The Assessor Winter 2026 PDF - Flipbook - Page 19
Q: WHAT ARE SOME OF
THE MAJOR CHANGES
YOU HAVE SEEN IN THE
INDUSTRY AND HOW HAVE
YOU AND YOUR INDUSTRY
PEERS / COLLEAGUES /
TEAMS ADAPTED TO THOSE
CHANGES?
The relentless pace of vehicle
development, drivetrains, vehicle
architecture and crash repair
techniques, not to mention the volume
of new motor manufacturers coming
to market. The only way to keep up to
date is to remain curious, understand
that every day is a learning day, and
every vehicle needs to be appraised in
isolation.
If you lean on having repaired vehicles
yourself 20 years ago you may have
been left behind already.
The LCI, or mid-cycle refresh, now
occurs sooner – and may go beyond
basic cosmetic and power unit tweaks.
You may 昀椀nd traction batteries have
moved, voltages have increased, new
ways to regenerate power have been
added to a vehicle, or a different
material has been used to balance
chassis dynamics. All of which needs
careful consideration when compiling
a damage assessment. It is sometimes
close to impossible to accurately
compile your damage assessment if
a manufacturer comes to market with
a product before methods, a parts
catalogue and a competent aftersales
network is available to consult.
Q: WHAT ARE THE KEY ISSUES
FACING MOTOR ENGINEERS
IN 2025?
The implication of AI, ever increasing
overheads, and recruitment. Many
engineers may be worried they could
be replaced by AI, I have a different
opinion and believe it can be used to
assist rather than replace.
Overheads will be a challenge for
some time to come, while we have
seen some advances for repairers, I
feel the importance of a well-quali昀椀ed
and experienced engineer is often
undervalued. Travel expense, the
number of platforms required to
perform your function, the time it takes
to produce a comprehensive report,
the cost of the subscriptions and wages
have all increased exponentially while
engineer fees have remained static.
Recruitment has been a problem
which has been brewing for some
time now. The best motor engineers
have quali昀椀ed and gained experience
repairing vehicles, be it as a painter,
a panel beater, an MET specialist,
or a technician. There appears to
be a certain stigma associated with
becoming an apprentice rather than
taking the graduate route. If there is
a skills shortage in the motor trade,
naturally, there will be a skills shortage
in the independent engineer/assessor
fraternity.
Starting life as an Apprentice
Technician with BMW I am passionate
about this. I have a lot of thoughts on
this topic but in short, I feel students
and their in昀氀uencers don’t fairly
recognise the multiple career paths
available once you have completed an
apprenticeship. I also suspect that a
lot of quali昀椀ed vehicle repair experts
that might be seeking a change are
unaware that engineering could be the
opportunity they are looking for.
Q: WHAT VALUE CAN THE IAEA
BRING TO ITS MEMBERS?
Not only can it give you the con昀椀dence
to make informed decisions when
preparing your reports, it gives you
professional recognition, it provides
continued professional development,
keeps you up to date with trends and
industry insights through The Assessors
Journal, it can give you a voice if you
feel there is a need for change, and it
can offer guidance if you can’t 昀椀nd the
answers you are looking for.
It also gives you an opportunity to
network with likeminded professionals,
the life of an independent engineer
can be a rather solitary existence at
times, and the IAEA help you feel a
part of something bigger.
Q: FINALLY, OUTSIDE OF
WORK WHAT DO YOU
ENJOY? TELL US ABOUT
YOUR TIME “OFF-DUTY”!
Off duty I am regularly found playing
golf, playing guitar, walking in the
country with my dog and tending to an
ever-growing vegetable patch. I also
have an itch to restore a car, do an EV
restomod or build a Caterham with my
daughters but fear they may have 昀氀ed
the nest by the time I get round to it.
Martin Brown M.Inst.A.E.A, M.F.I.E.A,
C.A.E, A.M.I.M.I
IAEA Council Member
www.iaea-online.org/news/the-assessor | WINTER 2026 | THE ASSESSORS JOURNAL
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JOURNAL
