Start at the header, then read the lines panel by panel
The top of the sheet identifies the car: year, make, model, trim, VIN, paint code, mileage and the point of impact. Check it, because an estimate written for the wrong trim level prices the wrong bumper. Below that the estimate is organized front to back through the car, and every damaged panel gets a group of lines.
Each line has an operation. Repair means the existing panel is straightened and refinished, with a labour figure in hours. Replace means a new part, with a part price and the hours to fit it. R&I, or remove and install, means an undamaged part comes off to reach something behind it and goes back on, such as a headlight removed to paint a fender. Refinish is the paint time for that panel, and Blend is reduced paint time on a neighbouring panel to fade the new colour into the old.
Reading those operations tells you the plan. A fender line that says Repair with three hours and a Refinish line beneath it is a very different job from one that says Replace with an aftermarket part number and no blend on the door.
Labour hours are split by type and each has its own rate
Collision estimates separate labour into body, refinish, mechanical, structural or frame, and sometimes glass or electrical, and each category has a different hourly rate agreed with the insurance company. That is why the hours are listed beside each line and totalled by type near the bottom rather than as one number.
Body hours cover the metalwork and the removal and fitting of parts. Refinish hours cover prep, masking, priming, colour, clear and the blend into adjacent panels. Structural hours cover measuring and pulling on the frame machine, and mechanical hours cover suspension, cooling and anything that needs a mechanic rather than a body technician. When a line seems high, it is usually because it includes steps the sheet does not spell out, such as the corrosion protection inside a welded panel.
Part type codes tell you what is actually going on the car
Every replacement part carries a code that says what kind it is. OEM or OE means an original part from the vehicle maker. A or AM means aftermarket, made by another company. LKQ or Used means a recycled part from a salvage vehicle, often the same original part with a few years on it. Recon or Reman means a rebuilt part, common for wheels and bumper covers.
Ontario has no law that forces original parts, and insurance companies commonly write aftermarket or recycled parts on vehicles past their first few years. You can ask for original parts and pay the difference, and where the part is a structural or safety item we push for original regardless. If the code beside a part is not what you expected, ask before the order goes in, because a swap after the fact is a supplement and a delay.
- OEM / OE: original part from the manufacturer
- A / AM / Aftermarket: made by a third party to fit the same location
- LKQ / Used / Recycled: original part taken from another vehicle
- Recon / Reman: an original or aftermarket part rebuilt to spec
- Sublet: work sent to a specialist, such as alignment, glass or calibration
The bottom of the sheet: materials, sublets, taxes and what you pay
Paint and materials is a line calculated from refinish hours that covers the paint itself, primers, clear, masking and consumables. Shop supplies and hazardous waste are small lines that cover exactly what they say. Sublet lines are work done by someone else, and on a modern bumper repair that usually includes a sensor or camera calibration and often a wheel alignment.
Then come the totals by category, taxes, and on a claim, the deductible subtracted from the insurance company’s payment. If you are not at fault the deductible line may read zero. Any betterment, which is a deduction the insurance company takes when a worn part is replaced with new, appears here too; that idea has its own answer on this site. What is left is the amount you pay at pick-up.
On a claim you may end up holding two versions of this document: the one the shop wrote and the one the insurance company’s appraiser wrote, and the totals rarely agree at first glance. Neither is the final word. The two are reconciled line by line between the shop and the adjuster, and the approved version, plus any supplement, is what the repair is built to. Before pick-up, ask for that final agreed sheet rather than the first one you were emailed, and check the header still shows the right trim and paint code, because a swap to a different part type sometimes rides in on a revision without anyone mentioning it.
If the sheet has lines you do not understand, bring it in or send it as a photo. Reading an estimate for someone is part of writing them, and our estimator would rather explain a line at the counter than have you wonder about it at home.
Questions people ask
What does “included” mean beside a line with no hours?
That operation is already covered by another line’s labour, usually the replace operation on the same panel. It is not a hidden charge; it is a note that the time is not counted twice.
Why is there paint time on a panel that was not damaged?
That is the blend. Fading the new colour into the undamaged neighbour is how the repair becomes invisible, and it is standard on most colours.
Why are the insurance company’s hours lower than the shop’s?
The two estimates may be using different assumptions about repair versus replace, or the adjuster may not have seen the teardown. The shop reconciles the difference with the adjuster, and the gap is not billed to you.
Should the estimate mention calibration?
If the car has parking sensors, a radar unit, a blind-spot module or a camera near the repair, a calibration line or sublet is expected. If it is missing, ask.