Check a hail damage repair quote

What the job usually involves.

Hail usually dents the roof, hood and trunk lid most, with fewer dents on the sides. The shop counts dents on each panel, often under special lighting, and records their size. Many hail estimates then price paintless repair per panel from a chart of dent count and size, often called a hail matrix.

Paintless dent repair uses rods and tabs to push or pull each dent back into shape from behind or from the surface, without sanding or repainting. Where the paint is cracked, the metal is stretched, or access is blocked, the panel is repaired conventionally and painted, or replaced.

What a complete written quote should state.

• Each damaged panel, with its dent count and size.
• The method for each panel: paintless, conventional and paint, or replacement.
• Any headliner, trim, light or glass removal for access.
• Parts type for anything replaced.
• Paint materials, labor, fees and tax.
• The written warranty.

SourceFederal Trade Commission — Auto Repair Basics ↗ (opens an external site)

What changes the total.

The count, size and location of the dents matter most. Dents on a roof edge or a body line are harder to reach and reshape than dents in the middle of a flat panel.

The method mix comes next: panels that need paint or replacement add materials and labor. Aluminum panels are often charged more for paintless repair because the metal is harder to reshape. Access work, parts type and the local labor rate make up the rest.

Paintless repair or paint?

Paintless dent repair keeps the original finish and avoids color matching, but it works only where the paint is intact and the metal can be reshaped. Conventional repair can handle damage paintless methods cannot, at the cost of filler, primer, paint and blending into neighboring panels. A badly damaged roof may be replaced instead, which means cutting and bonding or welding a new panel as the vehicle maker's repair procedure describes.

In California, the law says an insurer may not require repair at a specific shop, and that applies to a hail claim too. In Florida, a written estimate that uses non-original aftermarket crash parts must clearly identify each such part. Other states have their own rules.

SourcesCalifornia Legislature (leginfo) — Insurance Code § 758.5 ↗ (opens an external site)Florida Legislature (Online Sunshine) — Florida Statutes § 501.33 Disclosure (aftermarket crash parts) ↗ (opens an external site)

When a second opinion is worth it.

• The quote gives one total with no dent counts per panel.
• Panels are marked for paint or replacement without a stated reason, such as cracked paint.
• Two quotes use different methods for the same panel.
• Windshield or back glass is removed for access and the quote does not mention new adhesive or calibration.
• Access work such as headliner removal is billed but was not on the quote.

If hail cracked the windshield, a mirror or a light, deal with those first. Visibility and lighting come before cosmetic dent work.