FOR COLLISION CENTERS
Your Estimators Are Doing Free Work. The P-Pages Prove It.
Every estimating database — CCC, Mitchell, Audatex — publishes procedure pages that define exactly which operations are included in their base times and which are not. The not-included operations are legitimate work your shop performs on every repair. If you're not billing for them, you're doing free labor on every single car.
THE GAP
The Database Doesn't Include Everything — By Design
Not-Included Means Not in the Time
When CCC says "1.5 hours to replace a fender," that time does not include seam sealer application, corrosion protection, weld-through primer, or edge-to-edge refinish of adjacent panels. Those are real procedures that take real time — and the database publishers explicitly say they're not included in the base time.
Nobody Has Time to Look It Up
The P-pages are hundreds of pages long, updated regularly, and different for each database. Your estimator would need to cross-reference every operation on every estimate against the procedure pages to capture everything. At 45-90 minutes per car just for research, it's not realistic at production volume.
The Knowledge Walks Out the Door
Senior estimators know from experience which operations are not-included. But when they retire, burn out, or move on, that knowledge goes with them. The difference between a veteran's repair order and a new hire's on identical damage can be $800 or more — and the shop never sees what they're not capturing.
THE SOLUTION
Automate What Your Best Estimator Does From Memory
The C.A.R. Audit scans every estimate against the procedure pages and flags what's missing — with the P-page citation attached. Your newest estimator captures at the same level as your most experienced.
Upload Your Estimate
Push your estimate into the C.A.R. system. The 3-layer recommendation engine scans every line item against procedure page rules, per-group common operations, and parts code table cross-references.
Review Recommendations
The C.A.R. Audit presents every missed not-included operation with the hours, the rate, and the P-page citation. Your estimator reviews, adjusts if needed, and approves.
Submit a Defensible Supplement
The supplement goes to the carrier with documentation attached. No more "why is this on here?" conversations — the evidence is in the package before the adjuster asks the question.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Frequently Asked Questions
It's a procedure that the estimating database explicitly states is not part of their base labor time. For example, CCC's base time for a fender replacement does not include corrosion protection, weld-through primer, or seam sealer. These are real procedures that take real time — the database publishers say so in their procedure pages. If you're performing them (and you should be, per OEM repair procedures), you should be billing for them.
Each database publishes them differently. CCC calls them the Guide to Estimating (GTE). Mitchell publishes the Collision Estimating Guide (CEG). Audatex uses the Database Reference Manual (DBRM). They're available through your estimating software, but navigating them for every operation on every estimate is the bottleneck the C.A.R. Audit eliminates.
They can try — but it's much harder to deny an operation when the P-page citation is attached. You're not asking the adjuster to take your word for it. You're showing them the database publisher's own documentation that says this operation is not included in the base time. That shifts the conversation from negotiation to verification.
Yes. The C.A.R. Audit works with CCC ONE, Mitchell, and Audatex / Qapter. The recommendation engine is calibrated to each platform's specific procedure page definitions.
The C.A.R. Audit is included with CCA Network membership. Network members also get the C.A.R. production board, discounted DV appraisals, and free Total Loss ACV appraisals. See membership options.