Dent Repair · San Francisco
Dent Repair in San Francisco.
Paintless dent repair for door dings, hail damage, and shopping-cart kisses where the paint is intact. Traditional repair with repaint when the paint has cracked or the panel has creased. Small jobs while you wait.
Written by Jack Chew, owner of Lombard Auto Body — dent and paintless dent repair on Lombard Street since 2013. Reviewed June 2026.
PDR or traditional repair? The decision tree.
Look at the dent in good light. Run a fingernail across the edge. Here's how to know what your car needs.
PDR works when…
- Paint is unbroken — no cracks, no missing chips, no paint transfer from another car
- The dent is smooth — no sharp creases, no folded edges
- The panel isn't stretched (run a fingernail across the dent — if it catches on a hard edge, the metal has likely stretched)
- The back of the panel can be accessed (some inner-fender areas can't be reached)
Traditional repair is needed when…
- Paint is cracked, chipped, or missing in the dented area
- The dent has a sharp crease (the metal has stretched, and stretched metal won't return to factory shape from behind alone)
- There's visible paint transfer from another car or surface
- Multiple panels are involved, or the dent extends across a body line
Either could work when…
- The dent is borderline — paint mostly intact but with a hairline crack
- It's on a high-visibility panel and you want a guaranteed-perfect result (traditional + repaint is sometimes more reliable for show-quality finishes)
- The vehicle is older and the paint isn't pristine anyway (cost-benefit shifts)
When the fix needs filler and a fresh topcoat, the job crosses into auto paint & refinishing — color-matched off your VIN and blended into the panels next to it. And when a dent comes with bent metal across more than one panel, it's really collision repair, not a dent job — we'll tell you which at the estimate.
Common dent-repair questions
How much does dent repair cost in San Francisco?
Paintless dent repair (PDR), small ding (smaller than a golf ball): $75–$200. PDR, medium dent (golf ball to softball): $200–$500. Traditional dent repair with repaint (paint cracked or panel creased): $400–$1,200 per panel. Door dent with broken paint: $500–$900. Free estimate — bring it in.
What's the difference between paintless dent repair (PDR) and traditional dent repair?
PDR works dents out from behind the panel using specialized tools — the factory paint stays intact. Only works when the paint is unbroken, the panel isn't creased, and the technician can reach the back of the panel. Traditional dent repair involves filling, sanding, priming, and repainting — required when the paint has cracked, the panel has stretched, or PDR access isn't possible. PDR is faster and cheaper; traditional repair handles bigger damage.
Can PDR fix a hail-damage car?
Often yes. Hail dents are typically shallow, paint-intact, and on broad flat panels — exactly the conditions PDR is designed for. A heavily hailed roof or hood might take 4–8 hours of PDR work but comes out looking factory without any repaint. The exception: hail damage with paint chips or cracks needs traditional repair on the affected panels.
My door has a crease from a runaway shopping cart. PDR or paint?
Depends on the crease. Shallow crease, paint intact: PDR can usually walk it out in 1–2 hours. Sharp-edged crease where the metal has stretched, or paint visibly cracked along the line: traditional repair with filler and repaint. We can usually tell which one in a 10-minute look in good light.
How long does a dent repair take?
PDR small ding: 30–60 minutes — you can wait in the lobby. PDR medium dent: 1–3 hours. Multiple PDR dents (hail): half a day to a full day. Traditional dent + paint: 2–4 business days (most of that is paint cure time).
Will PDR damage my factory paint?
No — that's the whole point of PDR. The technician pushes from behind, never touching the painted surface. Done by an experienced tech, the panel looks identical to factory afterward. Done by an inexperienced one, you can sometimes see slight "high spots" or paint deformation in raking light — which is why technique and experience matter for PDR more than for any other body work.
Should I file an insurance claim for a dent?
Almost never worth it for a single dent. PDR jobs run $75–$500; most deductibles are $500+. You'd pay the deductible and get a claim on your record for no insurance benefit. For comprehensive claims (hail damage covering multiple panels), filing makes sense — total repair often runs into thousands. Talk to us before you call the carrier.
What's the warranty on dent repair?
PDR: dents don't pop back out — it's metallurgically a permanent shape change. We warranty the work for as long as you own the vehicle: if a PDR-repaired dent reappears (it won't, but if it did), we redo it free. Traditional dent + repaint: lifetime warranty on collision repair, auto body work, and paint.
Got a door ding or a hail-stricken hood?
Bring it by 2340 Lombard. Most small PDR jobs done while you wait. Free estimate — call (415) 292-2962.