Paintless dent repair

[drburton]

I have three small door dings all right next to each other near the gas cap on the rear quarter panel, passenger side.

I'm considering paintless dent repair but want to better understand the process. Do they actually drill a hole on the inside of the door to gain access to the panel? ..or do they remove the internal panels, speakers etc.. to gain access.

The bottom line is I'm debating between just leaving the small dents versus having them screw something else up trying to fix them. How safe is this process?

Last thing I want to do is have them mess up wiring, create a new rattle etc.. trying to fix dents that are very minor.

[RandyB]

They can actually remove them from the outside now. They will temporarily glue a hook to the exterior of your car in the three spots and use a device to pull them out from the outside. They will then remove the hooks and tap the spots flush if needed. It's amazing, really. If the dings are too severe they may not be able to use this process however.

[moog55]

i got a door ding at costco not long after i got my car. i took it to a traditional body shop where they quoted me $1400 for a quarter-sized ding that wasn't deep at all. he said they had to take door apart and then respray and blend. besides the ridiculous price, the process would have shown up on Carfax. um, eff that...

I drove over to my dealership and talked to my CA and he told me to go to Dent Wizard paintless dent repair which was right up the street from the dealership. He said they contract the guy to pull dings and that the work is flawless. I took a chance and tried it and couldn't have been happier with the outcome. The paintless dent repair guy said that for most cases, they have a process that will (carefully) pull the dent without the need to drill into the door. In tough cases, he said they remove the door jam catch/latch and drill into the screw hole and then insert the tool (that's what she said?). In my case, he didn't need to. The whole process took about 90 minutes and there is absolutely ZERO trace of the ding - NOTHING. To make things better, the total cost was $80 and doesn't show up on my Carfax.

That said, I can't vouch for the paintless dent repair place you're considering though. Ask around and see if you can get someone to vouch for them.

[moog55]

Originally Posted by RandyB

They can actually remove them from the outside now. They will temporarily glue a hook to the exterior of your car in the three spots and use a device to pull them out from the outside. They will then remove the hooks and tap the spots flush if needed. It's amazing, really. If the dings are too severe they may not be able to use this process however.

Good point. Paintless dent repair can yield amazing results, but if there is a crease and/or paint damage as a result of the dent, they probably can't do much.

On the other hand, he also said that as long there aren't deep creases and paint damage, they can remove large dents just as effectively.

[drburton]

I'll have to get some quotes. All three are very small and within a half inch of the crease on the side of the car. Makes me think the external technique wouldn't work. The paint is scratched as well but I'm not super worried about that, if they get the dents out and buff the scratches a bit, I'd be happy.

Any drilling of hole or removal of panels makes me a bit uncomfortable though.

[kloh]

Anyone know of a reputable shop in the Orange County area? I have a couple really minor dings that I was just going to live with, but if it works well I'd like to get them taken care of.

[BMRLVR]

My 2006 330i had hail minor Hail damage (about 30-40 relatively shallow dents in all areas). The car was only 6 Months old at the time of the damage so I was bummed.

I went through insurance for the repair and had them send it to a body shop (Doug's Place, the best in the Edmonton area) although they suggested the paintless dent repair route because it was cheaper. I told insurance I didn't care what was cheaper and that I wanted my car to be repaired properly and I would not accept it if it were not 100% straight.

When I picked up my car it looked great..... perfectly straight and the paint match was perfect. When I inquired what had to be done I was told that no body work was done the repair was completed entirely by the Dent Clinic (the place the insurance suggested) and that they always send their minor damage to them first to minimize the amount of body work required. In many cases they don't have to do any further work after the paintless dent repairs are complete and this was true for my car in this case.

I was extremely happy that the car was perfectly straight and even more happy that it had no paint work done.

[TOGWT]

Paintless Dent Repair (PDR)

[Paintless dent repair (PDR), also known as "Paintless dent removal", is a collection of techniques for removing minor dents and dings from the body of a motor vehicle. A wide range of damage can be repaired using PDR; however, usually if there is paint damage, PDR may be unsuitable.

The most common practical use for PDR is the repair of hail damage, door dings, minor body creases, and minor bumper indentations. The techniques can also be applied to help prepare the damaged panel for paint. Such applications are referred to as "push to paint", or "push for paint".] [1]

Limiting factors for a successful repair using PDR include the flexibility of the paint, and the amount the metal has been stretched by the damage incurred. Hence, often extremely sharp dents and creases may not be repairable - at least not without painting afterwards.PDR is much cheaper than traditional repair methods and is superior most of the time for many reasons. It keeps the factory paint intact and for the most part, the car does not have to be disassembled in a major way that can also cause damage. It is also available in most major cities.

However, not all paint less dent repair companies are equal. Like any job requiring a lot of skill there are some who are good, some that are bad and those who excel at this sort of work. I would suggest working with someone recommended by a detail company as detail companies are used to having picky customers who require this sort of service who don't tolerate bad work.

The object of removing a dent is by pushing the metal from inside the panel. What you need to watch for is stretching; this occurs when they push too hard. Also make sure they do not drill into any panel, as it will cause future rust. No Bondo or other fillers should be used. If a Paintless repair is carried out on a hood they must pay special attention to its reinforcement.

Drilling holes into the inner structure isn't allowed under any manufacture's and/or I-CAR guidelines. It's a safety issue and therefore isn't a good idea. Many of these inner panels have crush points that are intentionally designed to deflect energy away from the occupants, and even a small drilled hole can negatively affect this from happening. And it can also affect the OEM corrosion warranty; some rust protection application centres have been sued for drilling access holes to apply rust protection.

Paintless dent repair does have limitations, insofar as it cannot perform miracles. It cannot take out huge dents or straighten bent frames. Some dents behind door intrusion beams or heavy unibody reinforcement areas where the reinforcement is bonded or welded to the outside skin are not possible to with this method.

It must be possible to reach the backside of the dent. Long handled and curved tools help, sometimes small holes need to be drilled but not every dent is accessible. I'd say 95% of dents can be reached without drilling though. Sometimes a repainted car with too thick or poorly prepped paint can have the paint crack while a repair is being made. Select an operative with experience as in most things you get what you pay for so check pest repairs and ask for references for past clients

[Georgeair]

They can do a pretty amazing job if they are good. If they are new/inexperienced/unskilled they can thoroughly screw up your car. I'm lucky - I've found a really good guy in Birmingham.

Sample photos of repair he made to my daughter's car last week. It's not perfect and you can still find it or feel imperfection with your hand, but a testimonial to what can be accomplished. Body shop estimates were $2K for a proper full-side repair, $700 for repair and panel paint only. He was substantially less.....

I wouldn't have been happy with it on the M3, but for a 2004 Volvo about to go to a college campus, just fine. Still, the point is good ones can do amazing things.

[vtm3]

I have used tehm twice and I was amazed. In the area you have the dings they will probably want to drill a hole through the side near your door. They tried to do that with me, but its because they either did not want to mess with removing the internal panels or they did not know how. I had someone that does car audio remove it for me and they had instant access to the area and it was fixed perfect. I could not tell where it was at no matter how close I got to the area. As far as being concerned with rattles, I just thought of it as a speaker replacement. People upgrade speakers all the time and rattles do not seem to be an issue. And once you have taken a couple things apart on these, they are built to come apart and go back together, no problems.

[lortsi]

Hi,

what the professionals do when the car is just as bad shape as mine?

here couple pics





Hood and the roof is a little beat-up. Can they replace roof or what?

I´m just wondering that can i repair this my self. I replace hood but what I can do with roof. I´m okay if roof is not 100% new shape if I try to fix it my self. What you think? What i should do?

[HoodR$CH]

Looks like you're gonna need a new roof skin bud.

[radiofrequency]

I've had PDR done to several vehicles with no bad experiences. The good guys are in demand, and can usually be found by asking a reputable detailer. My PDR tech works at my local dealer on certain days, so I have mine done there for the sake of convenience. A good PDR tech can work wonder IMHO.

[bing240sx]

Originally Posted by lortsi

Hi,

what the professionals do when the car is just as bad shape as mine?

here couple pics





Hood and the roof is a little beat-up. Can they replace roof or what?

I´m just wondering that can i repair this my self. I replace hood but what I can do with roof. I´m okay if roof is not 100% new shape if I try to fix it my self. What you think? What i should do?

http://www.stanliner.com/new/main.php/id/7/lang/2

these guys are in europe... none in the US.

I run a PDR company and a large hail repair company... PDR is awesome but you definitely need to make sure no holes are drilled. some guys just have no self-respect and drill drill drill.... it's terrible.

whereas some techs are superhuman and can take $20,000 collision repairs and cut the price in half and the cycle time by 80% with good PDR.

just use someone reputable.

[Lorde]

Originally Posted by lortsi

Hi,

what the professionals do when the car is just as bad shape as mine?

here couple pics





Hood and the roof is a little beat-up. Can they replace roof or what?

I´m just wondering that can i repair this my self. I replace hood but what I can do with roof. I´m okay if roof is not 100% new shape if I try to fix it my self. What you think? What i should do?