How much does auto hail damage repair cost? This is no simple answer since there are so many variables that will affect the final cost of auto hail repair. For those with full-coverage insurance, you can stop reading. Auto hail repair is covered under your insurance. If you have read our other blogs, you are already aware that a hail claim will not affect your insurance rates. It gets even better if you bring your vehicle(s) to one of The Dent Company’s locations. We will waive your deductible up to $500 per vehicle we repair.
The Dent Company will waive deductibles up to $500 for all auto hail repair.
If you have liability-only insurance, auto hail damage repair is not covered under your policy. If you are still reading and want to know what all goes into determining auto damage hail repair cost, we have broken it down for you.
Auto Hail Repair could be free when you bring your vehicle(s) to us. We will waive deductibles up to $500 for each vehicle.
Size, Location and Quantity: Auto Hail Damage Repair Cost Estimate
As far as Paintless Dent Repair (PDR), the cost to remove a dent is based on 3 major factors:
Size
Generally speaking, a larger dent takes more time to remove than a smaller one. Where a small dent is in a concentrated area, a larger dent is usually deeper and can span out across several other dents and supports.
Location
The location of the dent factors in due to access. PDR uses existing openings and access points on the vehicle to fix dents. PDR technicians use highly specialized tools to reach most places on the vehicle. Sometimes, those openings are difficult to access and it takes more time to remove dents in those areas.
Quantity
The number of dents on a particular body panel is an important factor for auto hail damage repair cost. The more dents a body panel has makes dent removal that much more difficult. A single dent on the hood will cost roughly $125 to remove. 30 dents on that same hood would cost about $255 per dent to remove. A dent actually stretches the metal. Multiple dents can “Bleed” into each other and makes dent removal that much difficult for the PDR technician. If you only have a few small dents or door dings, the cost of PDR may be less than your regular deductible.
Our Hail Matrix shows the varying cost of dents broken down by size and location.
Auto Hail Damage Repair Cost Can Vary Depending Where You Go
Where you take your vehicle for repairs can greatly affect auto hail damage repair costs. There are really only two viable choices where you can take your vehicle for hail damage repair, an auto body repair shop or a paintless dent repair facility. Each produces similar outcomes by using different methods. Note: You do NOT have to take your vehicle to the auto repair shop recommended by the insurance company.
Conventional Auto Body Shop
Using a conventional auto body shop for hail damage repair is usually the most labor-intensive and time-consuming option. Dents are fixed by sanding, filling and panel replacement which will require repainting. Parts must be ordered and prepped before the work can even begin.
Paintless Dent Repair (PDR)
Paintless dent repair is much less intrusive and more effective for removing hail dents. PDR does not require sanding, filling or panel replacement. The overall impact on the vehicle is greatly reduced as dents are gently reset back into position by trained PDR technicians using highly specialized tools. Most importantly, the factory paint stays intact while the car stays 100% original. Paint and finish have a direct impact on a vehicle’s value.
You only get one factory paint job. Don’t trust it to just anyone.
-The Dent Company
No matter where you bring your vehicle, do not wait for another hailstorm to hit. A vehicle that went through two hailstorms may be totaled when it could have withstood one at a time. It is important to mention that a vehicle will be totaled when the cost to repair exceeds its value. A vehicle totaled by a conventional auto body shop may be able to be repaired by paintless dent repair. An insurance company will only settle for what the vehicle is worth, not what you owe.
When the hail damage exceeds the limitations of Paintless Dent Repair
Here is where writing an auto hail damage repair cost estimate gets more complicated. Hail can cause severe damage to a vehicle. In some cases, the damage is so severe that it will exceed the limitations of paintless dent repair. In these severe cases, a PDR shop will typically hand off the vehicle to a body shop for repairs after getting their estimate. The two estimates are combined for the total repair cost. In high concentration hail damaged areas, body shops will quickly book up so wait times can be weeks or months just to get your vehicle in. If your vehicle is not driveable, a rental car will also have to be factored into the cost.
The Dent Company is a full-service auto body shop with a “PDR First” approach. We use paintless dent repair on all areas that can be repaired, first. Those areas that exceed the limitations of PDR are repaired by conventional methods. The result is a high-quality repair that is done faster and is more cost-effective with minimal impact on the vehicle. The vehicle remains as original as possible while still retaining most, if not all, of its value.
DIY Method: Can You Fix The Dents By Yourself?
Lastly, you COULD try to fix the dents yourself. A quick search on Amazon will bring up all sorts of DIY dent repair gadgets. The comments all claim a degree of success or complete failure. Fair warning, you can actually do more damage to the vehicle’s paint and finish if you try to repair the dent on your own. We have already debunked the Dry Ice Dent Repair myth and talk about the others such as trying to fix a dent with a plunger.
The bottom line is that you will not get an accurate answer for auto hail damage repair cost without taking your vehicle in for an estimate. If you are local, we can give you a ballpark figure using our PDR Estimate Calculator. For an accurate estimate, we (or any reputable auto hail repair center) would have to physically inspect the damage. Many dents are extremely difficult to see and you will want to repair them all the first time.
-The Dent Company
The Auto Hail Repair Experts | America’s Dent Co.
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Thank you for breaking down the cost factors for hail repair; my car took a serious beating during this past storm. Thankfully, most of the damage that I can find are fairly straightforward to reach, so it shouldn’t require any of the special tools you mentioned. However, I’ll have to have the car examined carefully to be sure, and I’ll be sure to budget for a higher dent count to be safe.
Hi Rhianna!
Just call us to schedule an appointment for a free estimate. We will be able to detect all of the dents for you.