The shape of a dent says a lot about how it will be fixed. A soft, round dent with unbroken paint behaves very differently from a sharp crease, a dent on a panel edge or damage that has cracked the finish. I-CAR training material notes that some paintless dent repair specialists consider anything larger than a credit card impractical to fix that way.

Paint condition is the other big clue. The same I-CAR material points out that hail typically dents the metal while leaving the finish whole, though hail landing on a panel edge, such as where the roof meets the windshield, may crack the paint. Panels refinished before with a thick paint film may also chip, which changes the repair plan.

• Soft round dents and sharp creases need different repairs
• Credit-card size is a practical PDR limit for some specialists
• Hail usually leaves the paint unbroken
• Panel edges and thick refinishes can crack or chip
• Dent removal is part of exterior body repairs

When the paint is intact and the metal is not stretched, paintless dent repair can restore the panel without refinishing. I-CAR describes the finish being left completely intact, and GM notes that the process removes dents without the need to fill, paint or replace the panel. Glue pulling handles spots such as roof rails where tools cannot reach from behind.

The limits are real, though. I-CAR says a panel with body filler under the finish cannot be repaired this way, and AAA notes that some dents can only be partly removed. Jenkins Collision Center of Ocala offers paintless dent repair and will tell you at the estimate whether your dent qualifies.

• Finish left intact when PDR fits
• Glue pulling reaches low-access areas like roof rails
• Body filler under the paint rules out PDR
• Some dents can only be partly removed
• Paintless dent repair offered at the Ocala shop

Creased, stretched or paint-cracked panels move to conventional repair. After the metal is straightened, I-CAR's best practices call for featheredging the area, mixing filler at accurate ratios and building it up in multiple thin layers, followed by primer, color and clearcoat.

Whether a panel is repaired or replaced depends on factors I-CAR lists, including kinks, cracks, tears, stretching, panel material and prior repairs. Color is matched on computerized systems at the Ocala shop, and I-CAR warns that repairs disturb corrosion protection, which needs to be restored so trouble does not start under the new finish.

• Straightening before any filler goes on
• Filler built up in thin layers
• Repair-or-replace judged on damage and material
• Computerized paint matching systems
• I-CAR: repairs disturb corrosion protection, which needs restoring

Marion County sees hail on a few days a year, mostly from spring into early summer. NOAA storm records list 118 hail reports of three-quarter inch or larger in the county from 1996 through 2025, with June and May the busiest months. On May 13, 2007, stones up to 4.5 inches fell north of Ocala, tying Florida's largest reported hail.

More recently, on April 26, 2023, Marion County Emergency Management reported dozens of vehicles damaged by hail at the county Public Safety Complex, and 1.25-inch hail fell in Ocala the same evening. If hail catches your car, the Insurance Information Institute lists it under comprehensive coverage.

• 118 Marion County hail reports from 1996 to 2025 (NOAA)
• June and May see the most reports
• 4.5-inch hail fell north of Ocala on May 13, 2007
• Dozens of vehicles damaged by hail on April 26, 2023
• Comprehensive coverage typically includes hail

Coverage depends on what caused the dent. The Insurance Information Institute explains that collision coverage pays for damage from hitting another vehicle or object, even when you are at fault, minus the deductible, while comprehensive handles perils such as hail. Florida's Department of Financial Services adds that you have the right to select the repair shop.

In Ocala, staff can help with your insurance claim, write the repair estimate and update you until the car is ready. The shop backs its work with a lifetime warranty on all repairs performed at Jenkins Collision Centers. For smaller dents, it is worth asking about self-pay options before filing a claim.

• Collision coverage: impacts, even when at fault
• Comprehensive coverage: hail and other perils
• Florida DFS: you choose the repair shop
• Help with insurance claims
• Lifetime warranty on all repairs performed at Jenkins Collision Centers