R&I · Remove and Install
The same part comes off and goes back on. Usually done to reach damage behind it, or to paint it off the vehicle. Nothing is being replaced.
Quick Answer
The Shorthand Isn’t Written for You
A collision repair estimate is produced in software shared between shops and insurance companies, and the abbreviations on it are that software’s shorthand. They exist so two businesses can settle a claim quickly. Nobody wrote them for the person paying the deductible, which is why the document can be completely clear to them and unreadable to you. The terms below are grouped the way they appear on the estimate: labor, parts, paint, diagnostics, and the claim itself.
Reading the words is the first step. How an estimate works covers why the number changes after the work starts.
Section 1 of 5
Labor Operations
What the shop is doing to the part, and how the time is billed.
R&R · Remove and Replace
The part comes off and a different one goes on. The old part isn’t reused. Expect a separate parts line alongside this labor line.
Repair
The existing part is straightened, filled, or reworked instead of replaced. Billed in hours, so a long repair time can cost more than a new part.
Refinish
Preparing and painting a panel: sanding, priming, sealing, color, and clear. Billed separately from body labor because it’s a different operation at a different rate.
Blend
Fading new paint into the adjacent undamaged panel so the repair is invisible. Necessary on most modern finishes. A shop skipping it is why some repairs show a color edge in daylight.
Overlap
A deduction. When two neighboring operations share setup or access time, the estimate removes the double-count. Overlap reduces the total. The estimating software applies it automatically, so it’s housekeeping rather than a discount anyone chose to give you.
Sublet
Work sent to another business—glass, alignment, calibration, upholstery. It’s still your repair; it’s just not happening in that building. Ask who does it.
Teardown
Disassembling the damaged area to see what’s actually broken. This is when hidden damage appears and the estimate changes.
Section 2 of 5
Parts
Where the replacement part came from. This is the line item most worth reading.
OEM · Original Equipment Manufacturer
A new part from the vehicle maker, the same as the one fitted at the factory.
A/M · Aftermarket
A new part made by someone other than the vehicle maker. Quality ranges from excellent to poor. Some policies allow them, some states restrict them, and your rights depend on both.
LKQ · Like Kind and Quality
A used part from another vehicle—salvage or recycled. Genuine factory part, just not new. Common for panels and lamps.
CAPA · Certified Automotive Parts Association
A certification mark on some aftermarket parts, meaning that part was tested against the factory original for fit and material. An aftermarket part carrying it is a different proposition from one that doesn’t.
Salvage
The pool of used parts recovered from written-off vehicles. Where LKQ parts come from. A salvage part is a factory part with an unknown history.
Recond · Reconditioned
A used part that has been repaired and refinished before fitting. Most often wheels and bumper covers.
Reman · Remanufactured
A used part rebuilt to a defined standard, usually mechanical rather than body.
OEM Surplus
A genuine factory part sold outside the maker’s own supply chain. Same part, different route, often cheaper.
Betterment
A charge to you when a new part leaves the car better than it was before the crash—most often tires, batteries, and exhausts. You pay the share representing the life you gained. Full explanation.
Section 3 of 5
Paint & Materials
The consumables, and why they aren't just paint.
P&M · Paint and Materials
Everything consumed to refinish a panel: primer, sealer, color, clear, hardener, thinner, abrasives, masking, filters. Usually billed per refinish hour rather than itemized.
BC/CC · Base Coat / Clear Coat
The two-layer finish on almost every modern car. Color goes on flat, clear goes over it for gloss and UV protection.
Tint
Adjusting the mixed color to match the car in front of the painter. Factory paint fades and varies between batches; the code alone is rarely an exact match.
Mil
One thousandth of an inch. Paint thickness is measured in mils, and several manufacturers cap total film thickness over sensor areas because too much paint blinds radar.
PDR · Paintless Dent Repair
Pushing a dent out from behind without filling or repainting. Only possible while the paint is unbroken—once it cracks, PDR is off the table.
Section 4 of 5
Diagnostics & Calibration
The lines that did not exist twenty years ago and now decide whether the car is safe.
ADAS · Advanced Driver Assistance Systems
Automatic braking, lane keeping, blind-spot monitoring, adaptive cruise, and the rest. They depend on cameras, radar, and sensors mounted in the parts that get damaged first.
Pre-scan
Reading the vehicle’s fault codes before repairs start, to find electronic damage a visual inspection can’t see.
Post-scan
The same check after repairs, to confirm nothing was left disturbed. This is your evidence the car left in a known state.
Calibration
Re-establishing where a sensor is aiming after it has been moved, replaced, or had its mounting disturbed. A scan finds information; calibration sets the aim. Full guide.
Static / Dynamic
Two calibration methods. Static uses targets in the shop; dynamic requires driving the vehicle under set conditions. Some vehicles need both.
Section 5 of 5
Claims & Documents
Who is paying, and which piece of paper you're holding.
Supplement
A documented revision to the estimate after more damage is found. Normal, not a red flag—most repairs have at least one. How estimates change.
DRP · Direct Repair Program
An agreement between an insurer and a shop covering rates and process, in exchange for referrals. Describes a business relationship, not repair quality. Full explanation.
ACV · Actual Cash Value
What the vehicle was worth immediately before the crash. The number a total-loss decision is measured against.
Total Loss
When the cost to repair passes a threshold set against the ACV, so the insurer pays out the value instead of fixing the car. The threshold varies by state.
Deductible
The part of the repair you pay. A shop offering to absorb it has to take that money from somewhere: its own margin, or a padded estimate. The second one is fraud, and the claim is in your name.
Cycle Time
How long the car is in the shop. Insurers track it because rental days cost them money. It’s a measure of speed, not of quality.
Start Here
Two Terms Cause Most of the Confusion
R&I versus R&R decides whether a part is being reused or replaced, and the two look almost identical on paper. Betterment is the line that surprises people, because it’s the one place an estimate asks you for money on top of the deductible. Both have their own page.
Quick Answers
Estimate Language FAQ
The questions people ask once they start reading the line items.
What does R&I mean on a collision repair estimate?
R&I means Remove and Install: the same part comes off and goes back on, usually to reach damage behind it or to paint it off the vehicle. It's different from R&R, which means Remove and Replace, where the old part is discarded and a new one is fitted.
What does betterment mean on a repair estimate?
Betterment is a charge to you when replacing a worn part with a new one leaves the vehicle better than it was before the crash. It usually applies to wear items such as tires, batteries, and exhaust components, and you pay the share that represents the extra life you gained.
Why does my estimate use abbreviations at all?
Estimates are written in software shared between shops and insurers, and the abbreviations are that software's shorthand. They exist for the two businesses settling the claim, not for the person paying the deductible. That's why the same document can look like a foreign language to you and be perfectly clear to them.
Is a lower estimate a better estimate?
Not on its own. Estimates differ because they describe different work, so a lower total usually means fewer operations, cheaper parts, or no calibration. Compare the scope line by line before comparing the totals.
Sources
- I-CAR: ADAS Collision Repair Diagnostics Process. Definitions of pre-scan, post-scan, and calibration, and where each belongs in the repair.
- Progressive: How to Read an Estimate. Insurer walkthrough of estimate operations and part-type codes.
- Insurance Information Institute: Direct Repair Programs and Generic Auto Parts. Part-type terminology and how insurers describe non-OEM parts.
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