Paintless dent removal or paintless dent repair, are techniques used to remove minor dents and dings from a vehicle’s exterior, without having to do major auto body repair. While it may sound like an inexpensive option to remove dents and dings from your vehicle, keep in mind that it cannot fix every dent. If it is an extremely sharp dent, the paint is damaged or it is on a bodyline on the vehicle, it most likely will not work and can actually cause more damage. The technique of paintless dent removal has been around almost as long as vehicles have. It was originally used to provide cheap cosmetic repairs to lease return vehicles, vehicles going to auction, rental cars but in the past ten to fifteen years has become increasingly popular for any vehicle owner.
The most common technique of paintless dent removal requires the use of metal rods, body picks and metal “spoons” that are used to manipulate the metal from the back of the panel to push the dents back out. It can sometimes be a tedious task and must be done with care so as not to push the dent out too far or crack the paint. It can be done on steel and aluminum panels as long as there is no rust or paint damage in addition to the ding or dent. If too much pressure is applied from the back and the metal is stretched too far, it will cause the paint to crack and require much more expensive repair.
Experienced body technicians can fix dents and dings with about 99% success. However, unforeseen issues such as paint that is in less than perfect condition or metal that is too cold can cause the paint to crack no matter how experienced the technician is. If a dent or ding is in an area that cannot be accessed from the back, paintless dent removal is not an option. If you have numerous dents and dings that overlap or are concentrated in a small area, paintless dent removal may not be an option either.
Just as with any repairs you need done to your vehicle, you should do a little research online and find a few companies that do paintless dent removal and have them come out and give you estimates. You want to make sure that the technicians are experienced and that they have a good track record for repairs. You want to make sure that the money you are spending to avoid having major bodywork done does not lead to major body repairs anyway. Spend some time doing your homework before you have any work done and your vehicle, this is the best way to save money and make sure the job is done correctly.
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