South Dakota gets a lot of hail, so it’s important to know how to handle an unexpected storm. This will greatly reduce your risk of Sioux Falls hail damage.
Check the Weather
The best way to handle a storm is to know when it’s coming. Watch the news, listen to the radio, or download a weather app to avoid getting caught in a bad situation.
Always Know Where to Find Shelter
A surefire way to keep your paint intact is to use covered parking as frequently as possible. Remember where covered parking is in your neighborhood or park downwind from large buildings to avoid the worst of the storm. It seems obvious, but many Sioux Falls drivers simply rush home, resulting in heavy hail damage.
Another option if you’re in need of shelter is to phone a friend. If someone you know as extra space in their garage or under their car port, see if they’d be willing to let you use it for the duration of the storm.
Use Your Garage Overnight
Again, knowing when a storm is coming is essential in preparation. When you’re getting ready for a storm, take a few minutes and pull your car into the garage instead of leaving it out. This way, you’ll be sure to save your prized possession from Sioux Falls hail damage.
Invest in a Carport
If you don’t have a garage you can purchase a car port to shield your vehicle from the storm. Make sure you weigh it down in case of high winds.
If you’re driving and come across a hailstorm, pulling over and finding shelter may be a smart move. Driving in hail can be dangerous for you and your car. Overpasses, gas stations, and parking garages can all work as last-minute shelters while you’re not at home.
If you do happen to still get hail damage after these tips and tricks, feel free to give us a call to schedule a no obligations damage assessment for your vehicles hail damage.
If you’re new to the world of car repair, it can be helpful to do some research before heading to the shop. Weighing the pros and cons of different auto body services can help you make a confident decision about dent repair.
One of the most common dent removal processes is called paintless dent repair, or PDR. To perform this process, Sioux Falls PDR technicians use various tools to create pressure and remove dents. Hammers, hot glue guns, and curved rods are all common tools of Sioux Falls PDR. Dents can be removed from the front or back of body panels and are pushed or pulled out as needed.
PDR has plenty of pros and just a few cons, making it a great choice for dent repair.
Pros
• Paintless dent repair is far more affordable than conventional body shops.
• No other repair method has turnarounds as low as 30 minutes. Even hail damage only takes a day or so.
• Paintless repair methods are great for maintaining a factory finish or custom paint job.
• We use no fillers, primer, putty, or paint, making our services 100% eco-friendly.
• Everyone is becoming a PDR tech now; services are easy to find, but not many are veterans.
• All of our repairs are non-invasive so they won’t show up on your service reports.
• Our work is guaranteed to last. Your dents will be completely removed.
Cons
• If your paint is chipped or cracked PDR won’t be any use to you.
• Excessively large dents can stretch metal and paint, putting it at risk of tearing.
• Not all dents are the same. We always try to provide the most accurate quote possible, but there may be some variation.
Sioux Falls PDR
Paintless dent repair is an excellent way to make your car look new again for a low price. Its pros greatly outweigh its cons if you’re looking for an inexpensive, fast, and convenient way to have your car’s dents removed.
Although it is widely available, it’s wise to contact your Sioux Falls body shop to ensure that they offer PDR. Sioux Falls PDR will repair your dents and restore your car to its original condition. If you’re looking for a dent repair solution, PDR should be your top choice.
Paintless hail dent repair is known to be one of the fastest forms of dent repair, and there are plenty of reasons why. Several elements of PDR come together to make it such a quick process, and people take notice. Customers lean toward paintless hail dent repair over other forms of hail removal because of its speed and affordability.
Here’s what makes PDR one of the fastest dent repair methods out there:
1. No paint
Having a paintless process eliminates a great deal of labor and waiting time. Paint matching takes time, especially when you think about primer, paint, and finish. Then, technicians must wait for the paint to dry before you can get your car back on the road. Paintless hail dent repair’s lack of paint is a huge contributor to the speed of the process.
2. No replacement parts
Other forms of hail dent repair may use replacement parts, while paintless hail dent repair uses existing ones. The lack of replacement parts reduces repair time, as technicians do not have to wait for parts to come in and drivers don’t have to wait for technicians to install them.
3. No complex repair processes
PDR is relatively simple for technicians and it has just a few major steps. Traditional dent repair tends to be a more extended process, involving sanding, fillers, and paint. Paintless hail dent repair requires simple tools and techniques that are performed by certified technicians.
As a hail dent repair method, PDR is fast and affordable compared to other processes. Depending on your damage, it can be done in as little as a few hours. Mobile hail dent repair is even available in some locations, which can help you fit dent repair into your busy schedule. If you’re in a time crunch, PDR is your best bet for hail dent removal.
Did you know that dents in the body line of a car can be repaired using Paintless Dent Repair. Even at the depth of this dent shown. In his Repair of the Week, a customer from the Sioux Falls area dropped a 2017 Chevrolet Malibu in at the shop. It had a sizable dent in the left quarter panel directly above the wheel. The customer did not know how the damage occurred. They just noticed it when they came out to the parking lot at school and saw it. Access to this damage is very limited. The tail light pocket and trunk area access is minimal. The majority of the repair was done through glue pulling.
So how did the repair go?
One of the biggest challenges in this repair was that there was a small paint crack. This paint damage area which would remain even after the dent was removed. After informing the customer that the shop would not be liable if the paint was to be pulled off. They were understanding and knew this was still the best choice for them. The customer seemed more concerned about not having the car painted.
The body line took a major hit and severe crowning (this is displaced metal that is raised up above the dent) is visible above the impact area. The crowning or raised area, is one of the biggest factors in settling on a pricing structure. Other factors such as whether the bumper needed to come off or not, and whether the tail light needed to be removed to gain access. Did you know in order to remove the tail light on this vehicle the bumper needs to be removed first? Fortunately, the inner trunk trim was the only thing removed for the repair work.
Before starting the repairs, the customer was made aware that if these extra parts had to be removed, the cost of the repair would increase. We even make sure to give them an exact dollar amount if this is the case. As always we always make sure to disclose the customer with this info before starting the repair.
About the Minor Paint Fracture
Customers facing the same dent related problems should know that for minor fractures in the paint work, paintless dent repair is still the best option. The repair is faster when compared to a body shop. There is no diminished resale value or negative carfax history report when going with paintless dent repair. Why is this such a problem? Because when you go to sell the vehicle, a negative carfax report and repainted panels greatly diminish the vehicles resale value. With Paintless Dent Repair this dent was removed and the car was handed over on the same day, a body shop would have taken 5 or more days because they would have painted the quarter panel, removed the tail light and bumper, removed components from the left door and painted it. They would also charged the customer significantly more than this paintless repair cost.
I have similar damage, how can I contact you?
If you have any dent damage that needs repairs in the Sioux Falls area, contact Sioux Falls Dent Repair by calling or texting 605-595-4061.
With the growing popularity of DIY projects, dent repair solutions that can be done at home have become more prevalent online. Do-it-yourself repairs can be helpful with some household items, but when it comes to your auto damage, it’s best to get it fixed by a professional. DIY dent repair solutions may seem appealing, but they can either make no real improvement to existing damage or cause additional damage to your car. We wanted to debunk some old wives’ tales for home dent repair and illustrate the advantages of paintless dent repair at body shops in Sioux Falls.
Plunge Away Your Dents
Myth: The suction of a plunger will be able to pull dents out of body panels.
Fact: Plungers can actually make your dents worse. The suction created when the plunger is pushed down can enlarge dents rather than removing them.
Cool Your Dents Out with Dry-Ice
Myth: Placing dry-ice on the dent will cause the metal to quickly contract and make the dent pop out of the metal.
Fact: Dry-ice can soil your car’s finish, not to mention cause instant frostbite if it touches your skin.
Make Metal Pliant With A Hair Dryer
Myth: By heating up a dent with a hair dryer, the metal will be able to be bent back into shape.
Fact: Hair dryers don’t get hot enough to produce this kind of result.
The bottom line:
DIY dent repair solutions don’t make as much sense as taking your car to the body shop for paintless dent repair. PDR is approved by many insurance companies because of its reliable nature and it’s less expensive than traditional body shop repairs, so it’s well worth the trip to the shop. Sioux Falls technicians that are specially-trained in PDR work to remove dents using pressure and small hammers, producing excellent results that will improve the resale value of your car. If you’re worried about the repair going on record, don’t, as PDR does not show up on service reports. With such a convenient process offered by PDR pros, why try DIY dent repair when you can get professional repairs at a great price?
