PDR is faster than a body shop but how much faster depends on what you're repairing. A single door ding is a one-hour job. A hail-damaged pickup truck with 400 dents across six panels is two to three days. Here's a realistic breakdown of what drives the timeline.
Single Dents and Door Dings: 13 Hours
One door ding on a flat panel maybe 1.5 inches across, shallow, paint intact is typically a 45-minute to 1.5-hour job. The technician gains access to the back of the panel, works the metal, and checks the result under a reflection board until the surface is flat.
A larger single dent say, a basketball-sized shallow impact on a hood might take 23 hours depending on shape and location. More time isn't a sign of a harder repair; it's the tech being careful to get the surface right rather than close enough.
Light Hail Damage (Under 50 Dents): 1 Day
A vehicle with light hail coverage dimpling mainly on the roof and hood, a smaller number of dents on the other panels typically takes one full day. The tech works through each panel methodically, checking the surface under a reflection board before moving on.
If the damage is concentrated on a small area (roof only, or just the trunk and hood), it may finish in half a day.
Moderate Hail Damage (50200 Dents): 12 Days
Moderate coverage across the roof, hood, trunk lid, and door tops is the most common hail repair scenario in Central Texas. Figure 12 business days in the shop. The number of dents matters less than their distribution dents on complex panel areas (near body lines, over structural ribs, close to panel edges) take longer per dent than dents on open flat surfaces.
Severe Hail Damage (200+ Dents): 24 Days
Dense hail coverage across all panels, or heavy damage on a large-format vehicle (pickup truck, full-size SUV), can take 34 days. Large trucks have more panel surface area than sedans, and body-on-frame truck doors and beds can require more disassembly time to access panel backs.
A body shop doing the same repair would repaint multiple panels and take 23 weeks. PDR on the same vehicle takes 14 days and leaves the factory paint untouched.
What Can Make a Job Take Longer
- ADAS sensors: Some vehicles require recalibration of backup cameras, radar sensors, or lane-keeping systems after roof panel work. This adds time and typically requires a dealer or ADAS specialist.
- Aluminum panels: Modern aluminum hoods and fenders require more time per dent than steel. The technique is slower and more precise.
- Previously repaired areas: Panels that have been repainted are harder to work. Aftermarket paint behaves differently under PDR tools than factory paint.
- Glue-pull locations: Some areas can only be accessed with a glue-pull technique rather than rod tools, which adds time per dent.
After a Storm: Factor in Scheduling Wait Time
The repair itself may take 13 days, but getting onto the schedule after a major hail event is a different question. Local PDR shops fill up quickly after a storm. The shops that do good work typically have waitlists measured in weeks after a significant event hits an area.
Call early. If you wait two weeks to call after a storm, you may be looking at another three weeks before the vehicle can go in not because the repair takes that long, but because everyone in town is in the same situation.
What to Expect When You Drop Off
When you bring the vehicle in, we'll do a final walk-through to confirm the dent count and scope against the estimate, note any areas that need extra attention, and give you a realistic completion timeline. Most customers pick up the same day or the next morning. For heavy truck repairs, we typically call when the vehicle is done rather than committing to a fixed pickup time.
If you need a rental or loaner, let us know upfront we can help coordinate through your insurance company if you have rental reimbursement coverage.