fbpx

423 Farabee Dr. S,

Lafayette, IN 47905

(765) 237-7290

Call Today!

man taking photos of car damage from accident for car insurance

Is Paintless Dent Repair Covered By Insurance?

Small dents and dings are an unavoidable part of owning a vehicle. Unless you regularly park at the very end of the parking lot, taking up four spaces to ensure no one gets near you — one day you will probably come back to your car to notice a new dent.

This can be annoying. Dents may not be a serious mechanical problem, but they detract from the look of your car. You may be able to still drive your vehicle without any safety risks for now. However, small problems can grow to bigger ones if not handled soon enough. Not to mention you’ll be the guy driving around with dents in his previously-pristine ride.

Fortunately, dent removal isn’t going to cost you an arm and a leg to get fixed. You may be thinking; is paintless dent repair covered by insurance? Great question. Like many things in life, the answer is — it depends. Helpful, I know. But don’t worry, we’ll get to the details

Let’s go through the different types of car insurance and see if they’ll cover PDR:

Types of Car Insurance

There are six primary types of car insurance coverage. Each state has different rules as to what types of insurance are required and the minimums your policies need to cover.

1. Liability Coverage

This coverage is mandatory in most states. Drivers are required to pick up a policy offering at least the minimum amount of liability coverage set by state law. There are two primary components to liability insurance:

  • Bodily injury liability: This coverage can help pay for costs related to another person’s injury when you are the cause of an accident.
  • Property damage liability: This liability protection may help pay for damage you inflict on another person’s property when driving.

2. Uninsured And Underinsured Motorist Coverage

This coverage may help to pay for your medical bills if you’re hit by a driver who doesn’t have insurance. In some states, this type of insurance will cover repairs to your vehicle as well.

An underinsured driver is one who has car insurance but their liability limits are not high enough to cover your resulting bills. Like a driver without insurance, this type of policy can cover your medical and vehicle costs when you are hit by an underinsured driver.

3. Collision Coverage

Collision coverage is usually applied when you collide with something or are in some form of accident. This policy can help pay for repairs to your vehicle or replace it in the case that it’s totaled. This type of coverage has a deductible that you’ll need to pay before the insurer will cover any costs. Here are some examples of types of incidents where collision coverage would apply:

  • Your car collides with another vehicle
  • You drive your car into an object like a light post or tree
  • You damage your car when hitting a pothole
  • Your car rolls over

4. Comprehensive Coverage

This type of insurance is designed to cover any occurring damage that isn’t the result of an auto accident such as vandalism or hail damage. When your car is damaged by a covered peril, comprehensive coverage can help pay to repair or replace your vehicle, up to its actual cash value. Like collision, this coverage has a deductible, the amount you’ll need to pay out of pocket before your insurance covers any policy claim.

Here are some examples of situations covered by comprehensive insurance:

  • Your car is damaged in a natural disaster or fire
  • An object, such as a tree, falls on your car
  • Your car is stolen or vandalized
  • An animal collides with your car

car repairman estimating paintless dent repair cost

5. Personal Injury Protection

Personal injury protection can help pay for medical expenses after an accident. In addition, it may help cover other costs resulting from your injuries such as lost income or child care expenses.

6. Medical Payments Coverage

This coverage may help pay for costs when you or your passengers are injured in an accident when driving the insured vehicle. Covered costs can include hospital visits, X-rays, surgery, and more.

Is Paintless Dent Repair Covered By Comprehensive Coverage?

After going through the primary types of insurance we can see that collision and comprehensive coverage are the best options for covering paintless dent repair. Collision will cover you when you hit something while most comprehensive policies will handle the other types of damage that usually make PDR necessary such as hail damage or the swinging door of the person who parked unnecessarily close to you.

Be aware that there’s no standard for what comprehensive policies will cover so you want to know the specifics about what your insurance company will cover before you actually have to file a claim for that fresh new door ding.

When To File A Claim For Paintless Dent Removal

Your comprehensive coverage may cover most dents and dings but in many cases, filing a claim isn’t worth the effort. Why is that? To start, paintless dent repair is often inexpensive and quick to perform. When you consider that you’ll have to pay a deductible out of pocket before your policy will cover the repair, you’ll often find that the cost of repair is less than your deductible.

Even if the repair costs are greater than your deductible, you’ll have to weigh whether you want to potentially increase your insurance premiums by filing a claim.

So when is the best time to file a claim for dent repair?

When Someone Else Is At Fault

If someone else rear-ends you or dents your car with their door, you’ll want to file a claim. Your car insurance exists to cover events that are out of your control.

There Is A Significant Amount Of Damage

If the damage to your car is significant, even when the collision is your fault, the benefits of filing a claim are usually worth it.

The Cost Of Repair Is Greater Than Your Deductible

If the cost of repair exceeds your deductible you’ll want to consider filing a claim, regardless of who’s at fault for the damage.

 

happy man knows paintless dent repair cost for his car

Wrapping Up

Want some good news? With JM Dent Repair, the cost of dent repair is much lower than what you might think. Our prices are considerably less than what you’ll find at body shops who do traditional dent repair and our expert technicians specialize in paintless dent repair. We have years of experience to ensure the perfect restoration of your car’s appearance without ever touching that gorgeous paint job.

Contact us to learn more about what paintless dent removal can do for your ride.

 

Share this post