Collision Intake Controls Every Body Shop Should Run

A collision repair is one of the most stressful transactions a customer ever has with a dealership. Their vehicle is damaged, an insurer is involved, and the timeline feels uncertain. A body shop that runs on documented intake controls turns that stress into confidence — and protects its own cycle time, margin and CSI in the process.

The CDOS way to run collision intake

A body shop doesn't need more paperwork. It needs a few consistent controls with references you can produce on demand. Process → Procedure → Reference. From the moment a damaged vehicle arrives to the moment it's delivered, each step should leave a record.

1. Repair Authorization & Estimate Approval

Process: Establish who is authorizing the repair and on what terms before work begins.

Procedure: Confirm the customer and insurer, document the agreed estimate, capture the deductible and any customer-pay items, and record authorization to proceed.

Reference: Repair Authorization & Estimate Approval Form

Collision work almost always involves a third party paying the bill. Without a clear authorization that ties the customer, the insurer and the estimate together, you're exposed on both the money and the expectations.

2. Vehicle Intake Condition & Photo Documentation

Process: Establish the vehicle's exact condition the moment it enters your care.

Procedure: Record pre-existing damage, mileage, fuel, personal property and prior repairs, and capture dated photos from every angle before the vehicle moves into production.

Reference: Vehicle Intake Condition Report + Photo Log

In a body shop, photos aren't optional. They protect you against “that damage wasn't there” disputes, they support supplement claims, and they document the starting point of the repair for the insurer.

3. Teardown / Blueprint

Process: Build a complete, accurate repair plan before ordering parts or setting a promise date.

Procedure: Perform a full disassembly of the damaged area, document all hidden damage, and produce a complete repair blueprint that becomes the basis for the estimate and the parts order.

Reference: Teardown / Blueprint Sheet

Most blown cycle times trace back to a repair that was estimated from the outside. A documented teardown surfaces hidden damage early — so supplements happen before the customer is promised a date, not after.

4. Supplement Management

Process: Handle added damage and cost consistently, with the insurer in the loop.

Procedure: Document each supplement, submit it to the insurer, track approval status, and never resume affected work until the supplement is authorized.

Reference: Supplement Request & Approval Log

Untracked supplements are where body shop margin and cycle time both leak. A simple log tells you exactly what's approved, what's pending, and what's holding up the repair.

5. Parts Management & Cycle Time

Process: Make sure the right parts are on hand before the vehicle takes a stall.

Procedure: Order from the blueprint, verify parts on receipt against the estimate, mirror-match before install, and track the vehicle's stage so it isn't waiting on a back-ordered part mid-repair.

Reference: Parts Receiving & Cycle Time Tracker

A car sitting in a booth waiting on a part is cycle time you can't get back. Documented parts receiving and stage tracking keep the repair moving and the stall productive.

6. Final Quality Control & Delivery

Process: Verify the repair and the vehicle before the customer sees it.

Procedure: Confirm all authorized and supplemented work is complete, inspect fit/finish and color match, verify calibrations and warning lights, clean the vehicle, and walk the customer through the repair at delivery.

Reference: Post-Repair QC & Delivery Checklist

The delivery is the moment that sets your CSI. A documented final QC catches the small misses — a clip, a light, an overspray — before they become a comeback or a bad survey.

Six controls. One protected repair.

Notice what these six controls really are: the body shop's operating system. Authorize it, document it, blueprint it, supplement it, track it, verify it — each step with a reference that proves it happened.

Process → Procedure → Reference. That's how a collision center protects its cycle time, its margin and its customers at the same time.

Which of these six controls is documented in your body shop today — and which one is running on memory?