Price a dent both ways: paintless repair or the body shop
How much it costs to fix a dent comes down to one question: is the paint intact? If yes, paintless dent repair runs $75–$500 depending on size, $100–$200 for a quarter-size ding. If the paint is cracked or the metal creased, you're at a body shop: $150–$400 to fill and blend a small area, $400–$900 to respray a door, and $2,000–$4,000 if a welded quarter panel needs replacing. Most single dents cost less than a typical $250–$1,000 comprehensive deductible, which is why paying cash usually beats filing a claim.
| Dent Size | Roughly | Per Dent | Three Dents, Same Panel |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 0.5 in | Dime | $75 – $150 | $176 – $351 |
| About 1 in | Quarter | $100 – $200 | $234 – $468 |
| 1.5 – 2 in | Half dollar | $150 – $275 | $351 – $644 |
| 2 – 3 in | Card deck | $200 – $350 | $468 – $819 |
| 3 – 4 in | Softball-ish | $275 – $450 | $644 – $1,053 |
| 4 – 6 in | Large shallow | $350 – $500 | $819 – $1,170 |
Second and later dents on the same panel assume the common one-third discount. Aluminum body panels (many trucks, some sedans) run about 30% more because aluminum resists PDR tooling; tight-access spots like quarter panel edges and roof rails run about 20% more.
| Panel | Fill + Blend | Repair + Respray | Replace |
|---|---|---|---|
| Door | $150 – $400 | $400 – $900 | $800 – $1,800 |
| Fender | $150 – $400 | $400 – $850 | $700 – $1,600 |
| Hood | $150 – $400 | $450 – $950 | $800 – $1,900 |
| Roof | $200 – $500 | $600 – $1,200 | $1,200 – $2,500 |
| Quarter panel | $200 – $500 | $500 – $1,200 | $2,000 – $4,000 |
Doors, fenders and hoods unbolt; quarter panels and roofs are welded into the unibody, which is why replacing one costs multiples of a bolt-on panel. Multi-stage paint and blending into adjacent panels sits at the top of each band. Hail damage across many panels is its own insurance-claim math, start with the deductible line here, then get a PDR hail estimate.
A dent is two different jobs depending on whether the paint film survived. This calculator prices both paths so you can see the fork in the road instead of guessing which shop to call.
PDR prices by size: each dent gets the band for its diameter, second and later dents on the same panel apply a one-third discount, then aluminum adds 30% and tight access adds 20%. Body-shop work prices by panel and depth: fill-and-blend for small cosmetic areas, repair-plus-respray when the panel needs straightening and paint, and replacement when the metal is torn or the panel is structural.
Start with the honest question, is the paint cracked, flaking, or creased sharp at the dent's edge? If not, use the PDR tab. Count every dent on the panel, not just the biggest. Then set your comprehensive deductible: if the estimate's high end sits below it, paying cash is the move, a claim under your deductible pays you nothing and still lands on your record.
A shopping-cart ding on a steel door: one quarter-size dent plus a two-inch crease next to it. The first dent prices at $100–$200; the second, at a one-third discount, adds $100–$184. Total $200–$384, well under a $500 deductible, so cash it is.
Now the bad version: same dent but the paint cracked on the crease. PDR is off the table. Repair and respray on a door runs $400–$900, and if you wanted the deductible math anyway, the low end barely clears $500 while the high end pays out $400 at most after a claim sits on your file for years. For a fender in the same crash, the respray runs $400–$850, replacing it $700–$1,600.
It depends entirely on whether the paint survived. A quarter-size ding with intact paint is a paintless dent repair job at $100-$200. Once paint is cracked, creased sharp, or the metal is stretched, you're at a body shop: $150-$400 to fill and blend a small area, $400-$900 to repair and respray a door panel, and $2,000-$4,000 if a quarter panel has to be cut out and replaced.
PDR prices by size on steel, reachable panels: under a half-inch runs $75-$150, one inch $100-$200, 1.5 to 2 inches $150-$275, 2 to 3 inches $200-$350, and 3 to 4 inches $275-$450. Additional dents on the same panel usually price about a third off, aluminum panels add roughly 30%, and tight-access spots like quarter panel edges run about 20% more.
Usually not for single dents. PDR at $100-$500 sits under most comprehensive deductibles ($250-$1,000), so you'd pay the whole bill anyway plus a claim on your record. It starts to make sense for multi-panel damage, like hail, where the repair exceeds the deductible by a wide margin. Compare the estimate against your deductible before filing.
No. PDR needs intact paint, accessible metal behind the dent, and a dent whose metal isn't sharply creased or stretched. Cracked paint, dents on body lines or panel edges, torn metal, and damage over structural braces usually mean conventional repair. A good PDR tech will tell you in minutes and not charge for the look.
Quarter panels are welded to the unibody, not bolted on. Repairing and respraying one runs $500-$1,200; replacing one means cutting the old panel out and welding the new one in, then blending paint across adjacent panels, which lands at $2,000-$4,000. That's why a parking-lot dent in a rear quarter often costs more than the same dent in a bolt-on fender, $700-$1,600 to replace.