Carbender

A tool for identifying damaged car parts and estimating repair costs. We use computer vision to turn photos into organized OEM part lists with real-market price reports.

Comment

Damage assessment for salvage and auction cars: upload photos, get damaged parts, OEM codes, prices, and the real cost of buying and fixing the car.

Inspiration

I bought a damaged car with 10 minutes to decide, estimated the repair by eye, and then spent weeks hunting for parts and OEM numbers. Carbender is the tool I wish I’d had, both before bidding and after buying.

What it does

Upload photos of a damaged car and get a report with:

Damaged parts and severity, shown on an interactive exploded-car damage map OEM part numbers with confidence levels, plus new, aftermarket, and used prices side by side Likely related parts (brackets, trims, hinges, tow hook covers) Labour estimates and a repair-vs-total-loss verdict Auction title and seller status checks, and NHTSA recall lookups US import and customs calculators, a flipping calculator, and a repair planner Country-specific warnings (ADAS calibration, title rules, EU conversion issues) PDF export

Works for both US (DOT/SAE, USD) and European (ECE, EUR) vehicles.

How I built it

Next.js, TypeScript, PostgreSQL (Prisma), Stripe, Inngest for background jobs, Gemini and Cloudflare R2. The OEM matching engine is my own code, backed by a database of 1M+ parts records covering 60+ makes.

Challenges

Left/right confusion in vision models, solved with geometric validation instead of trusting the model’s text. Generation and facelift ambiguity in parts catalogs, solved with chassis-code and year-range validation. Wrong OEM codes shown with confidence are worse than none, so every code has a confidence tier and unverified ones are hidden.

What I learned

Domain logic around the AI matters more than the AI itself. Parts ecosystems are regional even when cars are global, and honest uncertainty builds more trust than false precision.

What’s next

Secondary (hidden) damage prediction, a browser extension for Copart/IAAI, and body shop team accounts.

Live: carbender.com

Built With

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Updates

posted an update —

While the hackathon has wrapped up, our work on Carbender is moving faster than ever. Hackathons are great for prototypes, but we are building a durable, real-world tool for car flippers, salvage importers, and automotive businesses.

Over the past few weeks, we rolled out major updates focused on financial accuracy, visual inspection, and cross-border auto flipping. Here is what is new:

1. Turnkey Doorstep Price Calculator

Buying salvage cars at auction (Copart, IAAI, etc.) has always suffered from hidden math: auction fees, ocean/inland freight, customs, and surprise part costs.

  • All-in Landed & Repaired Total Cost: Carbender now calculates the exact turnkey cost—combining hammer price, import logistics, replacement parts, and paint/labor hours.
  • Instant Profitability Check: Buyers can immediately tell if a vehicle flip leaves enough margin before placing a single bid.

* Transparent Breakdown: Added an explainer popover right on the primary price card detailing each cost pillar.

2. 25-Zone Interactive SVG Damage Map

Instead of just parsing a dry list of damaged parts, users now get an interactive blueprint schematic of the vehicle:

  • Interactive Blueprint Overlay: Vector polygon mapping across 25 distinct body and structural zones (fenders, quarter panels, pillars, roof, crash bars).
  • Diagnostic Popovers: Hover or tap any panel to see the detected damage severity, whether it requires repair or full replacement, and the associated part cost.
  • Multi-Currency Support: Seamless conversion across EUR, USD, and PLN for cross-border auction buyers.

* Mobile-First Layout: Fully responsive — quick to use on a phone while standing in a salvage yard or at an auction lot.

3. B2B Company Mode (Intra-EU Flipping & Export Yield)

Flipping vehicles as a registered business has completely different economics than private retail buying:

  • B2B vs. B2C Toggle: Instantly toggle between private consumer costs and company financials.
  • VAT Deductions & Net Margin Yields: Accounts for recoverable VAT, zero-rated intra-community EU supplies, and commercial export margins.

* Actionable ROI Metrics: Gives dealerships and corporate flippers their true net bottom line.

4. Custom Reports & PDF Export

  • Custom Part Overrides: Manually toggle specific replacement parts on or off if you already have spare donor parts in stock.

* Full Inspection PDF: Download client-ready estimate reports complete with the repair scope, cost breakdown, and visual damage summary.

What's Next?

We are actively expanding our body shop labor rate calibrations and localized parts catalogs across more EU and US salvage auction hubs.

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posted an update —

Market Expansion: Extending Carbender Across the European Salvage Corridors (Ukrainian & Bulgarian Rollout)

Following our rollout in Europe’s primary salvage transit and rebuilding hubs (Lithuania & Poland), we just expanded Carbender into two of the largest destination and repair corridors for US auction vehicles: Ukraine and Bulgaria!

What’s New:

  • Completing the Import Supply Chain: Thousands of salvage vehicles bought weekly on Copart and IAAI move across the Atlantic into European rebuilders. By adding native support for Ukrainian and Bulgarian buyers alongside Lithuanian and Polish, Carbender now covers the most active trade routes in the European salvage import ecosystem.

  • Localized Collision Intelligence: Full native experience across the platform. Vehicle damage descriptions, workshop advisories, and component breakdowns are translated into native automotive terminology—while keeping official manufacturer OEM part numbers intact for exact parts procurement.

  • Seamless Cross-Border Budgeting: Pairs directly with Carbender's US Import & Customs Calculator, allowing overseas buyers to estimate auction purchase price, import duties, shipping, and complete repair costs before placing a live bid.

Why it matters:
Overseas buyers face a double penalty when bidding on US auctions: navigating foreign listing descriptions and estimating complex repairs across currencies and customs rules. Expanding Carbender into key Eastern European and Balkan import destinations allows cross-border buyers and body shops to calculate landed repair costs and flip margins with total confidence. Try Carbender live → carbender.com

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posted an update —

Feature Update: 1-Page PDF Export & Repair Scope Engine

What's New:

1-Page Executive PDF: Clean, high-density summary ready to share with body shops or colleagues in seconds.

Repair Scope — Mechanic Advisory: Carbender now flags mandatory post-collision technical procedures specific to the vehicle's architecture — ADAS calibration needs, module coding requirements, and high-voltage safety nuances for EVs and PHEVs. Zero surprises during final reassembly.

Why it matters: Modern repairs stall not from finding panels, but from unexpected calibration and coding fees. The Repair Scope ensures you budget the full mechanical picture before committing to a purchase.

Live → carbender.com

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posted an update —

Feature Update: Airbag OEM Part Numbers & Pricing

We just shipped an upgrade for damaged vehicles with deployed airbags on Carbender!

What's New:

OEM Part Numbers for Airbags: Carbender already detected deployed airbag types (driver, passenger, curtain, seat side, knee). Now it also surfaces verified manufacturer OEM part numbers and replacement cost estimates for each. US & EU Market Awareness: Part numbers and pricing are sourced accurately per region — ensuring correct specifications whether you're evaluating a US salvage auction or European local repair.

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posted an update —

Feature Update: Component Parts Beta (Hidden & Secondary Damage Detection) We just delivered on our roadmap goal: predicting the secondary teardown hardware that listing photos cannot reveal! What’s New: • Teardown Hardware Breakdown: Automatically predicts hidden assembly components discovered only during disassembly — bumper guide brackets, impact foam, headlight mounting tabs, PDC sensor retainers, and tow hook covers. •** Hidden Suspension Linkages:** Surfaces high-risk internal components (control arms, tie rods) when wheel/quarter impacts are detected. • OEM Codes & Marketplace Sourcing: Generates OEM reference numbers and direct 1-click search links to live inventory on various marketplaces. • True-Cost Budgeting: Itemized sub-part pricing and labor to eliminate surprise repair bill overruns. Why it matters: Photos show the damaged panel, but not the broken brackets or bent suspension behind it. Component Parts ensures auction buyers budget for the entire assembly before placing a bid. Live now on all damage estimates → carbender.com

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posted an update —

Feature Update: Free Factory Window Sticker Generator Enter any US VIN and Carbender instantly reconstructs the vehicle's original factory Monroney build sheet — completely free.

The generated sticker shows: Standard factory equipment & ADAS safety package EPA fuel economy ratings & annual cost estimate NHTSA 5-star crash test scores Original MSRP, parts content & assembly origin Why it matters: When buying a used or salvage vehicle, it's easy to miss that a "loaded" listing was actually a base-trim car. The factory window sticker tells you exactly what the car was on day one — before any modifications or strip-outs.

Pairs directly with Carbender's damage estimation workflow, and exports as a print-ready PDF.

Live now → carbender.com/window-sticker

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posted an update —

Feature Update: Introducing the "Repair Value Check" & Total Loss Risk Meter

We just shipped a key financial intelligence feature on Carbender to help auction buyers and car flippers decide if a damaged vehicle is worth buying, repairing or flipping for parts!

What’s New: Financial Viability Ratio: Dynamically calculates the Loss Ratio (Total Estimated Repair Cost ÷ Clean Market Resale Value). Visual Loss Risk Gauge: Color-coded risk meter (Low Risk < 40%, Moderate Caution 40-70%, High Total Loss Risk > 70%) matching EU & US salvage threshold standards. Interactive Market Value Tuner: Buyers can adjust the target resale market value directly in the report view to test custom profit scenarios live. Actionable Verdicts: Clear, localized recommendations tailored for auction decision-making.

Try Carbender live at carbender.com or view sample reports!

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Submission history