One Is Written by Engineers. The Other Was Written by People Who’ve Never Removed a Bumper.

Let’s clear this up once and for all:

When it comes to collision repair and ADAS calibrations, there are two forces at play:

1. OEM Guidelines — Written by the people who built the car.

2. Insurance Policy — Written by the people trying not to pay for it.

Guess which one actually tells you how to fix the vehicle?

(Hint: It’s not the policy.)

OEM Guidelines Are Based on Science, Testing, and Safety

Automakers don’t just make things up for fun. Their guidelines are built on:

• Crash test data

• Sensor tolerances

• Radar angles

• Camera distances

• Real-world incident reports

• Thousands of hours of validation

They publish calibration requirements to ensure the car functions exactly the way it did before it got wrecked.

Meanwhile…

Insurance Policies Are Based on... Budgeting and Denial Scripts

Let’s be honest:

The goal of most claims processes is to settle fast and cheap.That means:

• Denying line items that don’t throw codes

• Arguing procedures they don’t understand

• Using phrases like “not customary” or “we’ve never paid for that before”

Cool. And what does that have to do with fixing the car correctly?

Absolutely nothing.

“Their Policy” Doesn’t Overrule a Repair Manual

Let’s break it down:

	OEM GUIDELINE	INSURANCE POLICY
Who wrote it?	Engineers at the car manufacturer	Corporate actuaries + claims reps
Based on?	Vehicle design + safety data	Payment history + trends
Purpose?	Restore the vehicle to pre-loss safety	Minimize payout
Legal weight?	Recognized standard of care	Internal document, not law

So when a claims rep says,

“That’s not covered under our policy,”

you say,

“It’s still required under the OEM guidelines — and we follow those.”

Because courts side with proper repair, not policy interpretation.

And If It Goes to Court? Guess Who They Look At.

Spoiler: It’s not the claims rep.

It’s the shop.The estimator.The repair planner.The one who signed off on “completed.”

And the only defense that matters is this:

“We followed the OEM repair procedures.”

That’s it. That’s the gold standard. That’s how you win.

Final Word: Fix the Car. Let Them Fight Over the Bill.

Don’t let an insurance policy turn you into a cut-corner repair facility.

The OEM guideline is your blueprint. Your safety net. Your legal defense.

Follow it every time — no matter who says it’s “not necessary.”

Because when the system fails, and the lawsuit hits…

“It wasn’t covered by their policy”won’t mean a thing.