Hail Damage
More Turbo
Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 693
Likes: 76
From: Kansas City, MO
My Uncle bought a black Mercedes that was beat to hell from hail. The hood, roof, trunk, even the tops of the quarters had dents. A day or two and $800 later the car was flawless. Not one sign of any damage whatsoever and the biggest plus in my eyes is the fact the car hasn't been painted on and still retains all of it's original sheet metal. Those of you suggesting cutting the roof off of a brand new truck and trusting the body shop to get the seams sealed, door gaps and everything else perfect have a lot more faith in the body shop than I do and need to go watch a PDR guy in action. And good luck explaining to the next owner that you had the entire roof cut off just because of a few hail dents. That would raise a huge red flag in my book.
Cargo Master
Joined: Feb 2015
Posts: 2,338
Likes: 255
From: Livermore Ca.
I have had PDR done on 2 of my cars. The guy did a great job.
I would not cut the roof off my car by some body shop. i know how they work and it's not like on tv. Those guys care about cars. Body shop guys care about getting the car in and out as fast as possible. its only $$$ to them.
It helps to take the truck apart so the dent guy has access to the dent from both sides of the metal if possible. Sometimes the suck the dent out and sometimes they push it out. Depends on the dent and where it is.
I would not cut the roof off my car by some body shop. i know how they work and it's not like on tv. Those guys care about cars. Body shop guys care about getting the car in and out as fast as possible. its only $$$ to them.
It helps to take the truck apart so the dent guy has access to the dent from both sides of the metal if possible. Sometimes the suck the dent out and sometimes they push it out. Depends on the dent and where it is.
Cross-Country
Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 70
Likes: 0
My Uncle bought a black Mercedes that was beat to hell from hail. The hood, roof, trunk, even the tops of the quarters had dents. A day or two and $800 later the car was flawless. Not one sign of any damage whatsoever and the biggest plus in my eyes is the fact the car hasn't been painted on and still retains all of it's original sheet metal. Those of you suggesting cutting the roof off of a brand new truck and trusting the body shop to get the seams sealed, door gaps and everything else perfect have a lot more faith in the body shop than I do and need to go watch a PDR guy in action. And good luck explaining to the next owner that you had the entire roof cut off just because of a few hail dents. That would raise a huge red flag in my book.
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 1,291
Likes: 47
From: Lancaster county, PA
Not hail damage but years ago I had a 1994 Lincoln mark 8 it had a door ding in the side about the size of a soft ball....( no crease). The paintless guy agreed it was pretty bad and said he could get about 90% of it out.....he gave it a try and you couldn't even tell there was any damage at all..... I was impressed
Hotshot
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 10,060
Likes: 491
From: Bristol, TN.
We had a really bad hail storm here about ten years ago and the PDR guys came from all over the country and worked here for weeks. It took about two weeks just to get in. One time I had about 40 dents pulled, other times less, but always several. Perfect every time. The place I most often used is really straight up and will tell you whether he thinks he can fix it. I use an excellent body shop for other work, but for things like hail damage, they say to just get it pulled. Just no reason to go through the sanding, etc., if it can be pulled.
Has anyone reading this thread who has actually used PDR and has first hand experience had any problem with it? So far I am not reading any negatives from folks who have used it.
Has anyone reading this thread who has actually used PDR and has first hand experience had any problem with it? So far I am not reading any negatives from folks who have used it.
Senior User
Joined: Jul 2015
Posts: 237
Likes: 0
My thought is years after beautiful dent less repair of the sun beating the heck out of fillers on the roof little hairline cracks may appear for water to get trapped in and then a rust hole . With a fully replaced metal roof new paint it s all brand new no dents no holes and all the rain, due, ect. water will run right off as new design intended.
Senior User
Joined: Jul 2015
Posts: 237
Likes: 0
All my experience with have been good with PDR. I used to work at a bodyshop on the side years ago and have watched my buddy that does PDR for a living and seen him work wonders with badly hail damaged cars to were you couldn't see any flaws once he was done. It's pretty cool to watch it being done. He did say it's getting more and more difficult as vehicles are getting more cheaply made with really thin body panels.
FTE Stories
Ford Trucks for Ford Truck Enthusiasts
Top 10 Fords at 2026 Carlisle Ford Nationals
Joe Kucinski
3 Best / 3 Worst Parts of Modern Ford Ownership
Brett Foote
10 Amazing Upgrades That Solve Common Ford Truck Owner Headaches
Pouria Savadkouei
Every 2026 Ford Engine Explained
Brett Foote
10 Ugly Ford Trucks That We Still Kinda Love
Joe Kucinski
10 Things Every Truck Owner NEEDS (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
Rezvani's Latest Post-Apocalyptic Monster Is a Ford F-150 Raptor Underneath
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Most Expensive Ford Trucks Ever Sold on Bring a Trailer
Joe Kucinski
2027 Ford Super Duty Buyer's Guide (Every Model, Engine, & Package)
Brett Foote
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
RyanMiller
1980 - 1986 Bullnose F100, F150 & Larger F-Series Trucks
8
Sep 15, 2004 07:38 PM