What do body shops and insurers check in a car during a vehicle inspection?
In this blog, we will discuss the different types of vehicle inspections, the fundamental factors they cover, and the various identification details in vehicle inspections. Additionally, we will also briefly cover how Artificial Intelligence can help automate this process and also help save time, money, and resources.
Let’s dive in!
Introduction
Vehicle inspections are inevitable if you own a car. All car owners have to get one done for their vehicle at some point of time.
However, a lot of car owners are usually clueless about what they check during these inspections and hence, are unable to derive the most from it.
Let us look at the different aspects that body shops/insurers cover during an inspection and what you need to consider during this time.
What are the different types of inspections?
There are different types of inspections like road worthiness tests, emission tests, safety checks, insurance inspections, post-repair inspections, and more. What they cover in an inspection varies based on specific use-cases.
For example, vehicles that are more than three years old in the UK need to get a MOT (Ministry of Transport) Test done where they inspect to check if the vehicle is safe to drive. This test includes various checks including brakes, steering, suspension, indicators, horns, and lights. They might also check other minor aspects such as battery health, the fuel cap, rearview mirror etc.
While each vehicle inspection varies based on the use-case, there are some essential elements that every comprehensive inspection will cover such as external damage, internal damage, hidden damage, and identification details.
External Damages
This is usually the first step in any car inspection where the inspector will conduct a visual assessment to check the scope and extent of damage on the car’s body.
There are different types of external damages, some of them might be cosmetic, while others can be more severe.
- External damages can occur due to accidents, weather impacts, or unintended scratches on the surface of the vehicle. Irrespective of how minor they may be, skipping these damages during an inspection can cause long-term problems.
- While this inspection has traditionally been done manually, even the most experienced inspectors may sometimes find it challenging to accurately identify and register all the external damages present on the vehicle.
- The other solution for external damage inspection could be using Artificial Intelligence. With the right AI model, detecting damage can become very easy to identify, estimate the extent, assess the time required for repairs, and propose a solution for the damages.
(Also read: Humans vs. AI inspections: A comparison across 7 parameters)
Whenever you’re getting an inspection done, make sure that every detail is present in the vehicle condition report. This ensures that you don’t end up paying for unnecessary expenses.
Missing details on a vehicle condition report will lead to inaccuracy, and hence, affect your insurance premium.
Internal damage
Internal damage isn’t as easy to detect as external damage and often ends up being overlooked, which can cause severe problems in the long-term, like misalignment, doors not closing properly, or even accidents.
When internal damages occur on a vehicle, both the driver and the passengers on the road are in danger.
- If you’re unsure if your vehicle has internal damages, take them to a collision expert. They are professionals who can assess the damage, determine the potential side effects of the damage, and even recommend solutions to fix the damages.
- These professionals will check various aspects such as wheel alignment, braking system, tire tread, engine health, and more to evaluate the extent of damage.
- Since internal damages are not easily identifiable, they can often get overlooked by human inspectors during a manual inspection. However, the latest innovations in AI can help easily detect and report these damages accurately.
- Another option could be to look at a 3D model of a car’s interior to verify the damage. However, this approach isn’t 100% reliable for all vehicles. For instance, electric cars don’t follow a standard structure i.e. their external parts don’t correspond with the internal components, making it challenging to predict internal damage.
Hidden damage
These damages aren’t visible like cosmetic damages, but still pose a big threat to a vehicle’s integrity, and can be detected only through a thorough inspection
- There are various types of hidden damages, including dents, scratches, rust, structural damage, and minor impacts that can affect your vehicle’s vital systems. Getting your vehicle inspected by a professional auto body repair shop is the best way to identify these issues.
- During these inspections, the car inspector will also look for signs of water damage which could affect your vehicle’s electrical systems, cause dampness in the vehicle’s upholstery and carpeting, or worse lead to mold in your vehicle.
Identification Details during vehicle inspections
An important step of the car inspection process is to check the identification details of the vehicle. The inspector may check of the vehicle’s registration details, bill of sale, or even the VIN.
- VIN (or the vehicle identification number) is the number underneath the car’s windshield. This is a multi-character code that helps identify and verify the vehicle’s ownership documents. VIN can also be used to reveal the vehicle’s history if it was involved in a previous accident or crime.
- Checking the VIN is a standard procedure before the visual inspection process. Additionally, they will also check for odometer readings to make sure that the engine is running. They may also check secondary sources for any information about the vehicle.
How can AI ease the vehicle inspection process?
With the right application, Artificial Intelligence can be smartly leveraged to reduce time, money, and effort in the vehicle inspection process for both internal and external inspections.
For example, Inspektlabs is building an AI-powered vehicle inspection solution that
- Uses a proprietary algorithm to identify various types of damages present on a vehicle. Their AI is trained to identify damage on over 163 parts of all sorts of cars (sedan, SUV, hatchback, etc.)
- They also use a two-pronged approach that allows the model to accurately predict internal damage based on the external conditions of the vehicle.
- Additionally, their model comes with an inbuilt Fraud Detection system to prevent cases of fraud during vehicle inspections.
Along with the benefits mentioned above, AI-based vehicle inspection tools also help solve the problem of human subjectivity and error, and provide instant reports with 90%+ accuracy.
When all of these benefits are put together, these tools become a valuable asset in your arsenal and can make vehicle inspections a lot more efficient for everyone.
Conclusion
Vehicle inspections are essential to determine the vehicle’s usability and identify any defects before it causes major damage to a vehicle.
If the car has a defect, the vehicle inspector can inform the owner before-hand to take necessary action and fix these issues.
While vehicle inspections have traditionally been a manual process, evolution in Artificial Intelligence tech has helped automate car inspections making them more efficient, and providing more reliable reports in the process.
