Quick answer: Repairability is not determined by a damage name or intact paint alone. Check paint/coating; metal stretch/geometry; panel material/construction; location/edge/body line/reinforcement; and safe access or controlled pulling route. Use photographs for triage, then confirm uncertain finish, material, construction, access, and panel behavior in person. Stop or escalate when any factor makes controlled movement unsupported or unsafe.
1. Does intact paint guarantee that PDR will work?
No, intact paint does not guarantee a PDR approval. When the coating looks attached, a technician must still inspect metal stretch/geometry, panel material/construction, location and reinforcement, and the available route. However, severe stretch, instability, or unsafe access can stop the plan despite clean paint. Check all five factors before choosing a method.
2. Can a door ding be approved from photographs alone?
No, photographs support triage but do not prove repairability. If clean straight-on, reflected-angle, impact-close-up, and panel-location views show no obvious stop signal, schedule an in-person inspection to confirm coating, crown, material, reinforcement, and access. Avoid promising an outcome when a photograph hides a sharp center, prior finish, brace, or nearby system.
3. What makes a crease a conditional PDR candidate?
A crease is conditional when its full length, endpoints, surrounding crowns, and finish remain controllable. Inspect whether it crosses a body line, brace, edge, or previous repair, but stop if paint lifts, an endpoint is severely stretched, or the panel becomes unstable. Use the door-ding and body-line scenario guide to plan the next diagnostic step.
4. Are body-line and edge dents automatically unsuitable for PDR?
No, body-line and edge dents are not automatically unsuitable, but neither is automatically repairable. When the designed ridge remains readable, the hem is not folded, coating is stable, and controlled access exists, continue assessment. Stop for torn or folded edges, inaccessible reinforcement, or unresolved crowns, and check current vehicle construction information before movement.
5. Does hail damage get one repairability decision for the whole vehicle?
No, hail damage needs a separate decision for each affected panel and restricted subarea. When paint, geometry, material, location, and route differ between a hood, roof, rail, or door, map those differences instead of averaging them. However, any failed factor can stop that area. Use the panel-level hail workflow for the next action.
6. Can PDR be used on an aluminum panel?
Selected aluminum-panel dents can enter a PDR assessment when the material is positively identified and current vehicle information permits the proposed process. However, aluminum is not a universal approval, and steel assumptions must not be transferred to it. Confirm panel construction, finish, geometry, route, and required tooling; stop if the material or applicable procedure remains uncertain.
7. Is a dented plastic bumper repaired with standard metal PDR?
No, a dented plastic bumper is not a standard metal-panel PDR decision. When inspection confirms plastic construction, coating condition, attachments, sensors, and deformation, choose a bumper-specific repair or replacement assessment. Avoid applying metal movement assumptions; stop if cracking, tearing, mounting damage, nearby system risk, or an unavailable vehicle procedure prevents a supported next action.
8. How do repaint, filler, or previous body repair affect the decision?
Previous paint, filler, or body repair makes coating and construction evidence uncertain until inspected. When history or surface clues suggest prior work, check adhesion, filler risk, backside condition, and the proposed pulling or rod route. However, do not test an uncertain finish with a glue tab. Stop or escalate if coating stability and panel construction cannot be confirmed.
9. Can a technician drill or cut a new route when rear access is blocked?
No, a technician should not drill or cut access for PDR. If existing access is blocked, I-CAR's PDR access-hole guidance also says not to remove foam, elongate or damage existing openings, or harm adjacent parts and finish. Stop that route, check current vehicle information, and choose a supported outside pull or conventional assessment.
10. What is the difference between a conditional decision and a stop decision?
A conditional decision means a named uncertainty may be resolved before movement; a stop decision means the proposed path is currently unsupported or unsafe. When material identification, finish inspection, procedure retrieval, or protected access can answer the uncertainty, confirm it first. However, do not proceed past cracked paint, severe stretch, inaccessible reinforcement, unsafe systems, or a drilled-access requirement. Use the five-factor repairability guide to document the next action.
Editorial review
- Super PDR: SuperPDR Editorial Team
- Review date: 2026-07-14
- Review basis: Editorially checked against I-CAR access-hole and OEM-information planning boundaries plus the controlling first-party product inventory. No individual technical reviewer is claimed.
- Revision note: Replaced short categorical answers with ten residual repairability decisions covering diagnostic signals, exceptions, next actions, procedure boundaries, and escalation.