Dents, Dents, Dents.
Unsightly dents can be annoying and costly but they ARE an eyesore and devalue your vehicle.
To help with some background on Paintless Dent Repair or PDR, scroll down for some PDR101.
BEFORE
AFTER
COST ANALYSIS
The short answer, PDR is a lot cheaper than a body shop repair. Repairs can cost between $100 to $250 for small repairs. More complex repairs factor in location, different metals like aluminum or high strength steel (HHS) and glue pulling which take more time. The overall cost will be determined based on each circumstance. Since PDR is nearly 100% labor, all the cost is in the preparation or setup, and the repair time.
Compared with 'traditional' or 'conventional' bodywork, PDR is about 1/2 the overall cost and repair time.
Some dents like the hail on this 2024 Tesla in the video are massaged back to it's original shape fairly easily. This panel is aluminum which generally takes longer, but it's the quantity of dents that makes these repairs take more time. In the next video, a compound body-line dent repair is shown before and after.
EXPECTATIONS
Keeping your vehicle like new is part of the investment. The last thing you want to see is a door ding. Most door dings are 100% repairable or at least to 100% satisfaction of the client. However not every dent can be removed or perfectly fixed.
Many factors affect the outcome. Because each dent is a unique, so is the process of the repair. We all have good days and bad days but as PDR goes, perfection is the result we strive for on every repair. We do the absolute best to repair the damage because our client's satisfaction is our priority.
Body line dents and black paint can be either a good day or bad day for a repair. In this video, the end results are still some minor imperfections due to the paint reaching it's limit of flexibility. Lots of heat was required to bend the paint back, fortunately the metal was more forgiving than the clear coat. This repair was a 95% completion due to limitations of the paint.
LIMITATIONS
PDR does have 3 distinct limitations.
1. Location
While 90% of a vehicle is workable with PDR, some areas like panel edges, weld areas, and double panels prevent or inhibit the ability of a technician to fix damage in those areas.
2. Paint damage
A glossy surface is part of the requirement to "see" the damage as it's being repaired by the technician. Dull paint must be restored to a luster. Also, if paint is cracked or peeling, it's typically bad for the repair process. During the dent repair it may continue to crack and eventually lead to more issues like rust or flaking later on. Scratches or gouges in the paint can affect the repair as described with Sharp Dents in section 3 below.
3. The Actual damage (Size, Sharpness, Stretched Metal and Body Lines).
These 4 qualifiers are where the skill of the technician and the resilience of the metal are tested. Size, or Large Dents, are described in depth on the Large Dents section of this site. Sharp Dents require heat to soften the metal and paint so it doesn't crack. If there is paint damage, some require touch-up or polishing to correct the imperfections. These dents often take 2-3 times the amount of effort, patience and labor to repair. Stretched Dents are generally disqualified from the start. Severe enough impacts will actually lengthen the panel. Physically and structurally the metal is altered, it becomes weak. Some cases are possible but most require either a new outer panel 'skin' or entirely new panel. The days of thick skinned vehicles when you could shrink metal with a torch and dry ice are over. Today's metal warps and ripples if those methods were applied. Body Lines are difficult but 100% possible. It all depends on the impact and if the paint survives intact from whatever hit it and the return to it's original shape. Similar to the
video shown, it's definitely possible to repair.