You’re walking back to your vehicle after shopping when you spot an ugly dent that wasn’t there before. Your stomach drops as you wonder how much does it cost to fix a dent in a car. Whether you’re dealing with a parking lot surprise or recent hail damage, you need straight answers about repair costs without the runaround. Here are your options and their costs.
Body Shop Dent Repairs: The Old-School Approach
When you take your car to a traditional body shop, expect to pay between $2000-$5000 for a single dent repair. Why such a wide range? Conventional repairs involve a complex sanding, filling, and repainting process that gets expensive fast.
Here’s what drives up the cost at body shops:
- Multiple stages of labor (prep work, filling, sanding, painting)
- Paint matching and blending with surrounding panels
- Materials like body filler and new paint
- Rental car fees during the 3–5-day repair time
While traditional repairs can fix your dent, they have serious drawbacks. That fresh paint job might look good now but can affect your resale value since buyers prefer original factory paint. Plus, the repainted area may weather differently than the rest of your car over time, creating noticeable differences in color and shine.
The Smart Alternative: Paintless Dent Repair (PDR)
Want to save time and money while protecting your car’s value? Paintless dent repair costs can run as much as 25% to 50% less than traditional bodywork. This innovative technique preserves your factory paint while delivering exceptional results, often in just a few hours instead of days.
Your cost for PDR depends on several factors:
- Dent size and depth
- Number of dents
- Location on your vehicle
- Access needed to reach the dent
- Whether the metal is stretched
Most minor door dings and small dents range from $150-$500, while larger dents or multiple hail damage repairs may cost more. The good news? You won’t pay extra for paint matching or materials, and you can usually drive your car home the same day.
Why Home Repairs Often Cost More
You’ve probably seen those online videos promising quick dent fixes with household items. A plunger, boiling water, or compressed air might seem like a cheap solution, but attempting DIY repairs often leads to bigger problems and bigger bills.
Here’s what those “money-saving” videos don’t tell you:
- DIY dent-pulling kits cost $30-$150 for tools you’ll rarely use again
- Improper techniques can stretch your car’s metal permanently
- Failed attempts often make professional repair more expensive
- You risk damaging your paint or creating rust-prone spots
- Many DIY methods don’t work on modern car panels
Save yourself the headache and protect your car’s value by choosing professional dent repair from the start.
Get Back to Loving Your Car
Stop stressing about that dent, and get back to loving your car. At Lord of the Dings, our certified technicians bring over a decade of experience to every repair. We even offer mobile service to make the process as convenient as possible.
Ready to find out exactly what your repair will cost? Book your appointment today and find out why Lord of the Ding’s is Colorado’s and Arizona’s most trusted name in paintless dent repair.