What kind of Auto Dents and Dings can be Fixed?

Many auto body dents and dings can now be repaired without a trace, keeping the original paint in place. This process is called paintless dent repair or “PDR.”

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. When considering Paintless Auto Body Dent repair always remember that it is very possible

to break the paint or leave hair line cracks in your paint that may go unnoticed to the common eye. These will be very costly in the future and that’s why we recommend your Hail Repair be done at an Auto Body Shop / Collision Center. This way the problem will be caught and repaired before any rust or chipping occurs. Beware, anyone can put up a hail repair sign but not everyone has certified paint, body and dent technicians.

Paintless dent repair is very effective for the following situations:

• From very small to large dents;
• Generally 1990 model year and newer vehicles;
• The paint has not been broken or cracked;
• The dent is not near the edge of a panel;
• The panel has not had previous body repair.

About Automotive Paintless Body Dent and Ding Repair

The most common methods of paintless dent repair utilize metal rods and body picks to push the dents out from the under side of the auto body panel. Additionally, glue and a specially designed tab may be used from the outside of the panel to pull the dents out. In either case, fine-tuning of the repair often involves “tapping” down the repair to remove small high spots, or shrink the metal, making the surface flat. Paintless Auto Body Dent Repair may be used on both aluminum and steel panels. If a technician pushes too hard when creating these high spots, the paint will split and the repair is ruined. Quality technicians can use these high spots that are barely visible to match the texture of the paint.

Fluorescent lighting, or in some cases a reflection board, is used to see the shadows created by the deformation of the dent. This is an important aspect of the repair process. Without a Paintless Auto Body Dent Repair board or reflector board, the fine detail of the process is unseen, and technicians cannot locate their tools specifically and cannot remove the damage accurately. The process of Paintless Auto Body Dent Repair requires a technician to specifically push exact locations of metal to a precise height, which can only be witnessed with use of a PDR reading instrument such as a Paintless Auto Body Dent Repair reflector board or Paintless Dent Repair light. Paintless dent removal takes time to learn; it is more of an art than a specific set of skills. The ability to successfully remove dents and dings is learned through trial and error. An untrained individual can actually damage a dent if attempting a repair without the correct skills and knowledge