A while ago a rock, dropped from a gravel truck, bounced off my hood. The damage left behind included two gouges in the aluminum (no paint left, just shiny aluminum) and a small dimple around the area of impact. It was the worst day of ownership.

My question is: is this damage repairable by a body shop or would I be better off getting the hood replaced? We're not talking just scratched paint here -- think of taking two, small "scoops" of metal out of the hood. I was travelling about 75-80 when the rock hit and the truck was even two lanes over!

 

Scary...this EXACT same thing happened to me last summer. A couple of lanes over, about 75-80, and a rock put a couple of dimples and bare-metal scratches in the hood. You can always try Dent Doctors (or whatever they're called), but cost will depend on where on the hood the dimples reside...if they're above a cross-member, getting to it is going to be difficult.