What is Paintless Dent Removal?
When you go to the grocery store, have you ever noticed how many grocery carts are left unattended? We all have most likely been witness to this. You’re sitting in your car getting settled. When you look up, you see a lone shopping cart. A gust of wind picks up. You watch as the cart slowly glides across the lot. It’s twisting and turning, changing directions with every gust. Finally, it makes its way across the entire parking lot and BAMB! It inevitably strikes the one car parked far away from the others. You laugh, but you feel bad for this poor sucker. Because you know that this very well could have been you. Dents happen. Whether it’s from a rogue shopping cart, a fly ball or hail, they’re inevitable. Paintless dent removal is a quick and painless method to remove those dings.
Paintless dent removal is an easy method, and it takes very little time. In the past, the only way to remove dents and creases was to sand and add body filler. Then, the technician would have to mix custom paint to match the rest of the vehicle’s exterior. However, this process doesn’t take care of the dent issue itself. PDR utilizes metal rods to massage the dents out, and restore your body panels to their original shape. Furthermore, most dents don’t cause damage to your paint job. It’s just extra work and an extra cost to have to mix custom paints to restore the look of your vehicle’s exterior. This is why paintless dent removal is significantly less expensive than traditional bodywork that you may be used to. However, price does vary based off of the extent of the damage.
Most dents and dings can be repaired with paintless dent removal, but there are exceptions. For example, sharp dings that have stretched the metal too far and too deeply to recover cannot be restored with PDR. Also, if your dent is located too close to a panel’s edge, it makes access to the dent nearly impossible to work. And of course, any dents where your paint has been cracked are generally not repairable with this method.
There are certain factors that will affect the cost of the PDR repair. First, the location and the depth of the dent will determine cost. Furthermore, the location of supports and braces behind the dent are a big factor. Another consideration is the location of your electronics. In order for our technicians to use this dent removal method, we potentially need to remove certain body panels, taillights, ect. This is to create a pathway to the back of the dent.
This method not only decreases the cost of your repairs, but also the time that it takes to achieve the same look. Furthermore, you won’t necessarily need to leave your vehicle overnight or get a rental car. Most repairs can be turned around in an hour or two. However, this does not apply to certain extensive repairs such as hail damage. And when the process is complete, it’s like nothing ever happened. Your vehicle’s bodywork is restored to its original luster. Paintless dent removal is ultimately a more affordable method, and doesn’t affect the factory paint finish. So, there’s no worrying about color matching. And better yet, using this method greatly increases the resale value of your car.
If you have minor dents or dings, bring your vehicle in to Car Struction. We’ll assess the damage, and let you know if PDR is the right choice for you.