Every guide is grounded in real repair work at our Plano shop and technically reviewed by founder Vytas Kucinskas before it carries the reviewed label. Sources and review dates are shown on every page.
Expect an update whenever the status genuinely changes, and no more than two business days of silence even when it has not.
Inspect the repair under hard-edged light, not shade. Put the car in direct sun or reflect a straight light source across the panel, crouch so you are looking along the surface, and sweep the reflected line across the repaired area.
Yes, and often by more than the repair would cost. An appraisal estimates market value minus what a buyer must spend to make the car retail-ready, so cosmetic damage is deducted as reconditioning at retail body-shop rates, usually priced by panel rather…
If you own the vehicle outright, usually not: the settlement pays for the loss and your policy generally does not dictate how you spend it.
Overlapping storms merge into one damage count, because hail dents carry no date. Insurance works by event, so each storm is normally its own occurrence with its own deductible — which makes separating them the whole problem.
Photograph it, stop washing that area, and contact the shop before anyone else works on it.
Not on its own. Paintless dent repair relies on the factory finish stretching with the metal, and a crack is a stress point that will run when the panel is worked. Glue tabs also will not bond reliably to cracked clearcoat.
Usually not. Paintless dent repair returns a panel to its original shape and adds no coating, and radar, ultrasonic and camera hardware sits behind plastic fascias, glass and mirror housings rather than behind the metal PDR works on.
Partly. Bed sides and many tailgates repair well without paint when there is a tool path behind the skin or the paint is sound enough for outside pulling.
Often yes. Thermoplastic bumper covers have a degree of shape memory, so controlled heat and steady pressure from behind can bring many dents back without refinishing.
Plan on removing it and replacing it rather than reinstalling it. Film and wrap block the reflection reading and the glue-pull methods PDR relies on, and neither material reliably survives removal.
It depends on which kind of prior damage it is. Damage already paid on an earlier claim and never repaired is commonly excluded, because most policies do not pay twice for the same loss.
Send us photos of the damage or schedule an inspection at the Plano shop — we'll tell you honestly what your vehicle needs, what it should cost, and whether a claim makes sense.
Someone from the team will get back to you. If it is urgent, call (866) 336-8767 and you will reach the Plano shop.
