WHAT IS PAINTLESS DENT REPAIR? (PDR)

MOST COMMONLY, PDR is the repair of hail damage, door dings, minor body crease and parking lot dents. Some rather large dents are readily repairable if paint is in undamaged and access to backside of panel is available. The techniques can also be applied to help prepare the damaged panel for paint. Such applications are referred to as "push to paint", or "push for paint"

LIMITING FACTORS for a successful repair using PDR include the flexibility of the paint, and the amount the metal has been stretched by the damage incurred. Hence, often extremely sharp dents and creases may not be repairable - at least not without painting afterwards.

METHODS OF REPAIR:The most common methods of paintless dent repair utilize metal rods and body picks to push the dents out from the inner side of the body panel being repaired. Also, glue may be used from the outside of the panel to pull the dents out. In either case, fine-tuning of the repair often involves "tapping" down the repair to remove small high spots, making the surface flat. Paintless Dent Repair may be used on both aluminum and steel panels. If a technician pushes too hard when creating these high spots, the paint will split and the repair is ruined. Quality technicians can use these high spots that are barely visible to match the texture of the paint.

The technology of PDR has been around for many years. Fluorescent lighting, or in some cases a light-reflection board, is used to see the shadows created by the deformation of the dent. This is an important aspect of the repair process. Without a Paintless Dent Repair light board or reflector board, the fine detail of the process is unseen, and the technician cannot locate their tool specifically and cannot remove the damage accurately. The process of Paintless Dent Repair requires a technician to specifically push exact locations of metal to a precise height, which can only be witnessed with use of a PDR reading instrument, such as a Paintless Dent Repair reflector board or Paintless Dent Repair light.

Paintless dent removal takes time to learn it is more of an art than a specific set of skills. To ability to successfully remove dents and dings is learned through trial and error. An untrained individual can actually damage a dent if attempting a repair without the correct skills and knowledge. Paintless dent removal technicians can be located throughout the country by searching for their services online.