Frequently Asked Questions

What is Paintless Dent Repair (PDR)?

Paintless dent repair, or PDR is a method of removing hail damage, dings and dents from your truck or car without the use of grinders, sanding, body fillers and paint. Highly trained technicians use custom PDR tools and special lights to gently and meticulously push or massage the metal back to its original shape without damaging primer, base coat or clear paints. The result is your car keeps its original paint job and the dent is removed.

Will PDR damage the paint on my car or truck?

No. Our technicians are trained to recognize dents that have resulted in damage to your paint. If your base coat or clear finish coat has been cracked, our technicians won’t attempt to remove the dent, and will recommend you have the repair done at a conventional body shop. However, if the paint has not been cracked or damaged, and your car was built in the 1980s or later, PDR is an excellent option for removing hail dents.

Because urethane based paints developed in the 1980s and later are extremely flexible, PDR techniques used in our shop actually restore your paint.

What size dents can be removed?

Any dent – some as small as a pinhead or as basketball-sized or larger – can be economically removed. The location of the dent and the depth of the dent is more important to the process than the size of the dent. Also, the material (steel or aluminum alloy) will have an effect on how long it will take to remove it and the price to remove it.

Can you repair any dent?

No. We specialize in minor dents, similar to those caused by hail or shopping carts. If your metal is pinched, stretched, rusted or buckles, we will assist you in finding a qualified body shop to replace and finish needed parts. We will, however prepare your car for the body shop, to reduce the cost of conventional body shop repairs.

If my dent is on a body line, are you still able to repair it?

Yes. Repairing dents along body lines do not present special problems for well-trained technicians. It is only a matter of choosing the proper tool to remove the dent.

What kinds of vehicles do you repair?

Primarily, we repair automobiles, trucks, vans and some motorcycles. We have, however repaired everything from tractors to large trailers and even a refrigerator or two.

Can you repair older classic cars?

Almost always. The metal in older cars is stiffer and thicker and the paint is sometimes fragile. Our technicians are skilled in recognizing dents that can be successfully removed using PDR techniques.

Can I watch the repair?

Sometimes. It depends on the insurance policy requirements in the states where we do business. Some states prohibit customers from being in the shop. In those states where no such restrictions exist, you are welcome to watch us work.

Can I fix my own dents?

We wish you wouldn’t try. Learning the PDR process takes years of practice and instruction. Sometimes, when customers try to repair their own damage, they end up damaging the paint, making a PDR repair impossible, or at the very least, making it more expensive for us to the repair the dent.

Is it possible for the dent to come back after you have repaired it?

No. Once we massage the metal back to its original shape, the dent is gone for good, unless you get hit with another hail storm in the exact same spot.

Can you repair aluminum panels?

Yes. Structural aluminum alloys used in making auto body panels is lighter weight than steel, but is actually stronger than most steel panels. This can make removing dents from aluminum panels a little more time consuming. However, if it is determined by your technician that the dents can be repaired, it will always be less expensive than replacing the panel, priming, painting and clear coating it. And, you will enjoy the benefit of having the original factory finish without having to attempt to blend new paint with the old paint on undamaged panels.

Are your technicians and your shop insured in case my vehicle is damaged while in your shop?

Yes. We are required by every state in which we operate to have an insurance policy insuring that if your vehicle is damaged while in our shop, we will work with a reliable body shop to restore your vehicle to its original state.

Do you do touch-ups or paint bumpers or panels?

No. We repair dents which have not damaged the paint. We will be happy to refer you to a qualified body shop for those repairs.