25+ year career in insurance claims, so take my advice for what you will.

Hemi Joel's explanation is spot-on accurate.



That's an endorsement, for which you pay an additional premium. Essentially, accident forgiveness means that you are pre-paying the premium increase that would occur if you had an accident...even if you never have an accident. No one should have this. Utter waste of money. Also, there's still a record in ISO of any claim you file, regardless of "forgiveness," meaning that if you switch companies, your new carrier will know about that loss, and will rate you accordingly.

Looking at the pix of the damage, if the dent in the door extends all the way to the edge, it's unlikely that PDR can get all off the damage out of the door. There's no access in that area, since that's where the skin is attached to the shell. The pix aren't very good, so I can't say for certain, but that's my first impression. If they can PDR the whole thing, and the paint transfer buffs out and didn't cut through the clear into the color coat, that would be a great idea, but only IF they can get ALL of the damage. Your concerns about a conventional repair aren't warranted, provided that you have a qualified shop do the repairs. Modern paints/clears are very durable when applied after proper prep, and color matching is not an issue for a good shop. Also...dirty little secret...there's already body filler in your car anyway...you just don't know it.

Also, a general statement...If any PDR tech ever wants to drill holes for access, or separate components that have foam insulation between them (such as the door skin and side impact beam), tell them to take a hike, Drilling a hole for that damage isn't feasible, but I've seen them do it in other areas. Trading one problem for an even worse problem.


Me? No way am I filing a claim for that.