Paintless Dent Repair - PDR repair process:
So what is PDR? Paintless dent repair or paintless dent removal is a type of auto body repair that does not disturb the factory paint finish. PDR is a process in which hail damage or door ding type body dents are gently massaged out from the under side of the body panel using specialized rods and pics in the hands of a highly skilled technician. In theory its relatively easy, if theres a dent viewed from the outside of a panels then there is a corresponding lump on the inside of the panel. The dents are literally pushed back up slowly until the dent is no longer visible on the outside. Our technicians use high definition led and flourescent lights the see magnify and outline even the slighest imperfections allowing our repairs to perfectly blend in to your factory finish!
Why use PDR? This innovative repair process is far superior to traditional Paint and Body repair methods because it does not diminish your vehicles resale value! The repair process is also 100% GREEN! We use no toxic chemicals such as paint and reducers and produce no toxic dust or fumes! PDR is also typically cheaper than traditional body repair because your OEM body panels are repaired not repalced! Fitment is very important and not all replacement parts are the same. Often insurance companies will not pay for original factory replacement parts, even on brand new cars. PDR enables us to repair your factory parts thus restoring the value to your vehicle instead of lowering it by using inferior parts and paint. Your vehicles factory finish is typically better than even the best after market paints available. These factory finishes are applied by computerized robots to exacting specifications allowing for a perfect all over color match. It is extremely difficult to match the color and quality of factory paint finishes and to the trained eye it is almost always obvious when a car has been repainted.
PDR myths! There is an abundance of myths and misinformation surrounding PDR. For years the PDR repair process was a highly guared trade secret and customers were not allowed to watch repairs being performed thus giving rise to all sorts of urban legends. There are currently only two methods used in the Paintless repair industry. Pushing and pulling! Thats it! Dents are gently pushed out from the underside of a panel and if the underside of the panel can't be accessed either because of obstructions or double wall paneling then they are glue pulled. Glue pulling is where a small pull tab is glue to the outside of the panel using specialized automotive grade hot glue and is then gently pulled or popped up and then tapped down several times until the dent is gone. While this process is similar to the "pops-a-dent" or "dent-be-gone" as seen on TV type dent removal systems, glue pulling is far more complicated and requires highly precise equipment. Unfortunately dents don't just pop out! Dry ice is another common myth. While heating metal and then blasting it with cold air or placeing dry ice on it has been used in traditional Paint and Body shops to shrink dents it is only used on severe dents in areas that have already been ground down to bare metal. Placing dry ice directly on your paint could actually cause your paint to pop off or crack. PDR technicians often warm dents up with a hair dry or low temperature heat gun will working the dent out. This is done to help keep the paint flexible and make the metal more pliable when its cold. Heat is good for PDR not cold but on the oppsite end of the dry ice myth is the Summer Heat myth! "If you just wait til summer the suns heat will make most of those dents just pop out!" Heat makes metal expand but unfortunately it doesn't make hail dents pop out! If you have a large dent in a big open panel that has just been popped in and the metal is not strecthed than it might be possible to remove this dent simply by heating up. There's countless video on YouTube showing this but those are large shallow dents not typically of the sharp impact dents caused by high speed hail stones.
Will claiming my hail damage raise my insurance rates? NO! Absolutely not! It would be illegal for the insurance companies to raise your rates for making a claim. Hail Damage is considered a comprehensive claim or an "act of god"! You pay for full coverage insurance to protect you from having to absorb the loss or cost associated with repair all at once. In essence your paying into a giant collective savings account and if your car gets damaged then you get to make a withdrawal from that savings account. Statiscally more money is paid in then is paid out and this is how the insurance companies make money! Of course the insurance companies want to keep as much of that money as possible so they build in deterrents such as deductibles and an unspoken threat of increaseing your premiums to prevent you from making a claim. Luckily for us the insurance industry is regulated and their are consumer protection laws that limit them from using unfair business practices. At DENT MECHANIX we are experts at negotiating with insurance companies! Its our business so let us handle it for you! If you feel that you didn't get enough money to repair your car properly we will take a look at your estimate and if necessary have your insurance company reinspect it under our specialized high definition L.E.D. light!