This tool is for invited appraisers. Your team sent you a code.
KarValu DV. Test version.
Enter the VIN, the repair and three real cars for sale. You get a diminished value number you can defend.
Everything here has a working default. Open a section only if you need to change it.
Default is Yes. Once the body structure has been repaired, straightened or replaced, the damage is Severe. The part counts do not change that. Turn this off only if you want the counts to decide on their own.
This fills in a real past case and jumps to the result. Use it to see how the tool works.
You can only claim diminished value when the car had no earlier accident and your client did not cause this one.
First we read the VIN and check the title. A car with a bad title cannot get this appraisal. Salvage and a past total loss are bad titles.
Two short questions before we start.
If the history report already shows damage from before, we cannot appraise this car.
You claim this money from the other driver's insurance. So your client must not be the driver who caused the crash.
One number the VIN cannot tell us.
Pick three cars for sale that are close to your client's car. These are called comparables. Their price and mileage become the proof in the report. We do this first, before any of the numbers.
The score says how close a car for sale is to your client's car.
| Score | What it means |
|---|---|
| 100% | Same car. We checked the options and they match. This is rare and needs options data. |
| 97% | Same car. The equipment and options are not known. This is the usual best score. |
| 85% | Same car, but the drivetrain, engine or transmission is different. |
| 70% | Different trim. |
| 60% | Different year. |
| 40% | More than one thing differs. |
Type in three cars for sale. Same year, make, model and trim. Mileage close to your client's car.
Find the car on KBB.com and copy two numbers.
Take two numbers only: Private Party Value, Excellent and Trade-In Value, Fair.
Optional. If nothing was added to the car and nothing was unusually worn, just continue.
Parts the client bought shortly before the accident add value. Enter what they paid and how worn the part was.
No upgrades added.
Ten upgrades is the most this report carries.
You add the receipts later, on the report screen at the end.
Things that clearly lowered the value before the accident. Bald tires, old damage that was never fixed, mechanical problems. Enter a dollar amount to take off.
No deductions added.
Ten deductions is the most this report carries.
Start with the body structure. Then count only parts that were REPLACED, not repaired. You find them on the repair bill.
If yes, the damage level is Severe (1.00) automatically. Once the body structure is touched, the loss is Severe.
These are the parts that hold the car together: frame rails, apron, radiator support, pillars, unibody sections.
These are the big outside parts: doors, fenders, quarter panels, hood, bumper covers, tailgate.
You find both on the repair bill. Both are optional. You can leave them empty.
These two print on the report. They do not change the math.
Severity means how bad the damage was. It sets how much of the wholesale offset counts as lost value.
Rule 1: frame or body structure touched = Severe (1.00). The chart below applies only when the structure was NOT touched.
Then we take the count that gives the higher number.
| Severity | Structural replaced | Panels replaced |
|---|---|---|
| 1.00 · Severe | 5 or more | Any |
| 0.75 · Major | 3 to 4 | 5 or more |
| 0.50 · Moderate | 1 to 2 | 3 to 4 |
| 0.25 · Minor | 0 | 1 to 2 |
| 0.00 · Minimal | 0 | 0 |
This is the number you can tell the client before they buy the full appraisal.
The day of the accident, and the day you are pricing the car.
Working out the numbers…
Prior-to-loss value is what the car was worth on the day before the crash.
Change the calculated number if your own inspection gives you a reason to. Leave both boxes empty and nothing changes.
You can do this once the calculation gives a result.
Photos and PDFs that back up the appraisal. All optional. Images are made smaller (1400 px). A PDF becomes one image per page, up to 10 pages per file. Everything stays in this browser tab. Nothing is sent to a server. It all prints in the report.
All optional. Anything left empty prints as a blank line for you to fill in by hand.
A last look at what goes on paper. Nothing here changes the math.
These go at the bottom of the Appraisal Details box. A row prints only when it has both a label and a text.
No extra rows added.
Eight rows is the most this report carries.
This prints word for word near the end of the report, after the findings and before the signature. Leave a blank line to start a new paragraph.
Change the calculated number if your own inspection gives you a reason to. This is the only way to change a money figure in the report by hand.
Values you changed by clicking them in the report. The cross puts one back.