Paintless Dent Repair for Hail Damage?

[Pat Germain]

My car was pelted in a hail storm over the weekend. I now have a bunch of slight dings on the hood, roof and trunk lid of my 2003 Jetta. The car is insured, but the deductable is $750.

I know in the past, the proper way to fix such damage would be a new hood, a new trunk lid and cutting off the roof and welding on a new one. However, I've heard there are now methods for using paintless dent repair for hail damage. Anyone have any experience or knowledge about this?

My coworker filed a hail damage claim for his late-model Impala last year and his insurance company totalled the car. :eek: Although my hail dings are just barely there, I want to keep my Jetta for a long time and I would like to get it fixed without totalling the car or cutting off the roof.

Thanks.

[Paul Ryan]

Paintless dent removable is very popular and common these days. I have seen hoods and roofs that looked like the surface of the moon, come back looking like new. It really is an art those guys have. Many insurance companies will insist on PDR now days because it is so much cheaper. Dont think you are getting inferior service by doing PDR. Many times hail damage repairs in the past, included lots of puddy and very little new metal.

[John Pratt]

PDR is definitely an art. There are some that have perfected the method and others that are still trying to perfect it. However, when done properly, PDR can result in your car looking like new or at least looking like it was never involved in a hail storm. In 2002, my truck was involved in a major hail storm here in Oklahoma, The insurance company recommended PDR and if I went with that option, they would waive the deductable. The repair was incredible and you could not see any dents in the vehicle. Check your insurer to see if they may waive the deductable if you go that route as it will save them and you a tremendous amount of money.

(Side Note: Do not go to one of the fly-by-night PDR people that seem to follow hail storms around country. Seek out a local repair shop and of course check them out.)

[Bob Turkovich]

Just had two new cars (mine and my son's) repaired that way for door dings. Each ding was about 1" x 4". Found a guy recommended by my local dealership. When I made the appointment (by phone), the guy was just finishing repairing a roof from hail damage. He did a great job on both vehicles (unfortunately, my son's ding had about a 1/8" chip of paint removed - so if you know where to look and have just the right light angle, you can see it - my car shows no signs at all). Cost $180 for the two vehicles combined.

As Paul said, it is an art form - requires working from the inside of the sheet metal. Ask what process the repair guy is going to use as there are (according to the internet) some quacks out there using a dry ice process that works for about 24 hours.

BTW - what size hail did you have that caused a car to be totalled?

[Matt Meiser]

Bob, can I ask who you used? I've got a ding in my truck I need to get repaired? Not sure where you are in MI, but maybe they are close enough.

[Chris Padilla]

The paintless repair is awesome stuff. They have a bunch of rods with various shapes at the end of the rod (usually a ball or sphere) and they simply work the dent out.

[Pat Germain]

Hey, that sounds like good news, guys. I'm going to call my insurance company and ask if they wave the deductable for PDR.

Bob, we had hail just over quarter-sized. We've had lots of hail slightly smaller than this in the past with no damage to vehicles. Apparently, it was just big enough to damage my Jetta and my daughter's 2008 Toyota Corolla. My 1986 Jeep Comanche appears to have suffered no damage. And there are a few dings my wife's 1997 Jeep Cherokee. (I was painting the garage over the weekend so none of the vehicles were inside at the time.) :rolleyes:

My brother's Buick was in an Oklahoma hail storm last year. It looks like a giant, blue golfball!

[Bob Turkovich]

Matt, Do a Google search for Sharkey's Automotive Dent Removal in Birmingham, MI. If you make an AM appt. there's a little restaurant about 50yds. north of his place (called Whistle Stop, I think) that serves a great breakfast!:D

Pat, I'm surprised that 1/4" hail could cause that much damage - expected to hear golfball size or bigger - but with Mother Nature, you never know.....

[Pat Germain]

Pat, I'm surprised that 1/4" hail could cause that much damage - expected to hear golfball size or bigger - but with Mother Nature, you never know.....

No, not 1/4" hail. Rather, hail the size of a quarter. I'm actually surprised the damage wasn't worse.

Just north of me in a town called Limon, they got softball sized hail. Those babies were breaking windshields!

[Bob Turkovich]

No, not 1/4" hail. Rather, hail the size of a quarter. I'm actually surprised the damage wasn't worse.

Just north of me in a town called Limon, they got softball sized hail. Those babies were breaking windshields!


So much for my speed reading comprehension skills.....:o. Not so surprised anymore.

[Charlie Reals]

Lord knows I don't miss those storms. Saw hail go through the wings on light aircraft in Rapid city many times and cows knocked silly with it. Got caught on the Harley more than once and raced hail storms to the next overpass. Ahhhhhh the good old days.:)

[Curt Harms]

Lord knows I don't miss those storms. Saw hail go through the wings on light aircraft in Rapid city many times and cows knocked silly with it. Got caught on the Harley more than once and raced hail storms to the next overpass. Ahhhhhh the good old days.:)

Good argument to at least have a helmet with you. If they were big enough to know a cow silly......... :eek:.

[Jim O'Dell]

At a previous dealership I worked at, after a hail storm, a PDR company set up on our service drive to fix all the ones on the lot. As John said, it really is an art. I was fascinated just watching them. Really amazing what a good one can do. Jim.

[Charlie Reals]

Good argument to at least have a helmet with you. If they were big enough to know a cow silly......... :eek:.

:D:D Yeah it is a good point , I never owned a helmet butt that is another thread. Most don't think about the cows but if the hail will go through metal and dimple a car it has to knock the hell outa livestock lol. Since that was pre fancy cab days I even got to lay under a tractor to get out of it. Nothing butt an umbrella for shade on that beast. Ahhhh the good old days, and they truly were.
I laugh over the insurance thing, you couldn't buy hail ins. on a car in that area back then without a large wallet.

[Jim Rimmer]

LOML had PDR on her Camry back in the 90s. Had the car for several years after and it looked great. Make sure the paint is not cracked.

Funny from insurance friend - a lady brought her car in for adjustment after the hail storm and he noticed that the dents didn't occur in the middle of the roof and hood. When he mentioned it, the always honest child that was with the woman piped up with "That's as far as Momma could reach with the hammer!"

[Peter Stahl]

Can the PDR guys get dents out. My door had a crease where someone banged their door int mine. :(

[Chris Damm]

A crease is not a dent. I doubt it.

[Pat Germain]

An insurance rep showed up yesterday. She inspected my car and gave me a check for the estimate, minus the deductable. Unfortunately, my insurance company doesn't waive the deductable for PDR. I expect it will be awhile before I can get my car fixed. There are about 700 people ahead of me.

[Bob Turkovich]

Can the PDR guys get dents out. My door had a crease where someone banged their door int mine. :(


Peter, Both of the repairs I referred to earlier I would have considered creases more than dents.

In my son's case, it was in a new Dodge Challenger R/T that he had owned for 4 days. He parked it at the golf course at the far side of the lot. When he finished his round, he was showing his buddies his new car. A Chevy Equinox had parked next to him. One of his buddies found the crease in the right rear quarter panel - the edge of the rear door of the Equinox was missing paint at a point that lined up with the crease. Why that owner decided to park next to him - so far from other cars - he'll never know.

As I mentioned, the crease is gone. There is a small area where the paint had been removed when the other door made contact, but you have to look hard to see it. The PDR repair guy told me that today's paint seems to be more elastic. When he removes the crease/dent, the paint usually doesn't crack. Older paint jobs can be problematic.

Funny thing is after my son found the crease he went near-ballistic. Took him over 72 hours to calm down (until after we talked to the PDR guy on the phone). My wife couldn't understand why he was so upset. A week later, her 2 mo. old car got a crease from a similar incident at the shopping mall. Sure enough, took her 24 hours to calm down.

[Peter Stahl]

Thanks Bob, I'll have to look into it.