What is Paintless Dent Removal/Repair (PDR)?

So what exactly is paintless dent removal? Why would I require this service?

Paintless dent removal is the skilled process of removing dents and dings from a vehicle e.g. cars, vans etc. However, paintless dent repair services can only be used when there is no paint damage involved. Dents can be removed from both steel and aluminum vehicle panels.

Dent removal services are a frequent choice for vehicle owners as the cost of dent repair is often cheaper than paying the excess on your car or vehicle insurance. The most popular jobs requiring PDR services are slight dents to vehicle doors, minor creases to the body work and dents on the vehicle bumper. Extreme dents and creases are usually not repairable in this way, as they tend to require paintwork in addition to dent removal services.

Can't I just remove the dent myself?

The reason why a professional should be called to conduct paintless dent removal is because it is a very skilled art. If an amateur attempts to rectify their dent, they may actually cause more resulting harm than good. Dent repair is a laborious process and it is well worth employing a professional to carry out the work on your behalf.

So how exactly is dent removal conducted?

There are 2 main paintless dent removal methods, which are:

• Paintless Dent Removal Method Number 1: Metal rods and body picks - these are used to push out the dents from the inside of the body panel which requires attention.
• Paintless Dent Removal Method Number 2: Glue - some use the glue method, whereby glue is applied to the outside of the damaged body panel and used to pull out the dents.

A light-reflection board or fluorescent lighting is used in order to see the shadows created by the dent more easily. This enables the dent repair expert to adequately see the damage, allowing them to address it accordingly.

Does PDR always work?

The success of paintless dent removal services depends upon several factors, including:

• Paint flexibility - how flexible is the paint on the vehicle body panel?
• The stretch of the metal (steel or aluminum) - how much has the metal been stretched as a result of the damage?

As previously mentioned, dents with paint damage cannot be repaired using the dent removal services outlined here. They require a more labor intensive service which requires the replacement of the paint as well as the removal of the dent. This is clearly a more expensive option and tends to be the solution for large dents.