AI DamageHail hardly touches the mechanicals, so the risk with these lots lies in the body and glass. The key question: can the dents be pulled without painting (PDR), or will the panels have to be replaced.
What suffers
- Roof, bonnet, boot lid: horizontal panels take the most hits.
- Tops of the wings and doors, roof rails, mouldings.
- Windscreen, sunroof and panoramic roof, headlight and tail light lenses.
- Mirrors and plastic trim on the upper body.
When PDR works
Paintless dent repair (PDR) suits shallow dents where the paint has not cracked and the panel can be reached from the inside. The price depends on the number and size of dents on each panel, so it has to be estimated panel by panel.
- Cracked paint, sharp-edged dents and dents on body lines make PDR impossible or incomplete.
- Aluminium bonnets and lids are harder to straighten than steel ones, so they more often need replacing.
- The roof is reached through the headliner, and access near the pillars and sunroof is limited.
Why replacing a roof is a different matter
On most cars the outer roof panel is welded or bonded to the body. Replacing it means cutting it out and welding in a new one, then painting the seams. This is a structural repair that leaves traces, so it hurts the resale price more than PDR. If the photos show a roof covered in large hail dents, budget for replacement.
How to assess from photos
Hail dents show under low-angle light: look for shots with reflections on the bonnet and roof. If there are no such shots, the extent of the damage cannot be judged from the photos, and that should be counted as uncertainty. For comparison, see Copart and IAAI damage labels and hail lots.