Central Texas Collision has worked on vehicles from 1967 all the way to 2016 models and we have seen the very drastic change in technology that these vehicles have. Today’s vehicles are equipped with the latest technologies which in turn requires great expertise and advanced skills in order to repair them back to pre-accident condition. Central Texas Collision relies on the vehicle data from our estimating software in order to help accurately define the cost of vehicle repairs, but 3D scanners could be the future technology used to transform the entire estimating process.
With 3D scanning, we would be able to take a photo of a damaged vehicle and then view a full colored interactive map that would showcase the extent of the damage. A damaged vehicle could then be compared to the factory produced vehicle that is in the database in order to determine the affected areas. The complete 3D point software gives the ability to measure way beyond what the naked eye could see without having to remove parts upon parts. The system is capable of detecting the smallest dent, so we can identify hidden damage before writing the estimate, potentially preventing the need for a supplemental invoice or re-inspection.
With this technology, customers will be able to send photos of their vehicles to the insurer via smartphone. Then the insurer could compare the image sent by the client to the 3D scan of the vehicle in the 3D database to see the extent of the damage. With this technology, insurers can file claims more efficiently and accurately versus just viewing standard photos online.
Mitchell is a company that has recently opened a technical research center that allows them to collect vehicle frame measurements and chassis diagram information to provide to repair shops, collision and body shop centers like Central Texas Collision.
We hope to be able to incorporate this 3-D Scanning in the near future here at Central Texas Collision to save time and money for our client’s.
