If you've lived through a Brisbane summer, you know our storms don't muck around. A single afternoon of hail can leave a roof, bonnet and boot peppered with dents. The good news: as long as the paint surface isn't broken, hail damage is one of the most repairable things we see — and paintless dent removal is the ideal fix.
First: don't panic, and document it
Before anything else, take photos. Get the whole car and some close-ups in good light. If you're claiming on insurance, this record of the damage (and the date) is useful. Then move the car under cover so it's not exposed to the next round.
Why PDR is the right tool for hail
Hail dents are typically shallow, rounded, and spread across a panel — exactly the kind of damage PDR was built for. We work each dent back out from behind the panel, so the factory paint is never touched. A traditional repair would mean filling and respraying entire panels, which is slower, more expensive, and replaces the original paint that protects your car's value.
How insurance works for hail claims
Most comprehensive policies in Queensland cover storm and hail damage. We work directly with insurers and can handle the assessment for you — photographing the damage, documenting each panel, and liaising with your insurer so you're not stuck in the middle. If you're unsure whether to claim, it's worth weighing the repair cost against your excess; for lighter hail damage, paying directly can sometimes make more sense than a claim.
Will every hail dent come out?
Most do. The limit is the paint: if a stone has cracked or chipped the paint surface, that spot needs traditional repair, because PDR relies on the paint flexing with the metal. During assessment we'll tell you honestly which dents will disappear completely and whether any spots need extra attention.
How long does it take?
It depends on the number of dents. A light scattering across one panel can be a same-day job; a car worked over by a severe storm takes longer. We'll give you a realistic timeframe up front.
After a storm, do this
Photograph the damage, get the car under cover, and send us the photos with your suburb and vehicle details. We'll assess it, talk you through the insurance options, and get your car back to looking like the storm never happened.