Collision and body-shop equipment appraisals.
A collision equipment appraisal from Lukes & Lukes is an independent, USPAP-compliant opinion of value for the body shop: frame and measuring systems, downdraft spray booths, prep stations, welders, ADAS calibration systems and paint-mixing equipment. Booths and frame machines carry installation, permitting and code considerations, and OEM certification requirements increasingly dictate what equipment a shop must run. Built to withstand lender, SBA, IRS, audit and legal review.
What we appraise
The body shop, bay by bay.
We value the fixed and shop equipment that makes a collision center, from a single booth to a multi-bay operation, and we value each class on its own market. The booth and frame machine are usually the anchor assets.
- Frame and measuring: frame machines, benches and electronic measuring systems.
- Refinishing: downdraft spray booths, prep stations, mixing rooms and curing equipment.
- Welding and joining: MIG and resistance welders, including OEM aluminum and rivet-bonding stations.
- ADAS and diagnostics: calibration systems, targets, scan tools and programming hardware.
- Lifts and support: lifts, compressors, dust extraction and shop tooling.
What drives the number
Fixed assets, code, and OEM certification.
Spray booths and frame machines anchor the value, and theirs turns on condition, code compliance and the cost to remove and re-install fixed equipment. OEM certification has become a major driver: as automakers require specific welders, measuring systems and ADAS calibration to keep a certification, compliant current equipment holds value while obsolete tools fall away. ADAS calibration capability in particular has shifted from optional to essential. A booth is worth far more in place than as a unit a buyer must dismantle, transport and re-permit.
Read the full breakdown: what collision equipment is worth →
Which value applies
The right premise for the situation.
The same shop carries different numbers depending on why you need the appraisal. We determine and defend the premise your situation requires.
Common questions
Answers, up front.
What is the most valuable equipment in a collision shop?
Usually the fixed assets: downdraft spray booths and frame or measuring systems, followed by OEM-required welders and ADAS calibration systems. Their value turns on condition, code compliance and the cost to remove and re-install, and on whether they still meet current OEM certification programs.
Does OEM certification affect equipment value?
Yes, increasingly. As automakers mandate specific welders, measuring systems and ADAS calibration to maintain a certification, compliant current equipment holds value while tools that no longer meet a program lose it.
Which value premise applies?
Lending, SBA collateral and wind-downs usually use orderly or net orderly liquidation value; a purchase or sale uses fair market value; estate and partnership matters use fair market value as of a date.
Are these appraisals accepted by lenders, the SBA and the courts?
Yes. Reports are USPAP-compliant, prepared by a NEBB-certified Machinery & Equipment Appraiser (CMEA), and built to withstand lender, SBA, IRS, audit and legal review.