What it costs
Real numbers, before you send anything
Nobody publishes dent prices, which is why everyone assumes the worst. Here is the whole thing, taken from the default rate book the repairers on this site start with. VAT included.
Dings and single dents
- One trolley dingUp to the size of a R1 coin, flat part of a door
- from R750
- One R5-sized dentAbout 26 mm across, flat part of a door
- from R810
- Three small dings on one doorCar park damage. Extra dents on the same panel cost less
- from R1 270
- One golf-ball dent on the bonnetAbout 44 mm across
- from R1 320
- The same dent, but on a body lineA dent sitting on a swage line takes far longer to work out
- from R1 650
Hail
- Bonnet only, light hailAbout 10 dents the size of a R1 coin
- from R2 010
- Light hail across the carBonnet, roof and boot, about 10 small dents on each
- from R6 325
- Moderate hailSix panels, roughly 25 R5-sized dents on each
- from R18 975
- Severe hailTen panels, golf-ball dents, roughly 60 to a panel
- from R29 100
A quote from photos comes as a range. Once a repairer has the panel under a light board the price is fixed in writing before any work starts.
Each business sets its own rate book, so the figure you are quoted will differ. What will not differ is that you see it in writing, with the working shown, before anything starts.
How the number is worked out
Five things move the price
Knowing them is the difference between a quote that looks arbitrary and one you can check.
- How big it is
- Priced by the widest point of the dent, against coin sizes everyone can picture: a R1, a R5, a golf ball. A price starts from a base for anything up to about 20 mm and climbs per millimetre after that.
- Where it sits
- The flat middle of a door is the cheapest place on a car to have a dent. The same dent on a body line, on a panel edge, or on a roof takes far longer to work and carries a surcharge of roughly a quarter.
- What is behind it
- A technician needs to reach the back of the panel. Where a brace is in the way, or the only option is glue pulling from the outside, the job takes longer and costs more.
- What the panel is made of
- Aluminium and high-strength steel do not move the way mild steel does. They take more heat, more patience and more time, and the price reflects that.
- How many there are
- Extra dents on the same panel cost less than the first, because the technician is already set up on it. That is why hail is priced per panel by dent count rather than dent by dent.
Against a panel shop
Why it is so much less than a respray
A conventional repair rebuilds the surface: sand it back, fill it, prime it, spray it, bake it, then blend into the next panel so the colour matches. That is booth time, materials, and a car off the road for days. Paintless repair skips all of it, because the original surface never comes off. What you pay for is one person’s time and a set of rods, and the panel that comes back is the one the factory painted.
Questions about price
How much does paintless dent repair cost in South Africa?
A single trolley ding on the flat of a door starts around R750 including VAT. An R5-sized dent is about R810, and a golf-ball dent on a bonnet about R1,320. Hail is priced per panel by how many dents there are and how big they are, so a bonnet with light hail is roughly R2,000 and a whole car with light hail about R6,300. Those are figures from the default rate book; each repairer prices from their own and shows you the working before anything is agreed.
Do I have to bring the car in for a quote?
No. Photos taken at an angle, so the light runs across the damage, are enough for a repairer to price the job. A quote from photos comes as a range; it is fixed in writing once someone has the panel under a light board, and no work starts before you approve that figure.
Is this free for car owners?
Yes, completely. You pay the repairer for the repair and nothing to us. Repair businesses pay for the software they run their workshop on, and the leads come with it, which is why quoting you costs nothing.
What if the price changes once they see the car?
A photo quote is a range, not a promise. When the repairer inspects the panel they issue a fixed written quote, and work only begins once you have approved it. If what they find is different from the photos, you see the new figure before anyone touches the car.
Want the number for your car?
One photo and a WhatsApp number. Free, and priced from the repairer's own rate book.
Takes about a minute. No account, no password.