A Cost Guide to Paintless Dent Repair

Nov 30, 2023

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Vehicle technician skillfully using paintless dent repair to remove a dent out of a vehicle

The more you drive your vehicle, the more wear and tear you're going to place on it. And over time, it's not uncommon for small dents and dings to develop on the body of your vehicle.

Paintless dent repair, or PDR, is a method of repairing small dents without the application of any new paint or fillers. Also commonly known as "paintless dent removal," the process is minimally invasive, effective, and affordable. In this post, we'll discuss how paintless dent repair works, the types of dents it can effectively treat, and more. Here's a closer look at what you need to know:

How Does PDR Work?

Paintless dent repair involves the use of specialty tools to reshape the metal or exterior part of the vehicle that has been dented. Contrary to what many drivers think, you can't just "pop" out a dent with a suction cup. PDR involves using tools such as rods, hammers, and pullers to essentially massage or reshape the car's metal or body material until the dent is no longer there. Following a successful repair, the vehicle is able to maintain its original finish.

What Can It Repair?

Whether it's hail damage, a shopping cart that slammed into your driver's side door, a collision, or an errant foul ball during baseball practice, PBR is able to successfully remove dents both large and small - regardless of what caused it. Small dents can be successfully repaired in a matter of minutes. It can take upwards of an hour to repair large dents.

While paintless dent repair can successfully repair dents of all shapes and sizes, vehicle material also plays a role. For instance, aluminum tends to be a tough material to handle. While aluminum dents can be repaired, they typically take a bit longer.

Advantages of PDR

auto tech skillfully using PDR to remove dents from a car

There are numerous advantages of using paintless dent repair compared to other means of repairing dents and vehicle blemishes. These include:

Speed: Most dents can be successfully repaired in under an hour. Smaller dents can typically be repaired in minutes.

It helps boost vehicle value: Because of the high cost associated with taking a vehicle to a body shop, many vehicle owners will just cope with dents in their vehicles. This can hurt resale value. However, the value proposition associated with paintless dent repair makes such repair much more convenient, which can help increase resale value.

Cost: We'll get into more of this in the next section, but there's a substantial cost savings associated with paintless dent repair compared to conventional repair.

Cost Factors

Wondering about paintless dent repair cost? Consider this: If you take your vehicle to your body shop, you're looking at spending hundreds - if not thousands - of dollars, not to mention the time your car spends in the shop. While costs vary based on the size, location, material, and other factors associated with your dent, paintless is often a fraction of the cost of a conventional repair.