | |
| RO-7741, direct repair, parts ordered against estimate | $3,275 | |
| RO-7712, rear quarter, supplement 2 pending authorization | $455 |
Click recover to add a missed line to the invoice.
Collision estimating software questions, answered
Key terms
- What is a collision estimate?
- It is the itemized written price of a body repair, produced before work begins. California Business and Professions Code 9884.9 requires labor and parts to be described separately, each part identified as new, used, rebuilt or reconditioned, and each crash part marked as an OEM part or a non-OEM aftermarket part.
- What are the rules on aftermarket crash parts?
- An insurer that specifies non-OEM replacement crash parts must warrant that they are at least equal to the original equipment parts in kind, quality, safety, fit and performance, disclose that warranty in writing in any estimate it prepares, and pay for any modifications needed to fit them.
Does this replace our estimating platform?
No. The estimate is still written where you write it now. This is the file around it: the version history, the supplements, who authorized each one and when, and the parts type carried through to the invoice.
How does it handle supplements?
Each supplement is stacked on the original rather than replacing it, and it carries the date and time of the authorization, the name of the person who gave it and the number or address you reached them on, which is what 16 CCR 3356 asks to see on the invoice.
Can it help with a total loss?
It holds the timeline. When the decision was made, what the teardown had already found, and what the customer was told. California gives a first party insured 35 calendar days after a total loss payment or final offer to come back on the valuation.
Why we are building this
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Where the requirement comes from
Primary sources, straight from the regulators.
- California Business and Professions Code 9884.9, written estimates No work before authorization, no charge above the estimate without consent, and the body shop specific subsection.
- 16 CCR 3356, invoice requirements Exactly how each part and each labor line must appear, and what an oral authorization has to record.
- 16 CCR 3303, definitions The regulatory meaning of crash part, sectioning, structure, corrosion protection and third party payor.
- 10 CCR 2695.8, automobile claim settlement standards Total loss valuation, the 35 day window, and the warranty an insurer gives when it specifies aftermarket parts.
- California Bureau of Automotive Repair The regulator that inspects the file, publishes the guidance and holds the auto body registration.
- California Business and Professions Code 9884.8, invoice duty The invoice duty that 16 CCR 3356 is written under, sitting one section away from the estimate rule.
How much does Neurobird Collision Estimating cost?
Priced per shop because the registration, the estimate format and the invoice duty attach to the location. Repair orders, supplements and photographs are unlimited on every tier.
- One location
- Unlimited repair orders
- Supplement history
- Authorization log
- Up to 8 locations
- Cycle time reporting
- Parts type tracking
- Insurer file exports
- Unlimited locations
- Cross shop comparisons
- Compliance export pack
- Priority support
Get free early access
Early access means we load your labor rates, your parts categories and your current estimate format before you type anything, and the account stays free while we do it.
Straight answer on where this is: The software is in development. Nothing is purchasable today. Early access means you shape it and pay nothing while we build.
Prefer email? Write to office@neurobird.com and a person will reply. No autoresponder.