My new 2017 Tacoma was badly damaged in a hail storm. How to fix?

I purchased my Tacoma (Dual Cab 4x4 SR5) back in November of 2016 and only have approx 4200mi on it. The hood and roof were badly damaged in a hail storm Memorial Day weekend. The hail was around 2 to 2.5in in diameter and jagged.

I had my damaged assessed by my insurance adjuster and I have over 100 dents, with 33 being oversized (larger than half dollar). I took my truck to a Caliber Collision near me, since they have good reviews (much better than the one my insurance company suggested). Caliber Collision was going to try removing all the dents using the paintless dent repair method of popping out the dents without having to paint. I received a call yesterday that the oversized dents will be a problem since the metal is stretched. They will not be able to remove most of the oversized dents, not 100% anyway. Caliber has the damage estimated at $6000 (my insurance company had assessed it at $2500). The guy at Caliber did show me another 2017 Tacoma that had hail damage where they just replaced the roof skin and it looked good from what I could see.

So, I'm looking at either having them repair the dents the best they can using the PDR method, and have leftover dents hopefully smaller and less noticeable than before on the hood and roof, or have the roof and hood replaced and lose the factory paint job.

I'm not sure what to do. They have a lifetime warranty on their work (as long as I own the vehicle), but my concern is with the paint. Hopefully they can match the paint Their paint job is guaranteed for as long as I own the vehicle, but I'm sure there are several ways for them to avoid responsibility for warranty repair work on the paint. Then again, I would think that using the paintless dent repair method of flexing the metal back and forth to smooth out the dents could also potentially cause issues with the factory paint and maybe crack the clear coat.

What would you guys do if you were me? Live with dents all over the hood and roof (hopefully smaller and less noticeable than they currently are after paintless dent repair), or have the hood and roof replaced and hope the body shop honors their "lifetime warranty" if there are issues?

 

New panels and repaint, unless resale value isn't a concern.

 

Mine is hail damaged as well. Exactly the same estimate--and payoff as yours. No one is cutting the roof off my truck. I'm gonna have them PDR everything but the hood which I'm having replaced with a sport hood. I won't worry about a few blemishes on the roof if they can't make it perfect with PDR as I rarely see the roof.

 

Depends...is hail is an ongoing possibility?

 

How long do you plan to keep the truck? What level of modification do you have planned?

Personally I would avoid roof skin replacement. Body shop welds tend to be more corrosion-prone. You may also encounter windshield leaks, etc.

 

Would the insurance company allow replacing with the sport hood? Or are you paying for the repairs yourself? I would prefer to have the sport hood if possible.

 

I would fix what I can on the roof and replace the hood. I know many people have had good luck with PDR without effecting the clear coat.

I have some dents and scratches on the roof, but it doesn't bother me too much because I don't see it every day. You could also put a roof rack on top (if that's your thing) to help hide the damage.

 

Another option would be fiberglass hood.

 

I tend to keep my vehicles for as long as possible. I still have my 1996 Toyota Tacoma with a fresh paint job. I took it to a body shop a year ago to repair minor fender bender damage and an employee scraped the side of my truck against the side of the building, so they repainted my entire truck.

 

Or just drive it as is. My fathers 98 has been a rolling golf ball for the last 2 years... granted it has over 200k miles, and touch ups with spray paint... Still has better paint than most newer 2nd gens though due to the layers of weekly waxing.

 

The damage is owed you by your insurance company for your paid coverage. You can do with the check as you please. They may ask to see the truck after repair to make sure they don't pay out again for the same damages down the road. I had them write the checks to me and I will take them where I want to when I'm ready.

House roof, my taco, and my wife's Hyundai.

 

Do you have dents on your roof larger than a half dollar? I may call the body shop back and tell them to do the best they can on the roof using the PDR method, but I have 18 oversized dents on my roof. That's quite a few and some are easily visible right above the windshield. Also, is this your 2017 Tacoma that was damaged?

 

Yeah my 2017 taco. Mine has 1/2 dollar sized dents. Not all PDR techs are as good as others. Take your time and research your area. Some of these guys are great, others not so much. I got a couple names from my insurance adjuster buddy and that is who I will use. PDR guys usually float around town to different shops. Ask around and talk to them. Don't let your insurance co write a check to a body shop. This is your choice.

If the shop tries but can't PDR the dents it is fine, the ins co is still obligated to pay to fix it and the PDR work can be justified as "push to repair". The shop can contact the ins co and they will pay to fix it even if it is over their original estimate.

 

Thanks for your insight. One more question. Do you know if replacing the standard hood with the sport hood could void the extended warranty on the truck? When I bring my truck to the dealer for the maintenance / oil changes, they will know the hood was replaced, if I opt for the sport hood, since I have the SR5 model

 

I have no idea how they could justify denying warranty work for that but call them and ask if you want to make sure. BTW, here are the part #s for the sport hood. I'm gonna buy the hood and take it to the shop to have it painted and installed as they will just mark it up if you let them get it. Looks like you can get it for ~$550 complete.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/trd-sport-hood-part-number.389558/

 

I'd have the PDR guys do the best they can on the roof and live with it. No one's really going to see it anyway. As for the hood... if they PDR guys can get it 90% better, do that. If not, replace it.

I'm 47. I used to obsess over every little scuff on my cars, but with my Tacoma I've learned to let go and realize it's a truck and it's going to get some nicks and scratches here and there. Last year I bought a new house with a 150 year old oak tree in the yard. Before I realized it was happing I was getting little dents from falling acorns on the hood and roof. I can see them when I look, but most of the time you don't see 'em. My wife has never noticed them. So why worry about it? I'm planning on keeping this truck for 20 years and I'm sure a lot more bad stuff is going to happen to it. And I'm going to sleep easy at night.

 

I'm an "old guy". Been behind the wheel for more that 55 years. During that time I have had a bunch of body work done...some good, some not so good. Don't try to overthink the repair. Go to the best body shop you can find and go with what they suggest. Of course, you want work that is guaranteed. If it's not quite right go back again until it is right. The repair may not be exactly perfect, but it should be close. Heck, trucks from the factory are not perfect, not even Tacomas. If the shop suggests a new roof skin and hood and PDR go with it. I had to have some body work done on my Ram five years ago and the paint is holding up just fine. In my opinion, factory paint is overrated. Paint match may be an issue, especially if it is metallic paint, but a good shop should get it right. Finally if the repair can't be repaired to meet your expections, trade the truck. Now about Carfax. We had $17,000 dollars worth of damage repaired on my wife's 2011 Tacoma. It never showed up on Carfax. Sorry about your truck. I know just how you feel. I've felt that way lots of times, but I have survived.

 

Well, I confirmed with my Toyota dealership that replacing my standard hood with the sport hood will not affect my warranty. So I'm having the body shop order the sport hood. They had already ordered the standard hood and roof and the standard hood was due to arrive tomorrow, but they will return it. I do have some large dents on the roof just above my windshield that are really noticeable from the front and I really don't want to have to stare at those every time I look at my truck. The body shop can't guarantee me that they can remove those since they are about an inch wider than half dollar size and some are deep. If I had a few years on my truck it wouldn't bother me as much. So I'm just going to have them replace the roof as well. They have a lifetime warranty so if there are any issues, they should be covered. I just don't like losing the factory paint, but the factory paint and clear coat may already be compromised from the hail damage so I may lose either way. At least I'm getting an upgrade to the sportier hood.

Thanks everyone, and thanks to Steve Urquell for mentioning the sport hood. I hadn't thought of that

 

WICKED SKEWP BRUH!!