Methodology

What this method is

The estimate is produced by a published, deterministic valuation engine. The same inputs produce the same figures. A language model does not calculate diminished value, and it does not adjust the number after the fact.

This is a general method for a self-help estimate, not a professional appraisal standard. Actual outcomes vary with the vehicle, the repair, the evidence, the market, and how an insurer handles the claim.

What the engine uses

The calculation starts from the facts you enter about the accident, the vehicle, and the repair. A VIN is required so the vehicle is identified. State guidance comes from a reviewed list, not from a generated paragraph.

• Where the accident happened, who was responsible, and roughly when it happened
• Year, make, model, mileage, and ZIP at the date of loss
• Pre-accident value, or an indication that you are not sure
• Repair cost, damage severity, structural work, airbags, sensors, parts, and how the repair looks
• Prior accident history and whether the record is already on a history report

How the number is built

Each paid report shows these steps against your file. The free estimate shows the range and the factors; the documented arithmetic stays in the report.

1. Identify the vehicle and check whether we sell documentation for that state and situation.
2. Set a pre-accident (pre-loss) value from comparable listings when they qualify, otherwise from the owner-provided guide value.
3. Express diminished value as a bounded percentage of that pre-loss value (2%–35%), then adjust for severity, age, mileage, market segment, prior history, repair quality, and history-report visibility.
4. When accident-history listings can be compared with clean-history listings, blend that market evidence with the model estimate.
5. Compute a separate insurer-style 17c figure for comparison only. It is not the ask, and it is not a statement of what any insurer must pay.

Why we still show 17c

Our estimate does not use the 17c structure. 17c applies fixed modifiers to a base value and ignores repair cost and market comparables. We still show it because many insurer responses are shaped like that formula. Seeing the two figures together is how you see the gap — not an endorsement of the formula, and not a legal conclusion about any state.

What this does not do

It does not inspect the vehicle. It does not interpret your policy. It does not contact an insurer. It does not promise that anyone will pay the documented ask. You review every figure and you send your own correspondence.