Case study · Repair confirmation · Karlsruhe-Durlach

The driver wasn't there when the accident happened. Her car was parked, and when she came back, she found a note from the Karlsruhe-Durlach police station asking her to get in touch. According to the accident report later sent to the insurer, another car backed into the parked vehicle while maneuvering, and the driver responsible was identified. Shared liability was never an issue in this case.

Three days after the accident, the Seat was up on the lift in our Karlsruhe-Durlach office. From the outside, it looked like just a torn bumper. From underneath, there was more to see: impact damage to the bumper bracket, the rear muffler trim, and the left rear parking sensor, plus scratches along the side panel.

The owner wanted to settle based on the report alone – on a fictitious basis. That meant only the net amounts would be paid out, not the VAT of €779.51. VAT is only due if the car is actually repaired and an invoice is submitted.

Seven weeks after the accident, the insurer settled: €5,145.75 in compensation plus €664.26 in legal fees. Diminished value, the expert's fee, and the flat-rate costs were all paid. For repair costs, they applied €3,952.68 "according to their review report" – €150.00 less than stated in our report. The difference matches exactly the transport costs calculated in our report, but we don't have their review report itself. Based on the file, this amount remains open.

The same letter contains a paragraph most claimants overlook: the insurer reported vehicle data, "such as the license plate and/or vehicle identification number," to the insurers' Hinweis- und Informationssystem (HIS) – a shared information and reference system.

HIS is a shared database run by the German insurance industry, operated today by Besurance HIS GmbH in Wiesbaden (the letter still uses the earlier name, informa HIS GmbH). If this Seat is involved in another accident, the insurer handling that claim can see that a damage was already reported. According to the insurance industry, an HIS entry alone doesn't lead to a claim being rejected, but it does trigger closer scrutiny. What matters then is what you can prove: was the earlier damage repaired, and if so, which part? Requesting a self-disclosure of what's stored about your vehicle is free of charge for registered keepers and owners.

Months later, the keeper had the car repaired—though not completely. The rear bumper and the rear left reflector were replaced, over two working days. Under fictitious settlement, that's entirely legitimate: the money belongs to the injured party, and what they do with it is their own business. No workshop invoice needs to be shown when settling fictitiously. But without one, there's also no proof that any repair actually took place.

Buyers can't query HIS themselves; self-disclosure is only available to keepers, owners, and policyholders. So when selling, it comes down to what you disclose about the accident damage yourself and what you can prove. A repair confirmation shows the buyer exactly which damage was fixed.

If you're aware of accident damage beyond a minor scratch, you must disclose it when selling, even without being asked, even if it was professionally repaired (BGH, 03.03.1982 – VIII ZR 78/81; BGH, 10.10.2007 – VIII ZR 330/06). The repair confirmation doesn't replace this disclosure, not even for the parts that weren't repaired.

What's documented: the payments from December 3, 2025 and June 30, 2026, the insurer's HIS report, and the repair confirmation sent to the insurer on June 5, 2026. What's not documented: whether the insurer updated the HIS entry after receiving the confirmation. Only the owner can find out what's currently listed in HIS for this vehicle, by requesting a self-disclosure.

The €150.00 was still being claimed in the amended claim of June 5, 2026. We have no record of any payment covering it.

If you settle on an estimate basis in or around Karlsruhe and later have the car repaired, it's worth having an expert confirm the repair. In this case, the insurer that reported the claim to HIS then had proof of the repaired part on file — and the €86.00 loss-of-use payment came along as a side benefit.