Aluminum & Electric Vehicle Hail Repair

Every panel hail hits

Roof The largest surface and the most exposed. Dents here create stress points and, left alone, can lead to water leaks.

Hood Double-wall construction traps dents, and temperature swings make the metal expand and contract, worsening the damage.

Doors Complex curves and body lines. Window mechanisms and weather seals get checked as part of the repair.

Trunk and liftgate Rear panels on hatchbacks and SUVs show every imperfection and are expensive to replace outright.

Quarter panels Non-replaceable body panels and the hardest dents to reach — wheel well and interior panel access is often required.

Fenders Bolt-on panels — cheaper to replace than repair if the dent is deep enough, but most hail dents on a fender are a clean PDR job.

Rockers Low panels that collect road grime and water. Easy to miss without a full walk-around, so we check them on every car.

Mirrors & trim Plastic and chrome trim pieces a quick estimate routinely overlooks — part of the same Light Booth inspection.

Why aluminum is different

Aluminum does not have the memory steel has. It resists being moved and then holds the new shape, so the metal has to be worked in smaller increments and with more heat control. Rushing it work-hardens the panel. The result is the same finish as a steel repair, it simply takes more time on the tool — which is why an aluminum-heavy car like a Rivian or an F-150 quotes longer than an all-steel truck.

What changes on an electric vehicle

The panel work itself is the same discipline as any car, but the layout behind the panel is not. Battery packs, high-voltage runs and sensor housings change which access points exist behind a panel, and the large glass roofs common on EVs mean the roof itself often cannot be worked from inside the way a metal roof can. Knowing that before the car is on the lift is what keeps the job a two-day job instead of a surprise.

Why PDR matters more on these cars

Repainting an aluminum or EV panel is expensive and permanently visible in the vehicle's paint-thickness history. On vehicles where resale value is a large number — which describes most EVs and aluminum-bodied trucks — keeping the factory finish is worth more than it is on an average commuter car.

Other vehicles we repair

More about the repair