Allstate Auto Lab to include repair technician demonstration areas

The newly opened Allstate Auto Lab will allow claims specialists to observe repair technicians in a dedicated “negative-pressure” demonstration area, according to a press release. 

Claims adjusters will also gain hands-on experience with 22 vehicles and four motorcycles, including electric, hybrid, and gas-powered models, the release adds. 

The Auto Lab is housed inside Allstate’s Claims University, a 33,000-square-foot claims training center in Dallas, Texas, that opened in August. The university also includes a Property Lab where claims specialists learn about house claims. 

Allstate says that the Auto Lab is designed using insights from more than 3.5 million auto claims and recreates scenarios customers experience most often. 

“Today’s vehicles are far more complex than they were even a few years ago, and claims adjusters need a deeper understanding of how damage affects the entire vehicle,” said Mike Fiato, Allstate executive vice president and chief claims officer, in the release. “The Auto Lab allows them to build the expertise needed to help customers make informed decisions when they’re recovering from damage.”

The facility was designed to move training beyond classroom instruction by allowing employees to physically inspect the types of vehicles and damage they encounter in the field, the release states. 

“Vehicle selection was guided by claims data and designed to reflect the most common types of claims, helping bring real-world repair situations into the learning environment,” the release states. 

Claims adjusters examine the technologies, repair considerations, and damage patterns unique to each vehicle type, the release states. 

Damage situations employees will train on include: 

• • “Collision damage, including front-corner, rear-end, side-impact and multi-vehicle accidents;
  • “Flood damage;
  • “Hail damage;
  • “Vandalism;
  • “Hidden structural and undercarriage damage; and
  • “Damage involving cameras, sensors and advanced safety systems.”

Allstate says the lab will prepare claims adjusters to evaluate modern vehicle damage and repair considerations. It adds this will help the adjusters provide more informed assessments and guidance to customers. 

This training will include: 

• • “Inspecting 22 real damaged vehicles, including electric, hybrid, and gas-powered models, as well as four motorcycles.
  • “Using a two-post lift to inspect undercarriage, structural components, and exhaust systems not visible from the exterior.
  • “Engaging with diagnostic technology to identify damage to cameras, sensors, and ADAS.
  • “Observing repair techniques in a dedicated negative-pressure demonstration area.”

The two-post lift will allow claims adjusters to inspect vehicles from underneath, providing a complete view of structural components, exhaust systems, and undercarriage damage that may not be visible from the exterior, the release states. 

“The facility also includes a dedicated repair demonstration area where employees can observe repair techniques and gain a better understanding of how vehicles are restored,” the release states. “Advanced measuring technology helps illustrate structural movement and alignment issues that can influence repair needs, while the negative-pressure environment allows repair demonstrations to be conducted safely as learners observe the process.”

Seeing vehicle damage in person helps claims specialists create a “deeper understanding of how an accident affects the entire vehicle,” the release adds. 

“The Auto Lab helps claims adjusters better understand the repairs necessary to return a vehicle to pre-damage condition,” according to the release. “That knowledge supports more informed damage assessments, stronger conversations with repair facilities, greater confidence in determining necessary repairs and clearer guidance for customers navigating the recovery process. As vehicles continue to evolve, the Auto Lab provides the infrastructure needed to keep training aligned with emerging technologies and repair practices.”

Allstate notes that electric vehicles and vehicles with ADAS require different repair and damage assessment considerations than gas-powered vehicles. It adds that damage to cameras, sensors, or blind-spot monitoring systems may not be visible from the exterior, but can “significantly affect repair needs and safety.” 

“Allstate’s Auto Lab includes electric and hybrid vehicles specifically to train claims adjusters on these considerations, using the same diagnostic tools many repair facilities use,” the release states.

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Photo courtesy of Allstate