Paintless Dent Removal or Conventional Repair for Hail Damage

[Sophie]

My 2017 Subaru Outback got nailed by a hailstorm recently. The damage is pretty extensive. We have dents all over the hood, on the roof, the fenders, the quarter panels... good times.

Our insurance guy wrote an estimate and recommended conventional repair for 95 percent of the damage. This would mean new panels, replacement hood, etc. He told us this would cost a little more money but would also be the best way to fix the damage. He expressed the concern that performing PDR on the dents would potentially cause "oil-canning" in the future.

The auto repair shop we found who also have great reviews on Yelp strongly recommended PDR for almost all of the dents. They told us the conventional repairs aren't necessary for most of the damage and in fact are wanted by the insurance company to keep costs down. They also mentioned that doing a conventional body repair would get you a CarFax ding.

So obviously this goes completely against what the insurance adjuster suggested. FWIW, the insurance guy seemed really nice and honest(yes we are shocked as well), and said he used to work in a body shop. I also realize he IS an insurance adjuster and he's not necessarily trying to do us any favors.

All of this information made us unsure on how to approach the repair. The car was in perfect condition before the storm, and it's our first nice car, so we want to make sure the repair is done in the best way possible. Are we going to kick ourselves in the ass down the road because we chose the PDR approach?

Does anyone who has been through hail damage repair have any insight? Or better yet, is there anyone who is an expert with body work, who could give us their best advice on which route to take. I'd love to hear anyone else's advice or experience in dealing with this kind of repair. What is the pros and cons to each. Many Thanks!!!?

 

[boomerang]

I have not been a victim of hail damage and am not a expert when it comes to body work but I think that without pictures of the damage it will be near impossible for anyone to give you a worthwhile opinion.

I have had PDR done twice on two different cars and the results were spectacular. I have a friend who had it done on his car and the results were pretty bad. It comes down to the skill of the person doing the work.

 

[Thebobo]

I've had success with Dry Ice on some dents and others not so. Worth a try. There are many videos online showing you the best way and some repairs.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

PDR is touchy because if they screw up, they have to replace (or at least repaint) the panel anyway. It's cheaper, yes, but if the insurance company is willing to pay for replacement body panels, I'd take them up on the offer.

I wouldn't worry so much about a CarFax ding unless you don't intend to keep the car for a long time.

 

[NutBucket]

I'm surprised conventional repair was suggested by insurance since the cost to them is higher. I guess he really was trying to do you a favor unless he's getting a kick-back from the shop.

 

[tweakmonkey]

I'm guessing there are LOTS of dents. No way I'd try PDR on this. I can't imagine it'll ever look perfect.

 

[Sophie]

PDR is touchy because if they screw up, they have to replace (or at least repaint) the panel anyway. It's cheaper, yes, but if the insurance company is willing to pay for replacement body panels, I'd take them up on the offer.

I wouldn't worry so much about a CarFax ding unless you don't intend to keep the car for a long time.

Hi Dave,
Thanks for the advice. The car shop is pushing real for the PDR. They are telling us that the best thing we can do is keep the original factory paint because if they have to repaint, that new paint will never last as long as the original factory paint. They also said that doing the conventional body repair is very intrusive and that the they have to strip the paint, sand, apply bondo (sorry don't remember the name of the filler), that that could cause problems down the line where PDR will make it look almost brand new without the other issues.

I appreciate the time you took to write your advice.

 

[Sophie]

I'm surprised conventional repair was suggested by insurance since the cost to them is higher. I guess he really was trying to do you a favor unless he's getting a kick-back from the shop.

Hello there,

Thank you very much for your advice. Believe it or not, the insurance appraiser did not refer us to the body shop. We picked a shop that has fairly high reviews on Yelp. The insurance appraiser was a very nice guy and I am very shocked about that. He was offering lots of advice during the process without steering us to any shop at all. I agree that the fact that conventional was suggested is surprising. The shop is saying that PDR would be best for the car in the long run but we don't know who to trust. Which of the two is better for the car in the long run if we plan on keeping the car for a long time? That is our biggest dilemma and everyone has a different opinion about it and it is extremely confusing process.

Thanks again!

 

[Sophie]

I'm guessing there are LOTS of dents. No way I'd try PDR on this. I can't imagine it'll ever look perfect.

Hello there,

May I ask why you recommend PDR over conventional body repair? Have you had experience with both?

Many thanks for your reply.

 

[DaTT]

Hello there,

May I ask why you recommend PDR over conventional body repair? Have you had experience with both?

Many thanks for your reply.

He said he would NOT try PDR. I wouldn't either with lots of dents.

If you are unsure, get a second opinion from another reputable body shop. I most certainly would question a body shop if they say their paint job won't last long.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

I most certainly would question a body shop if they say their paint job won't last long.

FWIW/CSB.

My coworker has a 1996 Honda Accord. Almost immediately after he bought it, it got hailed on, and he had to have a bunch of body work done, including repainting most of his front end.

The vinyl wrap he has on the leading edge of his hood is, well, 20 years old, dried out and cracked. But the paint on the repainted parts is still beautiful. (There's some fade/cracking on his trunk lid, but that's factory original.) Honestly, the repainted parts are great.

So I'd kind of imagine that it depends who does the painting and how well they do their job.

 

[hailno]

Answering each section...

Our insurance guy wrote an estimate and recommended conventional repair for 95 percent of the damage. This would mean new panels, replacement hood, etc. He told us this would cost a little more money but would also be the best way to fix the damage. He expressed the concern that performing PDR on the dents would potentially cause "oil-canning" in the future.

I am a co-owner of a paintless dent repair shop in Plano, TX. North Texas and Colorado are the 2 hardest parts of the US hit with catastrophic hail storms. The hail damage we have repaired (based on what you have written above) is most likely repairable with PDR. Conventional repairs fit more into the collision department and not commonplace for hail damage repair. 99% of all insurance companies prefer the paintless dent repair method because the original manufacturer paint warranty stays intact. MORE importantly, if you go to a collision center, the parts are most likely NOT going to be OEM. This will greatly reduce the value of your vehicle. With PDR, we repair the panels 100%. You will not be able to see any remnants of the hail damage. Also, PDR comes with a lifetime warranty. The dents will NOT come back. "oil-canning" is absolutely not a side effect of PDR.

The auto repair shop we found who also have great reviews on Yelp strongly recommended PDR for almost all of the dents. They told us the conventional repairs aren't necessary for most of the damage and in fact are wanted by the insurance company to keep costs down. They also mentioned that doing a conventional body repair would get you a CarFax ding.

TRUE. With PDR, as long as the damage is repairable, NOTHING will shop up on your CarFax.

I highly suggest getting your vehicle evaluated by a reputable paintless dent repair shop near you. Most evaluations are free. Ours are. They will be able to tell you if your damage can be repaired with PDR and the cost estimate.

Feel free to reach out if you have any more questions We are always happy to assist! - The Hail Shop USA

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Well . . . Hail Mary, don't replace . . . Your Suburu is full of grace . . .

Have no fear -- the dents will pop. bring your Outback to our Hail Shop .

This is all very interesting. I remember some bad hail storms in Virginia, but I don't recall significant damage to my cars. I'd seen others which sustained such damage.

[Another reason I relish my old SUV. I can squeeze more years out of it and then just junk it when I have to, for which I might not care about hail dings. But I'm looking at a new Forester sometime in the next few years as an addition to the stable. We had a small and brief shower of hail during our rainy weeks here in So-Cal recently, but my Trooper was in the garage.]