Using PDR to Repair Hail Damage: Tips and Tricks

Apr 21st 2023

It may come as a surprise, but hailstorms are more common in springtime than in any other season. This is problematic because your car gets caught outside the garage some days.

The next thing you know, you've got a golf ball-sized dent in your hood. Body repair shops offer various repair methods. However, this article will focus on paintless dent repair (PDR).

Our PDR guide has all the information you need if you're unfamiliar with PDR tools or the repair process. Keep reading if you're curious about PDR tech and how it repairs hail damage.

What is Paintless Dent Repair?

Paintless dent repair is a body repair method that doesn't require technicians to paint your car. There are several specialized tools that car body shops use for PDR hail damage.

Some unlikely-seeming PDR tools include hammers and steel "chisel" tips. Lighting is also an essential implement for removing dents.

Technicians use lights to highlight the dents and massage them out from under the hood. PDR glue can repair damage from the top side of your car's hood or trunk.

Fixing the dent starts by filling the damaged area with glue. Next, a technician removes the substance. Removing the glue pulls metal up from the dent to make it disappear.

Does Dent Size and Quantity Matter?

Paintless dent repair is an excellent choice for repairing large amounts of damage. You don't have to remove car parts or heat and reshape anything. All you need is a hammer, steel tip, and glue.

Hail dent removal time can take hours if you have a lot of weather damage. Technicians don't bang the dents out; they must massage them away.

This methodical process can be time-consuming. Despite this, most shops only take up to two days to complete the process.

Lucky people only have dents 3 to 5 inches large. More unfortunate car owners might have hail damage 5 to 10 inches across. You can repair PDR hail damage from 2 to 10 inches in circumference.

Larger dents may take longer, but it is possible to massage them out with enough skill and effort.

Irregular Dents and DIY Paintless Dent Repair

Not all dents are circular-shaped. Sometimes you'll have sharp, protruding dents or wrinkled ones. Sharp dents are repairable but more difficult than round ones.

Wrinkled denting can be complicated for the most skilled PDR technicians. Now, you can remove hail damage yourself if you want.

PDR tools can be costly. Trying your hand at DIY paintless dent repair is not advisable if you're not serious about trying it. You'll have the easiest time with round dents.

Sharper damage can prove more challenging for DIY repairs. You can save money with DIY work, but wrinkled dents are best left to professionals. You could end up spending more money fixing what you did.

Want to PDR Your Hail Damage Away?

Paintless dent repair is a simple way to repair your car after spring hailstorms. PDR tools may not seem too helpful. But hammers, picks, and bright lights can go a long way toward repairing PDR hail damage.

Metal Medic PDR Tools is your one-stop shop for hail damage repairs. Contact us with any questions or concerns about PDR tools and repairs.

PDR, or paintless dent repair, is an environmentally-friendly, fast, minimally-intrusive vehicle dent repair process. The PDR procedure restores a vehicle’s body to a factory-like condition in a fraction of the time and most time costs less than traditional dent repair methods.

Technicians across the county safely restore vehicles back to pre-incident without compromising the original painted finish. The best technicians invest in a high-quality PDR kit, an assortment of tools that are crucial to the success of any finish master.

Metal Medic PDR Tools—Made to Make You Better
Metal Medic Tools provides various tools, including Hail Rods, Hammers, Tips, Hero PDR Glue, and other PDR glues. Our tools and accessories are designed to help dent technicians complete their job quickly and efficiently, with the best possible results.

PDR Hand Tools
Short-tipped PDR tools allow technicians to get close to dents and work out defects by hand. Metal Medic Tools produces short-tipped selections with sharp and blunt tips to provide technicians with one of the best PDR “tools in their toolbox.” Metal Medic tools are 100% North American-made, ensuring quality and reliability every time they are used.

Hook Tools and PDR Rods
Hook tools and PDR rods allow technicians to access dents from inside and push them out. This technique is a traditional PDR method, working best when a technician has access to the dent. Metal Medic PDR Tools produce these utensils in multiple sizes, allowing experts to reach more dents.

Metal Medic PDR Glues
Specially formulated for the collision industry, Metal Medic Hero Glue GPDR and Mega Power Green PDR Glue bond to automotive finishes and bare metal. These direct-to-metal PDR glues are easy-to-use and offer specialists consistency when pulling dents, using lifters, or working to pull out more significant collision damage.

Metal Medic is also the exclusive importer of Brazilian Gold, Mega Green, and Ebony Ice PDR glues directly from Brazil. Newly available in the United States, these Metal Medic collision adhesives increase pulling efficiency and provide technicians with the best PDR glue choices in the industry.

Top-Quality Reliable PDR Tool Selections Matter
Although the essential tools for anyone performing PDR are skills and experience, it certainly doesn't hurt to equip yourself with a set of proper tools. Metal Medic PDR Tools' specialized selections enable technicians to perform precision repairs while returning metal to a point before an accident occurred.

Respecting a task often means using only the best quality tools to complete the job. The best PDR kit offers numerous benefits, including strength and movement to repair dents. Quality tool choices allow you to repair defects easier and faster.

Metal Medic PDR Tools is owned and operated by Ken Garrison, a PDR tech and toolmaker, who established the company in 1989. Our team aims to bring the highest quality tools to save time and improve results.

Choosing to buy PDR tools from a reputable supplier is a personal choice. Selecting Metal Medic PDR Tools ensures you receive over-the-top quality, specialized utensils for a reasonable price with handmade products.

Contact Metal Medic PDR Tools today to learn more about how our tools can help you improve your PDR results and for additional information on our provisions.