If your car sustains a dent, ding, or scratch after an accident or a crash in the parking lot, you can fix it in many ways. For instance, a paintless dent removal may do the trick. As the name implies, this technique entails restoring your vehicle's bodywork without using body fillers or repainting it. Instead, it involves massaging out the dent. Moreover, paintless dent removal comes with many benefits. For instance, it's convenient, fast, cheaper, and environmentally friendly. However, the technique works only for specific bodywork issues, and you must visit an auto collision repair shop for the best results. Here is a guide to help you determine whether your car is a good candidate for one.

How Severe Is the Dent?

The nature of the dent will often determine whether paintless dent removal will work. Generally, the technique works perfectly for small or minor cuts caused by small collisions, door dings, hail damage, minor sporting accidents like hits from golf balls, basketballs, or soccer balls, and falling objects like small tree branches. Ultimately, paintless dent removal (PDR) can work best on minor dents, regardless of the cause.

What's The Shape of The Dent?

The dent's shape can also impact the PDR's ability to fix the problem. Usually, the shape of the dent will determine the complexity of the repair work needed. For instance, dent creases tend to be more complex to fix than round ones than can be popped out easily. Further, while some skilled PDR technicians may still work around dent creases, getting the job done will often be more complex and costlier. Moreover, auto repair experts may need to use traditional remedies like body fillers or even replace the entire panel.

How Deep Is the Dent?

The dent's depth will also determine whether paintless dent removal will work. As is expected, shallower dents are typically easier to fix than deeper ones. This is because it's often harder to restore the panel to its original shape if the dent is considerably deep. However, your vehicle's paint's elastic limit can make all the difference in PDR repairs. Usually, paint elasticity on cars varies among manufacturers. Note that some paints are thick with additives that make them more flexible and able to withstand deeper dents. Therefore, PDR repairs may work on vehicles with such paint.

Which Body Panel Was Affected?

PDR repairs may only work on some body panels, which depends on factors like material type besides the dent's severity, shape, and depth. With that in mind, some body panels you can repair with PDR include hoods, most doors, front fenders, quarter panels, and the roof.

Paintless dent removal is a quick and affordable way to fix minor dents and scratches on your car. Therefore, visit an auto collision repair shop, such as Clinton Collision, after a minor crash to get the vehicle fixed.