Dent repair is an important aspect of car maintenance that every car owner should be aware of. Dents can occur due to a number of reasons, including accidents, hailstorms, and minor collisions. Dents not only make your car look unsightly but can also decrease its resale value. However, with the right tools and techniques, it is possible to repair most dents on your own.
Here’s what you need to know about dent repair:
Identify the type of dent Before you begin repairing a dent, you need to identify the type of dent you are dealing with. Some dents can be easily repaired using simple tools, while others may require professional help. There are three types of dents: minor, major, and creased dents. Minor dents are small and can be easily repaired using simple techniques. Major dents are larger and may require specialized tools and techniques. Creased dents are more complex and require a skilled technician to repair them.
Use the right tools The key to successfully repairing a dent is to use the right tools. You will need a variety of tools, including a dent puller, a hammer, a rubber mallet, and a body filler. The dent puller is used to pull out the dent, while the hammer and rubber mallet are used to tap out any remaining dents. The body filler is used to fill in any gaps or imperfections in the metal.
Follow the correct technique To repair a dent, you need to follow the correct technique. Start by cleaning the area around the dent with soap and water. Next, use the dent puller to pull out the dent. If the dent is too deep, you may need to use a hammer or rubber mallet to tap out any remaining dents. Once the dent has been removed, apply the body filler to fill in any gaps or imperfections in the metal. Finally, sand down the area until it is smooth and then repaint the area.
Consider professional help If the dent is too complex or you are not confident in your ability to repair it, consider seeking professional help. A skilled technician will be able to repair the dent using specialized tools and techniques. They will also be able to repaint the area to match the rest of your car.
In conclusion, dent repair is an important aspect of car maintenance that every car owner should be aware of. With the right tools and techniques, it is possible to repair most dents on your own. However, if the dent is too complex, it is best to seek professional help. Remember to always use the right tools and follow the correct technique to successfully repair a dent.
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Also referred to as paintless dent removal or PDR, paintless dent repair restores a vehicle’s body to factory-like condition using an environmentally-friendly repair method at a fraction of the cost and in a fraction of the time compared to a traditional auto body shop. Also, PDR can be used to remove hail damage and body creases, as well as dents and dings from vehicles. There are four primary processes involved in the paintless dent repair, and they are:
Assessing the damage
Gaining access to the dent
Getting a close examination of the dent
Application of the slow pressure to work out the dent
Sioux Fall Dent Repair specializes in paintless dent repair services, and the company will give your vehicle a professional PDR treatment, whether your car has a dent from a small collision or large dents.
There are techniques and processes involved in PDR. With Sioux Fall Dent Repair, several vehicles have been restored to their original factory condition by any of its certified technicians without compromising the wallet of a consumer or the original painted finish of a vehicle.
For Sioux Fall Dent Repair to restore the vehicle to their pre-damage condition, you may continue reading to know how Sioux Fall Dent Repair has been using paintless dent repair for these purposes.
Assessing the Damage
The first step to any process of repair is to assess the damage. Experts will first locate the spot of the dent, whether they are large dents and how they will get to the dent. Then, the professionals working with Sioux Fall Dent Repair will prepare the area around the dent for the repair after they have assessed the damage and determined whether they can remove it effectively using PDR.
Gaining Access to the Dent
Usually, the requirement by PDR for accessing is through the backside of the dent, that is, professionals carefully remove interior panels, taillights, and panels. Also, you need a pathway to the dent for them to perform PDR. Then, it will be time to perform the PDR when you have access to a dent. It is when the experts at Sioux Fall Dent Repair use their expertise and precision come into play.
Getting a Close Examination of the Dent
For any certified technician at Sioux Fall Dent Repair to have a better look at the offending dent from their point of view, they make use of a special light board. With this board showing a shadow the dent’s shadow, the technicians will know the exact place to place tools on the back end of the dent so they can massage the body back to its original condition.
Application of the Slow Pressure to Work Out the Dent
Now, for them to carefully massage the exterior back to its original position, they make use of unique tools. And depending on the severity of the dent, the process of PDR can be completed within the same day. And considering how quick and non-invasive the process is, the results are quite amazing.
You can consult Sioux Fall Dent Repair today if you have dings or dents on your vehicle, and you can be sure of getting a fantastic result when they bring your vehicle back to its original condition.
You might ask yourself “how hard can dent repair be?” You’ve done many do it yourself style repairs throughout the years. Things around the house from minor repairs such as a door handle change. Maybe you even do major items such as plumbing, electrical or roofing. You change your own oil on your car and do other auto repairs, why not pop your own dent out? Today we are going to talk to you about do it your self dent repairs.
Dent Repair Myths
Dent just pop out
Use suction cups to suck the dents out
Use magnets to pull the damage out
Applying dry ice to the dent will make it come out
Heat like a hair drier makes the dents come out
Pour hot or even boiling water on the dent makes it come out
Applying a cold spray to the dent, perhaps even after heating makes the dent come out
Park your car in the hot sun and the dents will work there way out from the heat
Do these methods work?
Have you seen a video of a person putting a suction cup on a big dent on a car and pulling on it. The dent makes a popping noise as the suction cup comes off and the dent looksgone. Well it appears to look gone. Once it is looked at at multiply angles the damage will looks wavy or at least less noticeable. To some people this is exactly what they want. They want the damage to be not such a big eye sore, or noticeable at be the most affordable for price. For this expectation this might be the perfect solution. To others that want the damage to look as if it never happened and completely undetectable this is not an acquitted fix.
Once a repair is attempted its is often not fixable or much more difficult to make a proper repair.
Magnets and Hair Driers
We do not use any type of magnets to pull any type of damage out, and hair driers if used improperly can actually cause paint damage by overheating it. If the paint in say a white vehicle is overheated it will get yellow or brown and the only fix for this is to now repaint the panel. This damage can happen in other colors but it is harder to see in darker colors.
Cold and Dry Ice
There is an old school method of shrinking the metal when it is over stretched. When the metal can be pushed up as a high spot then lightly pushed on and it falls back in, and it will flip flop back and forth. To shrink metal you must put it through a very fast heat and cold cycle. To do this you take a torch and extremely heat the metal (burn the paint) then cool it off very fast with water(not dry ice). This again was a old school method and requires repainting to be done. Today’s vehicles are made up with different metals then they were back in the good ol’ days. Most new metals are actually extremely weakened when heated.
Parking In The Sun
For parking in the sun, the reason people tend to think this makes the dents go away is cause they are typically looking at their vehicle in the parking lot. Most dont have anything to compare the damage to except for clouds and the sun, these are the worst conditions to look at a cars panels for dents because you cannot accurately see anything. This is why when looking for damage the best conditions are in a shop setting.
Hopefully this answers any of your do it yourself questions, if you happen to have any other questions or have a dent you need repaired, give us a call:
While in St. Louis for the 2019 International Hail expo last weekend, we had a chance to stop by and see our friends at the local Paintless Dent Repair Company Dentzilla in St. Peters, Missouri.
They were currently hosting the IMI EV level 2 training course. This is the same course we took in January in Florida while attending the PDR College Advanced Skills Seminar for Paintless Dent Repair training. In this course they train technicians not only the dangers of electric vehicles when working on these high voltage systems but how to take the special safety precautions for technicians, the customer and the vehicles safety. Vehicles with these types of systems are for example a Tesla, a Prius, Volt or any hybrid equipped vehicle.
Why Should Brandon Body Shops Know Paintless Dent Repair?
They Can’t Replace Technicians
Mastering paintless dent repair takes years of practice on real body panels. Unsurprisingly, body shops aren’t always willing to hand these out to amateurs. While you can use sheet metal there’s no replacement for the real deal. Therefore true drive, talent, and education will always win over.
It Saves Room for the Big Jobs
Body shops have to work in the confines of a bay or warehouse so they’re pretty limited in space. If they need to use that space to fix a minor dent they could potentially lose out on a much bigger sale. Dent repair techs, however, are not restricted by space and can work from anywhere.
PDR is Much Faster and More Affordable
Paintless dent repair is and always will be far faster than conventional repair methods. Because Brandon body shops tend to prefer higher paying jobs they will often use traditional methods on a simple ding. This usually involves sanding, priming, and painting which is resource and labor intensive.
Why Don’t They Already Know it?
Learning Curve
Paintless dent repair isn’t easy to learn and it takes even more commitment to master. The steep learning curve involves some training, theory, and the willingness to adapt to a totally different mindset. Much of paintless dent repair revolves around a central feeling rather than an exact science.
Where to Learn it
Many aspiring PDR techs get stunted because they don’t know where to start. But learning PDR is easier now than it has ever been. The best way to start would be through a training course that’s somewhere between 2 and 5 weeks. Anything shorter than 2 weeks isn’t really worth your time or money.
Understanding the Tools
Access to the proper tools is essential to paintless dent repair. You can have all of the patience, skill, and training you want, but without a high quality set of tools you’re setting yourself up for failure. To further exasperate this issue good PDR tools are not cheap. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen a Brandon body shop with a dusty old set of starter equipment.
