FAQs - Paintless Dent Repair 101

Fact 1) The demand is stronger than ever. A close inspection of vehicles passing through tunnels or sitting in bays reveals a large array of dents and dings. They are caused by other car doors, shopping carts, hail or just about anything you can imagine. Typically, when this type of damage occurs the customer takes their vehicle to a collision repair center and waits three to four days while it is being repaired.
Today there is a quicker, simpler and more affordable method called paintless dent repair(PDR).

Fact 2) It's an acquired skill. It is important to remember that PDR is as much a practiced skill as a learned technique. The candidate chosen to become a PDR technician should be committed to his position to insure the investment. Initial training may only take two weeks, but that person may have to practice from one to six months before becoming truly proficient at the trade. This is due to personal differences in abilities such as dexterity, vision, depth perception and concentration. Fortunately, there is a variety of tools, dent reading systems, techniques and training methods to accommodate these individual differences.

Fact 3) During the repair process, a variety of techniques can be used to remove different types of dents. The choice of technique is dependent upon the dent's type, size and location.
The three most common types of dents are called lows, highs and creases. Lows represent the majority of the business. These are depressions in the metal caused by a direct perpendicular impact such as from a hailstone or a golf ball. Highs are the opposite of lows. Most highs are caused by closing the hood or trunk on an obstacle or by an object left inside free to bounce around while the vehicle is moving. Creases are created when the impact folds the metal to a point. This is the most difficult type of dent to repair. The size of a repairable dent can range from a dime to three inches in diameter. This is a conservative range for new technicians. Seasoned veterans can remove dents the size of footballs or larger.

Fact 4) Pricing Information: Dent Estimators was created to provide the insurance industry and the P.D.R. companies with a fair and accurate way to give consistent paintless dent removal estimates in a way that is fast and easy to use”(dentestimators.com).

For example:
The repair time averages around 15 minutes or less per dent and there is no supply expense. The retail price for this service is typically $65-$125 per panel for 1-3 dents. This depends on the size and the location of the dent.