Hail or door dent: does it need repainting?
By AZ Carrosserie · Published on · Updated on
At AZ Carrosserie in Geneva, paintless dent repair pushes the metal back from behind the panel, as long as the original paint has not cracked. It is the usual route for hail damage and for dents from doors opened too quickly. If the paint is split, it becomes a paint job. The photo attached to your request decides.
When does a dent come out without repainting?
When the paint has not cracked. The dent is pushed back from behind the panel, millimetre by millimetre, and the original paint stays intact. It is the usual route for hail damage and for dents from doors opened too quickly in a parking space.
How the panel is worked from behind, and the two conditions that must be met, are set out on the Paintless dent repair in Geneva page.
And when the paint is split?
When the original paint is intact, the dent is reshaped with no time in the booth; when it is split, paintwork takes over. The photo attached to your request decides.
What then makes the cost vary is explained in A scratch on a car door: what does the cost depend on?
Does hail damage go through the insurer?
In Switzerland, hail is one of the natural events covered by partial casco (part-comprehensive cover), along with storms and floods. Source: La Mobilière, “Casco complète ou casco partielle” (in French), accessed on 01.10.2026. The part of the damage you pay yourself, the excess, depends on your own contract: you will find it in your terms.
If your insurer then suggests its own garage for the repair, read Your insurer suggests its own garage.
Which service matches my damage?
You do not have to choose. You describe what you see, the area and the type of damage; the choice between dent repair, spot repair and a new part is made when the car is inspected, not when you fill in the form.
When it is no longer dent repair
Two cases fall outside paintless dent repair: metal that is too badly deformed, and wheels.
A dented panel, a bent wing, a door that no longer closes straight: the part is straightened when that is possible, and replaced when the damage is too severe. The gaps between the panels are readjusted and the structure is checked before the car leaves.
A wheel scraped against a kerb or marked by a pothole can also be put right: the material is reshaped and the finish restored. A cracked or buckled wheel cannot be repaired and is replaced. It is the inspection that decides, not the photo.
The two photos that are enough to decide
You photograph the damage. Close up for the detail, from a little further away to show the part. These pictures cannot be retaken once the metal has been straightened.
No workshop jargon to learn: you show us the spot, we know what to look for. Left and right are those of the car, with you sitting in the driver’s seat. On a phone, you mark the diagram with your finger.
How do you request your quote?
From your phone, without waiting for opening hours. The diagram in the form has 17 areas you can mark, from the bonnet to the two door mirrors: you tap the damaged spot and it is marked. If it is an insurance claim, there is a field for the name of your insurer.
For every service, a single way in: the quote form. You mark the affected area on a diagram of the car, choose the type of damage (scratch, dent, deep dent, broken part, broken glass) and attach a photo taken on your phone. The quote is free.
Where do I drop the car off?
The workshop is at this address: Avenue Pictet-de-Rochemont 33ter, 1207 Genève, in Eaux-Vives. Open Monday to Friday, 7.30 am – 12 noon and 1 pm – 5.30 pm. 34 Google reviews, 5.0 out of 5 as of 19.10.2026: the workshop’s Google listing. A question before filling in the form: 076 429 04 12.
See also: All services, the full list of the workshop’s work.