Hail doesn't care that your SUV is brand new, and it really doesn't care that it's wearing a full promotional wrap. A June storm hammered a 2025 Kia Telluride down in Mankato, and nobody could see the real extent of the damage until the vinyl came off.
Amber is a travel agent who drove 60 miles to our shop in Bloomington after finding us online and doing her own research. Her Telluride was wrapped head to toe for her agency, which meant we couldn't write an accurate hail estimate until that wrap was removed. She dropped the keys, took an Uber to MSP, and flew out of town while we got to work on her Hail Damage Repair.
Key Takeaways
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THE CHALLENGE
A full vehicle wrap hid the hail damage, and with no separate rider on the policy, insurance wouldn't help with the cost of removing it. -
THE REPAIR
Once the wrap came off, the roof and hood went to replacement while the lower panels and left roof rail were saved with paintless dent repair and glue pulling. -
THE RESULT
A new hood, new roof skin, repainted roof rail, repaired lower panels, and a clean post-repair diagnostic scan — with a loaner car waiting in case she landed before we finished.
Hail work always starts with seeing the metal, and on this Telluride we simply couldn't. We walked Amber through what the wrap meant for her claim, got it removed, and then performed a full hail estimate here at the shop. What we found pushed parts of the vehicle past what Paintless Dent Repair can honestly deliver, so we built a plan that mixed PDR with panel replacement and a sublet trip to one of our partnered body shops.
Project Summary
| Client Profile: | Amber, a travel agent and Telluride owner from Mankato, Minnesota |
| Project Location: | Vehicle repaired at our Bloomington shop in Minneapolis, Minnesota |
| Primary Objective: | Restore a 2025 Kia Telluride hit by June hail through a complete Hail Damage Repair |
| Repair Method: | PDR and glue pulling on the panels that qualified, plus hood and roof skin replacement, documented like the jobs in our Dents We Fixed case studies |
| Key Outcome: | New hood, new roof skin, repaired and repainted roof rail, new trim, and a pre- and post-repair diagnostic scan |
Hail Damage Hidden Under Wrap
Wraps run anywhere from four to $15,000 for the product and installation, and insurance providers now want a separate rider written to cover them. Amber didn't have one, which made approvals tricky and meant the carrier wasn't going to help pay for removal. Her agency had paid for the wrap as a promotional item, and they picked up the removal cost — a lucky break, and a genuine public service announcement for anyone driving a wrapped vehicle in Minnesota.
With the vinyl off and the vehicle at our facility, the damage read considerably worse than anyone expected. The roof alone carried more than 500 dents, ranging up to 5, 6, and 7 inches across. The right roof rail had one dent over 7 inches plus several more in the 4- to 5-inch range, the hood held well in excess of 300 dents, and the liftgate needed bodywork.
Glue Pulling and Panel Replacement
Our industry works off what's called a hail matrix — every insurance provider has their own version, and they all stop at 300 dents. Past that mark, replacing the roof skin is more cost-effective than attempting paintless repair, and on this roof multiple dents were stretched far enough that the metal would oil can. Cracked paint in several spots sealed it: those areas have to come back to OEM quality, which means paint, so the hood and roof skin were ordered and that portion was sublet to one of our partnered body shops.
Everything the matrix allowed stayed with us for paintless work. Some door panels had to come apart to reach the backside of the dents, and on a few we may need to pull the carrier plate and glass to get a tool in. The right rear corner panel took 60 to 70 dents, so we gain access by removing interior trim and pulling the tail light — the same teardown-and-massage approach you'll see in our Before & After Gallery and across our Dents We Fixed write-ups.
Saving the Left Roof Rail
Roof rails are a closed, unified section, meaning there's no way to get a tool to the backside of a dent. The only option is glue pulling: hot glue on a tab, pressed onto the dent, left to set, then pulled with a slide hammer or a mini lifter. The goal is to bring the damage high and then blend it flat, and it usually takes multiple attempts on a single dent — slow, difficult work, but it's what saves a panel from paint.
When Amber lands back home, she should see a vehicle that looks brand new again: new hood, new roof skin, the roof rail repaired and painted at the body shop, new trim, and all the PDR panels massaged back flat. We run a pre- and post-repair diagnostic scan to confirm nothing is throwing codes after everything we unplugged. She's out of town for 10 days and the job runs roughly two weeks depending on insurance approval, so she left with a set of our loaner keys and can drive one home to Mankato if the Telluride isn't ready.
Hail Damage? Start With a Free Look
We've been repairing hail-damaged vehicles for Twin Cities drivers since 2007, from single-panel dings to roofs with hundreds of dents. We write the estimate, photograph everything, submit it to your insurance, and negotiate directly on your behalf — and we have loaner cars so you're not stuck without a ride.
Got hail damage on your vehicle in Minneapolis or anywhere in the metro? Stop by for a free inspection, or Get a Quote and we'll get you on the schedule.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will insurance pay to remove a vehicle wrap for hail damage repair in Minneapolis?
Usually not, unless you carry a separate rider on your policy covering the wrap. Wraps can run four to $15,000 installed, and providers are increasingly denying any financial help with removal or reimbursement when no rider exists. If your vehicle is wrapped, ask your agent about adding one before storm season.
How long does severe hail damage repair take in the Twin Cities?
A job of this size, with panel replacement and paint involved, runs about two weeks from start to finish depending on how fast insurance approves it. Straight paintless hail work moves much faster, often a day or two once approval lands. We start with a free inspection and rough numbers, then perform the full hail estimate at drop-off, which takes one to three hours.
How soon can a vehicle be re-wrapped after fresh paint?
Fresh paint needs a minimum of 30 days before it can be wrapped, so the finish has time to off-gas. Rushing it risks trapping solvents under the vinyl. We don't handle the wrap side of things, so coordinate that window with your wrap shop once the vehicle is back in your hands.