Why a body repair quote goes up: repair or replace
By AZ Carrosserie · Published on
Two things often push a body repair quote up: a part replaced instead of repaired, and sensors or a camera hidden behind it. According to a Comparis analysis, replacing a rear door costs nearly three times as much as repairing and repainting it. In Geneva, AZ Carrosserie goes through every quote with you before starting.
Your quote looks high: where does the gap come from?
A scratched bumper or a dented door looks like minor damage, and the amount comes as a surprise. Often the gap comes down to two questions: is the part repaired or replaced, and what is hidden behind the metal or the plastic?
Before deciding the quote is too expensive, read it again with those two questions in mind.
Repair or replace: what Swiss figures show
Comparis analysed around 7.3 million jobs taken from Swiss claim calculations from 2023 to 2025, covering the ten parts most often hit in parking damage. For a rear door, in 2025, replacement cost on average nearly three times as much as repair followed by painting. These are national averages, not a workshop’s rates. Source: Comparis, press release on car repair costs, in French, read on 07.10.2026.
The same release notes that, over those years, the average cost of the repair work alone on a rear door rose by about half, faster than painting and new parts. Source: Comparis, press release on car repair costs, in French, read on 07.10.2026.
Repairing when it is possible therefore weighs heavily on the final amount. At AZ Carrosserie, the part is straightened when that is possible, and replaced when the deformation is too severe. That sorting is done when the car is inspected, not over the phone.
Sensors, cameras, paint: what is hidden behind the part
A knock that looks simple can affect electronics, sensors or driver-assistance systems. Comparis quotes its expert on this point, and also lists LED lights, cameras and special paints among what makes a repair more expensive. Source: Comparis, press release on car repair costs, in French, read on 07.10.2026.
A bumper that has to come off may also call for a calibration. The good-practice guide of EGEA, the European garage equipment association, states that calibration may be needed after removing and refitting parts placed in front of or behind cameras and sensors, such as a bumper. It is a trade source, not a law. Source: EGEA, “Bonnes pratiques des ADAS 2023”, in French, read on 06.10.2026.
At AZ Carrosserie, the price of an ADAS calibration is set on quotation: it depends on the model, on the number of systems and on the manufacturer’s procedure.
Questions to ask about your quote
To understand an amount, ask the workshop these questions, whichever workshop it is:
- is this part repaired or replaced, and why;
- does the paintwork cover the part alone, or does it extend onto the neighbouring parts to blend the colour;
- is there a sensor, a camera or a radar in the area, and does it need calibrating;
- does a line correspond to damage you had not seen in the photo.
The workshop should be able to answer each one. If an answer is missing, ask for it before you agree.
How does a quote work at AZ Carrosserie?
You fill in the quote form at any hour: you mark the damaged area on a diagram of the car, choose the type of damage and attach up to four photos taken with your phone. The area and the photo are enough: you receive the amount before you drop off the car. The quote is then gone through with you, and nothing starts without your agreement. The quote costs you nothing.
Over the phone, on the other hand, the workshop gives no figure without seeing the car. The photos bridge the two.
Where is the workshop?
The workshop is at Avenue Pictet-de-Rochemont 33ter, 1207 Genève, in Eaux-Vives. Open Monday to Friday, 7.30 am – 12 noon and 1 pm – 5.30 pm. 34 Google reviews, 5.0 out of 5 as of 19.10.2026: the workshop’s Google listing.
See also: A scratch on a car door: what does the cost depend on?, and bodywork repair among the workshop’s services.