AXA uses scanner to assess thousands of hail-damaged cars

AXA has opened a hail damage drive-in in Winterthur to assess cars damaged in a storm that hit northern Switzerland at the end of August, SRF reports. Insurers have also set up similar facilities in Bülach, Hinwil, Weinfelden and Olten.

The storm left extensive damage across the region. Hailstones, some as large as tennis balls, damaged roofs, windows, solar panels, shutters, facades and large numbers of cars. In Zurich canton, the Unterland and the Winterthur region were particularly affected. The building insurer expects damage worth several hundred million Swiss francs.

At AXA’s facility in a hall on the Rieterareal in Winterthur, customers who have reported hail damage are given appointments to have their cars assessed. A scanner uses a 3D camera to film each vehicle and count the dents on individual parts. It can record, for example, 115 dents on a bonnet and 205 on a roof.

Experts previously counted the dents by hand. The scanner has an error rate of about 5 percent, according to AXA vehicle expert René Büchler, who organised the drive-in. The facility opened on September 10 and is expected to assess about 2,000 to 3,000 cars by the end of November, with around 100 cars examined each day.

After the scan, an expert examines the damage more closely in a light tunnel. Customers are then told the estimated cost and receive a recommendation on whether to repair the car or accept a payout for the repair costs. They also learn whether the vehicle is considered a total loss.

A woman from Wiesendangen in Zurich canton said she watched from her flat as hail struck her car during the storm. It was too dangerous to go outside. Her white car sustained dents only on the bonnet and roof, leaving her to decide whether to have it repaired or take the money instead.