We Were Doing This Before It Was Normal
When International Panel Shop first started quoting jobs over WhatsApp, it wasn't the norm in Cape Town's panel beating industry. Most shops still wanted you to drive in, wait for someone to walk out, look the car over, and maybe call you back later that day — or the next. We didn't see why that had to be the only way.
So we started doing it differently: send a few clear photos of the damage over WhatsApp, and we'd send back a real, usable quote — often within the hour. A lot of customers were genuinely surprised the first time they tried it. Some assumed it had to be a rough estimate, not a proper quote. It wasn't. It still isn't.
Other panel shops have since caught up, and that's a good thing for customers across the city. But we were quoting over WhatsApp long before it became something everyone claims to offer.
What We Quote — Straight From a Photo
You don't need to know the technical name for what's wrong with your car. Send us a photo of any of the following and our team will tell you what it'll take to fix it:
- Accident damage — anything from a cracked bumper and buckled panel to a full front or rear-end collision.
- Scratches & dents — a shopping trolley ding, a door dinged in a parking lot, a scrape along a wall or gate.
- Rust — bubbling paint, flaking edges around wheel arches, sills, or door bottoms. We'll tell you honestly whether it's a quick fix or something more involved.
Whatever the damage, the process is the same: photos in, real quote back, no obligation to book anything.
A Dedicated Team — Not Whoever Picks Up the Phone
WhatsApp quotes are handled by a dedicated team whose job is specifically to look at your photos and get back to you properly — not a workshop technician trying to reply between jobs. That's part of why quotes come back quickly and accurately: it's someone's actual focus, not an afterthought.
Private or Insurance — Both Handled the Same Way
It doesn't matter whether you're paying out of your own pocket or going through an insurance claim — the WhatsApp process works the same either way. Tell us upfront which one applies, and we'll quote accordingly.
For insurance claims specifically, a WhatsApp message isn't always enough on its own — insurers generally want something more formal to work from. That's why, once a quote is confirmed, we generate a professional PDF quote through Zoho — properly itemized, correctly formatted, and ready to submit directly to your insurer or assessor. You're not stuck trying to forward a WhatsApp chat log as proof of cost.
Two Branches, Two Direct Lines
Whichever side of Cape Town you're on, there's a direct WhatsApp line to a real person who'll quote your car: