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PDR Cost Calculator

Price paintless dent repair the way techs actually bill: per dent, sized against coins. Add each dent, crease, or hail panel — extra dents on the same panel ride at about half, and aluminum panels bump the whole pull.

Small dent — dime–quarterno crease, clean access
$150
Medium dent — golf ballabout 1–3 in across
$250
Large dent — baseball and upbig soft dents, no paint damage
$450
Crease denttension locked along a line — released end to end
$300
Additional dent — same panelabout half a small dent: you are already set up
$75
R&I — trim / headliner for access
$150
Hail panel — light (6–15 dents)
$150
Hail panel — moderate (16–30 dents)
$200
Hail panel — heavy (31+ dents)
$300
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You priced the job. Now run it like a business.

That's the hard part done. SideWRK runs the rest from your phone: text the estimate, your customer taps approve, and the money hits — card, Apple Pay, Venmo, Cash App, or Zelle, no merchant account, no three-percent bite. It keeps a line on who still owes you, logs every material and cost so your real profit and your tax write-offs tally themselves, and stands up a free website with reviews that feeds you the next job. A free estimate today, or your whole operation in one app. Built for paintless dent repair and every trade.

Estimate → approve → get paidCard, Apple Pay & VenmoSee who still owes youFollow up, keep customersCosts tracked for taxesFree website & reviews
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Price per dent, protect the minimum

PDR margins are the best in automotive work — the consumables are glue sticks and tabs, so almost every dollar on the ticket is yours. The discipline is in the sizing: quote against the coin scale, move a crease up a tier because the metal is locked along the whole line, and never let the first dent go below your visit minimum — the drive, the setup, and the light board are the same whether the dent is a dime or a dollar. Multi-dent panels are where the money compounds: the first dent carries the setup, each extra rides at about half, and the whole visit stays worth the drive.

Questions

How much does paintless dent repair cost?
PDR is priced per dent, sized against coins. In 2026 a small dime-to-quarter dent with no crease runs $75–$150 (most mobile techs floor the visit at $125–$150), a golf-ball dent runs $150–$400, and a large or creased dent runs $300–$800. A typical mobile door-ding ticket lands between $150 and $350.
How should I price multiple dents on the same panel?
The standard pattern is 100% for the first dent and a discount for each additional one on the same or an adjacent panel — sources range from 25% to 70% of base, and 50% is the safest default. You are already set up on the panel, so the second dent takes a fraction of the time.
Why do aluminum panels cost more?
Aluminum has no memory the way steel does — it works harder and moves less predictably, so the standard upcharge is about 25% (some techs quote 40–50% on hard pulls). Aluminum hoods and doors are common on trucks like the F-150 and on many EVs; the VIN tells you what the panel is made of before you price it.
How is hail damage priced?
Hail work is priced per panel off a matrix: the dent count band (light, moderate, heavy) crossed with dent size sets a per-panel figure, and roof work usually adds a headliner R&I line. Light hail on one or two panels totals $250–$750; whole-car retail hail repair runs $2,500–$10,000 and is almost always an insurance claim.
Is this calculator free?
Yes. It runs in your browser, there is no sign-up, and nothing is stored anywhere but your own device.

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