Paintless dent repair what to watch for

[JSchmidt]

I represent the Better Business Bureau in South Dakota. We recently had a hail storm and have had several mobile paintless dent repair organizations set up in our city. Can you please let me know what people need to be aware of when having this done. I am sure there are good guys and bad guys, how do we know the difference.

Thanks for the help

 

[I.B. Washincars]

JSchmidt, this forum is primarily for car wash owners. The name is a little misleading. Although there may be a few operators that actually do PDR, you would probably be better served to post your question on an auto body forum.

 

[robert roman]

“We recently had a hail storm and have had several mobile paintless dent repair organizations set up in our city.”

Like storm chasers, it is normal for PDR folks follow the storms.

“Can you please let me know what people need to be aware of when having this done.”

1) Consumers should coordinate with their primary vehicle insurance before signing a repair contract.

2) Most extended vehicle maintenance programs only cover hail stone damage that occurs on horizontal not vertical surfaces of body.

3) PDR involves physical science of auto body repair but it is mostly an art that takes about a year or two to master.

Some PDR folks are wizards most are very decent while others, not so much. So it pays to do some research on the service provider.

4) Don’t expect perfection. Generally speaking, PDR repair quality is about 95% (some better) and depends on talent of technician and placement and severity of damage.

5) The typical price to repair a golf ball sized dent is about $75. So, there is benefit/cost to consider with vehicles that have multiples of dents (PDR versus body work/paint versus totaled).

Hope this helps.

 

[mac]

I saw a neat video on you tube on how to remove small dents with a can of compressed air used for cleaning a keyboard, and a hair dryer.

 

[Stuart]

I suggest to utilize a PDR who sets up shop through a local car dealership who will stand behind the PDR work. The dealership wants a reputable PDR company associated with them and if there is an issue which arises where some dents came back -which happened to me- you have a local business to contact to get you taken care of. It might cost a bit more but will be worth it if a problem arises.