Paintless Dent Repair- your friend at the body shop

  

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Paintless Dent Repair

 
Consumers have a new friend in the body shop. It’s called “Paintless Dent Repair” or PDR.  PDR is a process for removing dents using specialized tools and equipment to work the metal back into shape. In the old days of body repair, and good body man could hammer and dolly your dents back to shape using pure skill, art and the ability to read a dent. The widespread use of high-strength metal and resilient paint finishes has allowed PDR to become a viable alternative to traditional body repair techniques. In fact, some insurance companies will even waive the deductible if PDR is chosen over more traditional techniques like body fillers and paint.

Paintless dent repair can be used in the following conditions:

• Dents from very small to large dents-even as large as a football.

• Generally speaking 1990 model year and newer vehicles because of the type of steel used.

• In the area of the repair, the paint must not be broken or cracked, other wise the repair will have to be repainted.

• The dent must not be near the edge of a panel- a technician needs to be able to work the dent from behind in most cases.

• The panel must not have had previous body repair- if the panel has any body filler in the repair area, it cannot be fixed with tis technique as the old repair might get cracked or damaged.

• Hail damage is often very repairable using PRD. Some insurance companies use hail teams that travel to an area that was hit by hail to repair vehicle damage using PDR techniques.

A number of advantages for paintless dent repair include:

• no repainting or body filler needed;

• less expensive than traditional body repair;

• same-day service in most cases;

• no risk of paint overspray on other vehicle areas;

• no risk of incorrect color matching;

• vehicle retains original paint.

A vehicle with original paint retains a higher value than a repainted vehicle. Even if it is just a door or a fender, it is always preferable to maintain the original paint on a vehicle for as long as possible.

PDR technicians use specialized tools to push the metal back into its original shape from behind the dent. Depending on the location of the damage, the panel is accessed by removing trim pieces, through window openings or by removing inner panels.

In a typical dent removal, the metal around the outside edge of the dent in slowly massaged back into its original position. The dent becomes progressively smaller as the technician works from the outside edge; eventually the dent becomes so small it blends with the texture of the paint and disappears completely.

Most repairs can be completed in one to two hours, and many PDR companies offer mobile service to save even more time.

Prices vary depending on the location and complexity of the repair. O’Reilly Collision Centers charges $99 for a single dent, up to several hundred dollars to repair several dents in body panels. Compare this to a  cost of several hundred dollars to repair and repaint a single dent using traditional auto body repair techniques.  

Photo credit: KOMUnews