Remote hail and collision estimating for repair shops
I write estimates, supplements and estimate audits for body shops and PDR companies in all 50 states. Every file is written inside your CCC ONE or Mitchell account, under your shop name, with each operation line noted. Standard turnaround is 24 hours.
Your first file is free. One vehicle, no card required.What I write for shops
Estimates and supplements are $150 per file or less with a credit pack. Estimate audits are $120 per file. Each page below explains the service, what to send and what it costs.
- Remote auto estimating servicesInitial hail and collision estimates written from your photos and documents.
- PDR estimate writingInsurance estimates written from your Mobile Tech RX export, hail matrix or scope sheet.
- PDR estimating for collision shopsPDR lines written into your collision estimate along with the blends and R&I.
- PDR estimate translationA Mobile Tech RX estimate written as a full insurance estimate in CCC ONE or Mitchell.
- CCC ONE estimatesWritten in your own CCC ONE account, under your shop name.
- Collision supplementsSupplements for a carrier estimate that came in short, line noted with the reasoning.
- Estimate audits and scrubbingYour file checked line by line for missed operations before you send it. $120 per file.
- Hail claim managementHail estimates and supplements with a status update when the file is received, written and ready for you to send.
- Hail estimating softwareWhat estimating software does, and where a written estimate comes in.
- Comparing providersTwelve questions to ask any remote estimating company before you send files.
From your photos to a file you can send
For shop owners, GMs and estimators who need complete files without writing every one themselves. Running PDR or hail volume? See PDR estimate writing.
Send the file
Photos, the current estimate, a scope sheet or a Mobile Tech RX export. Upload it through the portal or email it.
I write the estimate or supplement
Within 24 hours it is back in your CCC ONE or Mitchell account, with each operation line noted and the reasoning attached.
You send it to the carrier
The file goes out under your shop name. If the appraiser questions a non-standard operation, I explain it to them.
When an appraiser questions a line
Each operation is line noted when I write it. Lines that carriers often question get their reasoning attached before anyone asks.
If an appraiser doesn't follow a non-standard operation, I explain it to them. Two common ones are an adjacent panel that will be damaged by the repair next to it, and removing the doors so the paint and clear coat cover the panel properly. Both are in the excerpt on this page.
If a line isn't supportable, I take it off rather than argue it. Your shop's credibility on the next file matters more than one operation on this one.
I don't send files to the carrier, follow up on them or manage your shop's admin. Your shop sends the file and keeps control of the claim.
| Line | Oper | Description | Qty | Price $ | Labor | Paint |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 49 | Repl | RT ROOF RAIL | 1 | 2.0 | 3.0 | |
| Note: ADJACENT PANEL REPAIR - WILL BE DAMAGED BY ROOF REMOVAL AND REPLACEMENT | ||||||
| 50 | Add for Clear Coat | 0.6 | ||||
| 87 | * FOR ROOF RAIL REFINISH * | 1 | ||||
| Note: TO ENSURE PROPER ROOF RAIL REFINISH COVERAGE | ||||||
| 88 | R&I | LT R&I door assy | 1.0 | |||
| 89 | R&I | RT R&I door assy | 1.0 | |||
Written so far in 2026
Week of Oct 12, 2026. Year to date.
Written in estimates and supplements
"Written" is the full value of every estimate and supplement. "Added" is the money added on top of the starting estimate. A $1,400 initial estimate that ends at $10,400 counts as $10,400 written and $9,000 added.
Both shops kept sending files after the first one. Every file was written by me.
Pricing
Estimates and supplements use credits: one credit per file. No subscription, no expiration, and never a percentage of the estimate. Comparing providers? Read the twelve questions to ask.
One vehicle, no card required and no contract. Judge the work before you spend anything.
| Package | Price | Per file | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| À la carte | $150 | $150 | 1 credit. Pay as you go. | Set up |
| 10 pack | $1,400 | $140 | 10 credits. Save 7%. Most shops start here. | Buy |
| 25 pack Popular | $3,300 | $132 | 25 credits. Save 12%. Steady hail volume. | Buy |
| 50 pack | $6,250 | $125 | 50 credits. Save 17%. Shops with several estimators. | Buy |
| 100 pack | $11,500 | $115 | 100 credits. Save 23%. MSOs and CAT operations. | Buy |
| Estimate audit | $120 | $120 | Per file. Want a pack of audits only? Contact me and I'll build one. | Details |
Credits never expire. No monthly minimums.
Easy Shop, the shop software I built
Easy Shop is production management and CRM for collision, hail and mechanical repair. Same company, same phone number. easyshopauto.com
I opened my own repair shop in 2022. It is still open and it runs on Easy Shop. I built it because I wanted to see what was in the building, what we ran last month and what we were still owed, without walking the floor or opening three spreadsheets.
Most shop systems give you every screen they have. Easy Shop starts with seven modules every shop needs, and you switch on the other five when the work calls for them. There are no tiers. A module is either on in your shop or it isn't.
Easy Shop imports CCC ONE and Mitchell estimates, including parts, labor hours, claim number, adjuster and date of loss. Nobody has to type the estimate in again. It also sends text messages and emails to customers and staff.
Included with every shop
- Job board. Every car in the building at its current stage. Move it forward and the people who need to know are told.
- Customer check-in. The one screen your customers use: keys, contact details and what they came in for.
- Leads. Everyone who came in for an estimate, and when to call them back.
- Insurance work. Claim, adjuster, supplements and approval dates on the job.
- Estimate importing. CCC ONE and Mitchell estimates imported onto the job.
- Wholesale accounts. Trade customers, their rates and what each one owes you.
- Reporting. Closed files, cycle time and A/R from the same records the shop runs on.
Switch on when you need it
- Parts tracking. To order, on order, back order, received. Late ETAs show in red with the number of days late.
- Invoicing. Retail, insurance and wholesale invoices from the job record, with statements and aging.
- Sales. One screen built for a phone, for selling in the parking lot.
- SMS updates. Customers and staff get vehicle status by text, with a limit so a busy morning isn't fifty messages.
- Multi-shop administration. Two or more locations under one sign-in, each with its own database.
Built by a shop operator and used every day in a working shop. Your shop's data is kept in its own database.
Questions shops ask
What does Storm Rider Solutions do?
Storm Rider Solutions writes remote hail and collision estimates, supplements and estimate audits for body shops and PDR companies in all 50 states. Every file is written inside the shop's own CCC ONE or Mitchell account, under the shop's name, with each operation line noted.
How much does a remote estimate cost?
The first file is free. After that, estimates and supplements use credits, one per file: $150 à la carte, $1,400 for ten ($140 per file), $3,300 for twenty-five ($132 per file), $6,250 for fifty ($125 per file) and $11,500 for one hundred ($115 per file). Credits never expire, and the price is never a percentage of the estimate.
How much does an estimate audit cost?
An estimate audit is $120 per file. The file is checked line by line for missed operations, and Christopher Johnson writes the supplement for what was missed. A shop that wants a pack of audits only can contact Storm Rider Solutions and a package is built for it.
How fast is turnaround?
Standard turnaround is 24 hours from receipt of a complete set of photographs and documentation. At catastrophe volume it is 24 to 72 hours, and the shop is told before it sends the cars if a week will land on the long end.
Who writes my file?
Christopher Johnson writes every file personally. He has written estimates for 17 years and has been in collision repair since 2008. In 45 days, as of early October 2026, he wrote $1.6 million in added value across 114 vehicles for two shops, one that sent 60 vehicles and one that sent 54.
Do you send the estimate to the insurance company?
No. The shop sends the estimate or supplement, because it is better for the shop to be seen sending it. Storm Rider Solutions does not follow up on or chase the file and does not manage the shop's admin. If an appraiser questions a non-standard operation, Christopher Johnson explains the reasoning to them.
What states does Storm Rider Solutions serve?
All 50 states. The work is done from the photographs and documentation rather than at the vehicle, so a shop's location does not limit service. The company is based in Plano, Texas.
Send your first file
Your first file is free. Upload the photos and whatever you have written so far, and I'll have the estimate or supplement back to you within 24 hours.
