Paintless Dent Repair (PDR) Basics

Getting in a car accident presents many problems to the car owner. One of the problems is dealing with damages made to the car. A car that has been through an auto collision accident will have dents that need repair. Repairing dents the traditional way is effective but expensive, however. For this reason, the insurance company may recommend paintless dent repair done by a (paint and bodywork) auto shop to help a policy holder to save money.

What is Paintless Dent Repair (PDR)?

Paintless dent repair, which is also known as paintless dent removal, is generally employed in repairing damaged areas of the car where paint is still intact, as stated on Wikipedia. The repair process may be used on both steel and aluminum panels  It is applicable to situations where damage is made to the car as a result of hail damage, minor creases, door dings, hail damage, large dents and bodyline damages. And, with paintless dent repair, a panel can be prepared for repainting by using less body filler, a technique that is currently known as “push to prep” or “push to paint.”

The success of paintless dent repair is still dependent on how flexible the paint is and how much the metal has been stretched by the damage. The shallower the dent the higher the likelihood of possibility that a paintless dent repair can repair it. Even a dent that is several inches deep can still be repaired by paintless dent repair so long as the paint and the metal are not stretched. A large dent that is shallow or a crease can be repaired to an acceptable level, but dents and creases that are sharp may not be remedied by paintless dent repair.

PDR was started by Frank T. Sargent in 1931. In his book “The Key To Metal Bumping,” he describes the tools and how to use them and provides illustrations on how to predict the movement of metal.

Techniques in Paintless Dent Repair

To push out the dents from the underside of the body panel, body picks and metal rods are used by (paint and bodywork) auto shops in most common techniques of paintless dent removal. On the other hand, to pull out the dents from the outside of the panel, specially designed tabs and glue may be used. And then, small high spots are removed by tapping down the repair.  Also, blending high spots is done to match the texture of the paint. Heat is applied to metal to increase the likelihood of cracking or chipping.

Paintless dent removal as a result of hail damage is covered by the insurance company. For larger damage, 5 Star Autoplex is more than willing to work with customers and their insurance company to provide the best options for repair. Call Five Star Autoplex now to get (collision repair) help!