Types of Dents Ideal for Paintless Dent Repair
Auto body technicians are aware that dents vary in severity and location. For instance, some dents are minor to the extent that at-home solutions are enough to correct them. On the other hand, some dents are so severe that they require professional services. Today, auto body technicians use paintless dent removal (PDR) to correct various car body damages. This article highlights the most common auto body damages that technicians can easily restore using paintless dent repair.
Shallow Dents — When accessing whether PDR can remove a ding on a car's body, auto body technicians focus on the dent's depth. If a dent is deep, it is less likely that PDR will correct the problem. The reason is that tools used to conduct PDR do not have enough room to grasp the area outside a dent. Besides, deep dents affect a significant part of a car's body, limiting reparability via the paintless dent technique. Conversely, shallow dents can easily be repaired using PDR techniques primarily because the extent of damage is minimal. Additionally, it is easy and faster to pull out shallow dents with PDR tools.
Dents on Highly Elastic Paint — Car body paints vary in elasticity, which plays a crucial role in PDR service. For instance, some auto paints contain additives that allow the paint to be more flexible, while others are extra brittle. Therefore, when a dent occurs on paint with low elasticity, the chances are high that it will crack during paintless dent removal. In such a case, traditional panel beating is recommended. However, it is not the case for dents on highly elastic paint. Elastic auto paints are flexible and can withstand PDR without cracking. The good news is that PDR technicians first assess the condition of a dent by looking for signs of stress cracks to determine whether car paint has reached its elastic limit. If it has not, then PDR works perfectly fine.
Flat Surface Dents — The location of a dent also determines the suitability of paintless dent repairs. For instance, corner dents are particularly difficult to work on due to limited accessibility behind a car body panel. Therefore, there is no easy way to massage a corner dent with PDR. Moreover, corner dents are often angled, making it difficult for PDR technicians to work through. However, dents on flat surfaces, such as car doors, hoods, truck doors and a car's roof, are easily repairable using paintless dent techniques. Notably, flat surface dents are easy to access; hence, there is plenty of room for technicians to massage the dings out.