Inspecting a car after hail means systematically going over every body panel and recording for each one the number of dents in size bands, the material, the condition of the paint and the removals needed. A well-done inspection is enough to prepare a PDR estimate without looking at the car again. Below you will find the order of work and a checklist you can go through for every car.
Why the inspection determines the whole estimate
A PDR repair estimate is only as good as the inspection data. With hail damage, the estimate is based on the number and size of dents, so every missed dent or wrongly assigned size shifts the result. With flat-rate pricing, it is the total number of dents on the whole vehicle that counts, so a mistake on one panel affects the price of the whole repair, not just that panel.
The second thing is credibility. If the insurer's claims handler or the customer challenges the estimate, you defend yourself with what you recorded at the car: numbers, photos and a description. Notes filled in from memory in the evening are the weakest link in the whole process.
Preparation: location, lighting and vehicle identification
Before you start counting, get the conditions right. Shallow hail dents are practically invisible in diffuse daylight and in full sun. It is best to work under cover, with a lamp or a reflective board, in whose reflection the lines of light bend at every deformation.
- Position the car so that you can walk all the way round it and reach the roof.
- Wash, or at least wipe, the panels if they are very dirty — dirt hides small dents.
- Record the vehicle details: VIN, registration number, make, model and mileage.
- Record the customer's details and who is the owner and who is the user of the car.
Do the identification at the beginning, not at the end. In WE-PDR you read the VIN and the number plate with the camera, and the system immediately shows whether the vehicle is already in the database — so you do not create a second record for the same car. Details in the description of the vehicle inspection feature.
The order of work at the car
Keep a fixed order of panels for every car. This way you will not miss any panel, and the data from different inspections is comparable. A typical route covers the bonnet, wings, doors, pillars, sills, tailgate and roof — the roof and bonnet usually take the most hits, so leave the most time for them.
Counting dents by size
For each panel, record the dents separately in size bands:
| Band | How it is treated in the estimate |
|---|---|
| up to 40 mm | included in the total dent count for the whole vehicle, which determines the flat rate from the band table |
| 41–70 mm | charged separately, as a surcharge per dent |
| above 70 mm | charged separately, as a surcharge per dent |
Do not lump larger dents in with the small ones — they are separate items. On large panels it helps to mentally divide the panel into sections and count section by section. If there are a great many dents, record an accurate number rather than an estimate “by eye”: when the total exceeds 100 dents, each additional dent increases the amount (in the WE-PDR default price list by PLN 13.50 net per dent). You can read more about how the count translates into a price in the article how to estimate hail damage.
Material and paint
For each panel, note whether it is steel or aluminium. Aluminium is harder to repair and changes the rate, and you cannot always tell it apart by looking — if in doubt, use a magnet or check the model specification.
Check the paint too. Cracks, chips and signs of previous repainting affect whether paintless repair is possible at all, and the estimate for the panel. Record this against the specific panel, not in a general note for the whole car.
Removals, parts and damage beyond the metal
PDR requires access to the dents from behind. For each panel, think about what needs to come off: the headliner, door trim, lights, mouldings, roof rails. Also note the parts that cannot be repaired and have to be replaced — cracked glass, lights, mirrors, damaged mouldings or seals. You will add the amounts for removals and replacements later, according to the standards your workshop uses, but the list must be made at the car.
Hail damage inspection checklist
Go through it before you leave the car:
- VIN and registration number recorded and matching the registration document.
- Customer, owner and vehicle user details completed.
- All body panels inspected in the same order, including the roof and pillars.
- Dents counted separately for the bands up to 40 mm, 41–70 mm and above 70 mm.
- Material (steel / aluminium) recorded for each panel.
- Paint condition noted on panels where it is damaged or has been repainted.
- A list of removals needed for the PDR repair.
- Parts to be replaced and damage beyond the metal (glass, lights, mouldings, seals).
- Overview photos of the whole car and photos of each damaged panel.
- The vehicle's value — if you know it — needed to assess the risk of a total loss.
The last point matters with large claims. When the repair cost approaches a high percentage of the car's value, the decision may go towards a total loss. The threshold differs between insurers and policies, so treat any indicator as a signal to have a conversation, not as a verdict.
Photo documentation as part of the inspection
Photos are not an add-on to the inspection but its evidence. Take overview shots of the car from every side, a photo of the number plate and the VIN, and then photos of each damaged panel in light in which the dents are visible. How to do it so that nobody can challenge the documentation is described in the article how to photograph hail damage.
Remember about mobile signal. Large halls and underground car parks often have none, and photos that “didn't go through” mean going back to the car. In WE-PDR, photos wait in a queue on the phone and upload automatically once the connection is restored — see damage photos and gallery.
What happens to the data after the inspection
Well-collected data produces two documents: a technical assessment (vehicle details, damage map, list of panels, photos) and a repair calculation. If you record the inspection directly in the system, the estimate is calculated from the same data, without copying notes into another program. You only add the amounts for removals, replacements and paint, and check whether replacing any panel works out cheaper than repairing it.
Finally, review the record while you are still at the car. If the dent count on any panel differs from what you see in the photo, correct it straight away. A few minutes of checking at the car costs less than a return visit or a dispute over the estimate.