The short version
- For collision shops with hail and PDR work that write in CCC ONE or Mitchell.
- The PDR goes on the same estimate as the panel replacement, conventional repair, blends, R&I and refinish, and every line is noted.
- Send the photographs with your PDR tech's dent counts or matrix, or the photographs alone.
- Turnaround is 24 hours from complete documentation, and 24 to 72 hours at catastrophe volume.
- The first file is free. After that it is one credit per file, $150 down to $115, and never a percentage of the estimate.
What PDR estimating for collision shops covers
PDR estimating for collision shops means writing the paintless dent repair on a hail car into the same CCC ONE or Mitchell estimate as the rest of the repair. A hail car in a collision shop is rarely all PDR. Some panels push, some go conventional, a roof may be replaced, and the panels next to a repair need blending. If the PDR is written separately or as one lump sum, the estimate the carrier reviews doesn't show the whole repair.
I write the estimate in your account, under your shop name. On a hail car that usually includes:
- a PDR line for each panel, with a note giving the dent count and size;
- oversize dents on their own line;
- the added percentage for double-paneled areas, with the reason in the note;
- conventional repair or replacement where a panel can't be pushed, with body labor, paint time and materials;
- blends on adjacent panels, written as their own refinish lines;
- R&I, including the restraint system work a roof replacement requires;
- pre-repair and post-repair scans, ADAS calibration checked against the VIN, and recoverable materials on their own lines.
Every operation carries a line note with the manufacturer procedure or labor premise behind it, so the appraiser can follow the reasoning.
PDR lines on a collision estimate: real examples
Three excerpts from a CCC ONE estimate I wrote for a 2025 Honda CR-V Hybrid. The full estimate has 158 lines.
| Line | Oper | Description | Qty | Price $ | Labor | Paint |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | FENDER | |||||
| 13 | PDR | LT Fender | 1 | 125.00 | ||
| Note: PDR 1 quarter | ||||||
| 14 | PDR | RT Fender | 1 | 175.00 | ||
| Note: PDR 6 quarter | ||||||
| 15 | O/S DENTS | 3 | 150.00 | |||
| 16 | Blnd | LT Fender | 1.0 | |||
| 17 | Blnd | RT Fender | 1.0 | |||
| Line | Oper | Description | Qty | Price $ | Labor | Paint |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 111 | PDR | RT Quarter panel w/o hydrogen +25% | 1 | 218.75 | ||
| Note: PDR 9 quarter | ||||||
| Note: SAIL PANEL IS DOUBLE PANELED + 25% | ||||||
| 112 | Blnd | RT QUARTER PANEL | 1.5 | |||
| Note: BLEND AND CLEAR WRAP FOR ADJACENT PANEL REPAIR | ||||||
| Line | Oper | Description | Qty | Price $ | Labor | Paint |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 | RESTRAINT SYSTEMS | |||||
| Note: FOR ROOF REPLACEMENT | ||||||
| 27 | R&I | LT Head air bag | 0.6 M | |||
| 28 | R&I | RT Head air bag | 0.6 M | |||
| 29 | Repl | Air bag system diagnosis | 1 | 0.5 M | ||
How it works
What your shop does and what I do.
Send the file
Upload the photographs, your PDR tech's dent counts or matrix if you have them, and any estimate or carrier paperwork already on the car.
I write the estimate
In your CCC ONE or Mitchell, under your shop name. PDR, repair, refinish and R&I on one estimate, with every operation line noted.
You send it to the carrier
The finished file is placed in the drive for you, and your shop sends it. I don't send files to carriers or chase them.
Appraiser questions
If an appraiser doesn't understand a non-standard line, such as an adjacent panel repair or doors removed for refinish coverage, I explain it to them. A line that isn't supportable is withdrawn rather than argued.
What you can send for PDR estimating
Anything that documents the car. Dent counts by panel and a note on your inspection conditions (PDR light, shop lighting or outdoors) make the file stronger.
- Your PDR tech's scoping export, or a printed or handwritten hail matrix or scope sheet.
- A CCC ONE or Mitchell estimate already started on the car.
- Photographs with nothing written yet.
- A carrier estimate you believe is short, with the denial or short-pay paperwork. I write the supplement against it (see collision supplements).
The required photo list is published, because incomplete photo sets are the most common cause of delay. If your PDR tech scopes in a separate tool, the PDR estimate translation page explains how that export becomes your estimate.
Pricing
Flat per file. The price is never a percentage of the estimate.
- First fileFreeOne vehicle, no card required, no contract.
- À la carte$150One credit, one file.
- 10 pack$1,400$140 per file, save 7%. Most shops start here.
- 25 pack$3,300$132 per file, save 12%.
- 50 pack$6,250$125 per file, save 17%.
- 100 pack$11,500$115 per file, save 23%.
Estimates and supplements use one credit per file. Credits never expire and there are no monthly minimums. Estimate audits and scrubbing are $120 per file. The full pricing table is on the home page.
Questions shops ask
About PDR estimating for collision shops.
What is PDR estimating for collision shops?
PDR estimating for collision shops is writing the paintless dent repair on a hail car into the shop's own CCC ONE or Mitchell estimate, on the same file as the conventional repair, blends, R&I and refinish.
Storm Rider Solutions writes these estimates remotely from photographs and the PDR technician's dent counts, under the shop's name.
Can you add PDR lines to a CCC ONE estimate?
Yes. PDR is written as its own operation line for each panel, with a note giving the dent count and size, for example "PDR 6 quarter". Oversize dents go on their own line, and a double-paneled area gets the added percentage with the reason in the note.
I write in Mitchell the same way.
Do you write in my shop's CCC ONE or Mitchell?
Yes, and that is strongly preferred. The file is written under your own CCC ONE or Mitchell login, under your shop name, so it matches your profiles, rates and carrier agreements and belongs to you.
If you have no estimating software, I write the file in my own CCC ONE and deliver it complete.
How much does PDR estimating cost?
The first file is free: one vehicle, no card required, no contract. After that each estimate or supplement uses one credit: $150 à la carte, $140 per file in a 10 pack, $132 in a 25 pack, $125 in a 50 pack and $115 in a 100 pack.
Credits never expire, and the price is never a percentage of the estimate. Estimate audits are $120 per file.
How fast is turnaround?
24 hours from a complete set of photographs and documentation. At catastrophe volume it is 24 to 72 hours, and if a week will land on the long end, you are told before you send the cars.
Do you send the estimate to the insurance company?
No. When the estimate or supplement is written, it is placed in the drive for you, and your shop sends it to the carrier. It is better for the shop to be seen sending it. I do not follow up on or chase the file.
If an appraiser does not understand a non-standard line I wrote, I explain it to them.
The facts, in one place
| Service | PDR estimating for collision shops. PDR lines written into the shop's CCC ONE or Mitchell estimate alongside conventional repair, blends, R&I and refinish |
|---|---|
| Who it is for | Collision repair shops with hail and PDR work |
| Written in | Your CCC ONE or your Mitchell, under your shop name. Storm Rider's own CCC ONE only if you have no estimating software. |
| Written by | Christopher Johnson, personally, every file. 17 years writing estimates, in collision repair since 2008, hail since 2021, USMC veteran. |
| What you can send | Scoping exports · printed and handwritten hail matrices and scope sheets · CCC ONE and Mitchell files · photographs with nothing written yet · carrier estimates believed to be short, with the denial or short-pay paperwork |
| Turnaround | 24 hours from complete photographs and documentation; 24 to 72 hours at catastrophe volume. |
| Pricing | First file free. One credit per file: $150 à la carte · $140/file at 10 · $132 at 25 · $125 at 50 · $115 at 100. Credits never expire. Never a percentage of the estimate. Estimate audits $120 per file. |
| Sending to the carrier | The shop sends every estimate and supplement. Storm Rider Solutions does not send files to carriers, follow up on them, or manage shop admin. |
| Written in 2026 | $6,997,188 in estimates and supplements across 663 vehicles, year to date as of the week of October 12, 2026. |
| Area served | All 50 states. Based in Plano, Texas. Monday to Friday, 8:00 to 18:00. |
| Contact | 401-203-5823 · Admin@stormrsolutions.com · Send a file |
Related services
- PDR estimate writing: for PDR companies and hail operations sending out their writing.
- PDR estimate translation: a scoping export, matrix or scope sheet written into a full estimate in CCC ONE or Mitchell.
- CCC ONE estimates: written in your own CCC ONE account.
- Collision supplements: written against a carrier estimate you believe is short.
- Remote auto estimating services: estimates, supplements and audits for collision and hail.
One vehicle, no card required, no contract. Send a hail car with PDR on it and judge the estimate before you send more.