In Germany, you may choose your own appraiser after an accident that wasn’t your fault. I inspect your car in the Upper Palatinate and nearby regions and go through the report with you in English.
My name is Michael Aures, and I’m a master vehicle technician (Kfz-Technikermeister). I earned this master craftsman qualification (Meisterbrief) at the Chamber of Crafts for Upper Franconia (Handwerkskammer für Oberfranken) in 2015. Today I work as a vehicle damage appraiser. My office in Hirschau has its own indoor inspection bay, and I also come to wherever the car is. I’m not tied to any insurance company or network of repair shops. The person who hires me is you.
In Germany, a car accident appraiser is known as a Kfz-Gutachter or Kfz-Sachverständiger. I inspect the vehicle, look for damage that isn’t visible at first glance and record everything with photos and measurements. Then I write a report (Gutachten). It states what the repair will cost and how long it is expected to take. It also shows any loss in resale value because the car now has an accident history.
Why does this matter? Unless the damage is minor, the at-fault driver’s insurer usually settles the claim based on an appraiser’s report. German law lets you choose that appraiser yourself when the accident wasn’t your fault. So it makes sense to have your own report done before the car is repaired. If you’re not sure whether your case needs a full report, call me and ask.
After an accident that wasn’t your fault, you may choose the appraiser yourself. The other driver’s insurer can’t make you use a particular appraiser. The insurer’s appraiser is hired by the insurer. Your own appraiser is hired by you and works for you. Ideally, decide this before anyone inspects the car.
After an accident that was not your fault, the at-fault driver’s liability insurer (Haftpflichtversicherung) usually pays the appraiser’s fee; if fault is shared, it pays its share. You are the one who hires me. For minor damage below around €700 to €1,000, a cost estimate (Kostenvoranschlag) is often enough instead of a full report.
It states repair costs and repair time. The repair time is the basis for loss of use (Nutzungsausfall), a daily amount you may get instead of a rental car. It also lists any diminished value (Wertminderung): resale value lost even after a proper repair. In a total loss (Totalschaden), it adds replacement and salvage value. Example: a Tesla Model 3 with “only a few scratches” at first glance needed €13,117.48 in repairs including VAT and had €1,800 in diminished value.
Practical steps for the first few hours. If the other driver disputes who caused the accident, talk to a German lawyer who handles car accident cases (Anwalt für Verkehrsrecht).
Turn on your hazard lights, put on your safety vest and set up your warning triangle. Then check whether anyone is hurt and stay clear of passing traffic.
Dial 112 for an ambulance or the fire department and 110 for the police. Call the police if anyone is hurt, if there is major damage, if a driver may have been drinking or if you can’t agree on what happened.
Photograph both vehicles, the damage and the scene. Write down the other driver’s name and address, their license plate number, their insurance company and the names and addresses of any witnesses.
Wait until an appraiser has seen the car before anything is repaired. Once parts are fixed or replaced, the damage can no longer be documented properly.
Get in touch by phone or WhatsApp and tell me what happened. I’ll explain the next steps and set up the inspection at a place that suits you.
I inspect cars, motorcycles, motorhomes, travel trailers (Wohnwagen), vans, trucks up to 7.5 metric tons gross vehicle weight and other trailers.
The full written report after an accident that wasn’t your fault. It documents every damaged part with photos and states the amounts the insurer needs to settle your claim.
Get in touch
For minor damage, a cost estimate is often enough. It covers the repair costs only. Diminished value, salvage value and the time without your car appear only in a full report, so I’ll tell you up front which one fits.
Get in touch
I record the condition of a vehicle with photos and measurements before evidence is lost, for example when the cause or the extent of the damage may be disputed later.
Get in touch
After the repair, I check the car and confirm in writing that the damage listed in my report has been repaired. Insurers may ask for this proof, for example when you claim loss of use.
Get in touchFour things that make the process easier when you don’t know the German system.
From your first call to going through the finished report, you can talk to me in English. You don’t need an interpreter to work with me.
At home, at work, at the repair shop or at the accident scene. If you prefer, the inspection can also take place in my indoor inspection bay in Hirschau.
As a master vehicle technician, I check carefully for hidden damage that is easy to miss, for example behind a pushed-in bumper, and record it with photos in the report.
If the other driver’s insurer or your lawyer has questions about my report, I answer them. You don’t have to pass messages back and forth between them and me.
Four steps from your first message to the finished report.
Call or send a WhatsApp message and describe what happened. I’ll tell you whether a full report or a cost estimate fits your case and what to do before the inspection.
Call
I arrange a time that suits you, at the place where the car is or at my office in Hirschau. I can often do the inspection the same day or the next.
Contact
I inspect the car and take photos and measurements. I explain what I find while I work, so you know what the report will cover.
Contact
You’ll receive the report, and I’ll go through it with you in English, point by point. If you like, I’ll send it straight to the other driver’s insurer or to your lawyer.
ContactMy office is in Hirschau. I work throughout the Upper Palatinate (Oberpfalz), including Amberg, Weiden, Regensburg, Neumarkt, Schwandorf, Cham, Grafenwöhr, Vilseck and Hohenfels. I also work in the Nuremberg area, including Fürth and Erlangen, and in Upper Franconia (Oberfranken), for example in Bayreuth, Bamberg and Hof. To the south, I go as far as Ingolstadt and Straubing.
Yes. You can call me or send a WhatsApp message in English from the start. I explain the process, the inspection and the report, along with the German terms that insurers and lawyers use.
No. The other driver’s insurer may call and offer to send its own appraiser. After an accident that wasn’t your fault, you may still hire an appraiser of your choice before that inspection takes place. If you have already agreed to an inspection by the insurer’s appraiser or signed something, ask a German lawyer who handles car accident cases (Anwalt für Verkehrsrecht) what that means for you.
After an accident that was not your fault, the at-fault driver’s liability insurer usually pays the appraiser’s fee, because it counts as part of the damage. If fault is shared, it pays its share, for example half if each driver is found half responsible. As my client, you are responsible for any part the insurer doesn’t pay, so ask me about the fee when you call.
Yes. I go through the report with you in English, point by point: what was damaged, what the repair costs, what diminished value and loss of use mean and what happens next. If questions come up later, you can call me again.
Who caused an accident is a legal question for a German lawyer who handles car accident cases (Anwalt für Verkehrsrecht), not for the appraiser. If you need one, I can recommend an experienced lawyer I work with. Either way, my report documents the damage to your car.
Tell me in a few sentences what happened, and I’ll explain what comes next.
