PDR for hail damage?

1stin101stin10 Member Posts: 18
edited March 2014 in Subaru
Hello, my insurance adjustor just gave me a $4500 estimate for hail damage repair. (My 2009 Outback was a mere 3 weeks old when hit on a trip to Colorado. :( The PDR shop I took it to estimates they can do the whole job for $4700. There are many, many - mostly shallow - dents. Would it be more cost effective to just get replacement parts from Subaru? If so, could there be an issue with paint matching? Help, please!
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  • thallbergthallberg Member Posts: 18
    My 2009 Legacy sedan had the same thing, and the estimate was right on spot. The final shop tally was ~4800. Apparently Subarus don't have "skins" that can be replaced on the doors, so PDR is the only way to go for the places that can reach. If the damage is on the doors, as much of mine was, your only other option would be to replace the entire door.
  • saedavesaedave Member Posts: 694
    Could you get the $4700 and just forget the repair? If the dents are minimal and you are going to keep the car a long time that could be an option. Years ago I bought a new 1993 Passat with such minimal damage at a price I could easily accept..
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    An OE hood for my Forester was just $150, but then you have to paint it, like you said.

    I'd talk to your body guy. If one panel has many of the dents, it may be worth replacing that one, rather than the PDR.

    Thing is - a hood is easy to access.
  • 1stin101stin10 Member Posts: 18
    Hello, just wanted you to know that I got my 09 Outback back from the paintless dent repair shop, and I am utterly amazed at how good it looks. They told me to expect it to look like new, but I have to say I was skeptical. $4500-4700 in hail damage seemed like a lot, and there were many shallow dents. (When they were finished, they told me their price actually came out to around $5,200, but they honored the insurance estimate of $4,500 and said they would try to convince my insurance company to pay more. After I paid them my $500 deductible, I was done.) Anyway, my car really does look like new. The only complaint I had with this shop is that they told me when estimating the job it would take 1.5-2 days to fix, and instead they had my car for a solid week. Otherwise, I am satisfied.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Sweet, glad you're happy with the fix.

    Good idea to be patient and wait, you simply do no want a body shop to rush any repair!
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