What problem does it solve?
A customer with a damaged vehicle has to either visit the business or send photos over WhatsApp and wait for an answer just to learn the price. The technician or appraiser looks at dozens of photos one by one every day and asks the same questions again and again. When the reply is late, the customer turns to another business. Insurance agencies and appraisal firms also need a tool that speeds up the initial assessment and stores photos in an organized way. Inconsistent pricing in this process damages both customer trust and profitability.
Target customers
- Paintless dent repair businesses
- Body and paint shops and auto repair shops
- Vehicle appraisal firms
- Insurance agencies
- Car dealerships and used car sellers
How the product works
The customer uploads photos of the damaged area through a form on the business's website or mobile app. AI marks the type, location and approximate size of the damage. The system matches this information with the pricing rules defined by the business, generates a preliminary price range and offers the customer an appointment option. The technician sees the analysis result in the panel, corrects it if needed and approves it. All requests, photos and quotes are stored in the customer record; corrections are used as data to improve the model over time.
What the first version (MVP) needs
- Photo upload form: Mobile-friendly upload screen that can be embedded in a website
- Damage detection: Marking dents, scratches and paint damage on the image
- Preliminary pricing engine: Pricing rules defined by the business per part and damage type
- Technician approval panel: Correcting the analysis result and approving the quote
- Appointment and WhatsApp redirect: Fast contact after the quote
- Customer and request history: Photos, quotes and status tracking
- Multi-branch structure: Branch-level management for appraisal and repair chains
Revenue model
- Monthly subscription per business
- Usage packages based on the number of analyses
- Enterprise licenses for insurance agencies and appraisal chains
- Website, local SEO and integration setup services
Why now?
As with everything else, vehicle owners now want to learn the price of damage quickly from their phones. The availability of image recognition models has brought the cost of this service down to a level even small businesses can afford. In Turkey, the auto repair, paintless dent repair and appraisal sector is largely fragmented and has a low level of digitalization. A business offering fast photo-based preliminary quotes gets ahead in local searches and customer conversion. Independent repair shops in Europe have a similar need.
A faster start on a ready platform
Hakan developed an AI feature that analyzes vehicle damage from customer-uploaded photos, along with a local SEO website, for a paintless dent repair business in Bornova. This experience reduces the need to design the damage analysis flow and the customer acquisition side from scratch.
End-to-end roadmap
- Validate the idea (1 week): Interviews with target customers, competitor and pricing research; we sharpen the idea together in a free pre-analysis.
- Scope and design (1–2 weeks): MVP feature list, screen designs and technical architecture; written scope and quote.
- Build the MVP (6–10 weeks): Staged development with weekly demos and a test environment; the source code belongs to you.
- Pilot (2–4 weeks): Real use with the first customers, feedback and fixes.
- Launch and grow (ongoing): App Store and Google Play release, website and SEO, payments and subscriptions, new modules.
Timelines are estimates; they are fixed in a written quote once the scope is clear.
Risks and how to handle them
- The preliminary price may be mistaken for a final quote: State clearly with every result that the price is an estimate and that the final quote will be given after seeing the vehicle
- Poor lighting and angles lead to faulty analysis: Use a shooting guide and photo quality check on the upload screen
- Photos contain license plates and personal data: Add a KVKK (Turkish data protection law) privacy notice, explicit consent and a retention policy, and mask plates when necessary
Technologies
Frequently asked questions
How reliable is photo-based damage analysis?
The system is designed for preliminary assessment and shortens the business's response time for photo-based first replies. The final price and repair decision should always be made by the technician or appraiser who sees the vehicle.
How are prices determined?
AI does not invent prices; the business defines its own pricing rules in the panel by damage type, size and part. The analysis result is matched with these rules to produce a preliminary price range.
Can it be added to my existing website?
Yes, the upload form can be designed as a module that embeds into an existing site. If you prefer, it can also be set up together with a new local SEO-focused website.
Can it be used in insurance processes?
Agencies can use it for initial assessment and as a photo archive. Official damage assessment and claim decisions are subject to the processes of the authorized appraiser and the insurance company.