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.
We’re taught about the four main types of precipitation in school: rain, sleet, snow, and hail. However, weather can be much more complex than that. Hail comes in different forms and severities. Sleet, graupel, and regular hail are all on the spectrum of frozen precipitation, but are very different, especially when it comes to the hail damage they can cause in Sioux Falls. Knowledge is the keye to being prepared for any kind of inclement weather.
Sleet
Smaller than hail, sleet consists of tiny balls of ice that tend to bounce when they make contact with the ground. Sleet can look like a rough, icy sheet when it forms a layer. Due to its size, it is unlikely that sleet will cause significant damage to your vehicle.
Graupel
Graupel forms when a snowflake is covered with a supercooled water droplet. Graupel is balls of ice that are softer than sleet, as well as larger. A ball of ice is considered graupel until it reaches 5mm in diameter. A large piece of graupel could potentially cause damage if it was going fast enough.
Hail
Hail is a ball of ice with a diameter of at least 5mm and is created when thunderstorm updrafts bring water vapor into an extremely cold part of the atmosphere causing it to freeze. Hail can range in size from less than an inch, to golf-ball-sized, to even as large as a baseball. The larger and faster a piece of hail is, the more damage it can cause.
Knowing one type of hail from another can help you better prepare for an incoming storm. If you’ve heard sleet is on its way, your car will likely be fine without protection, but if a hailstorm is approaching, your car could get seriously damaged. Make sure to take precautions to prevent hail damage to your Sioux Falls vehicle.
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?
Before a hail storm, there are several preventative measures you can take to minimize the damage to your vehicle. You can read up on prep before a hail storm here. Unfortunately, many of us aren’t so ‘fortunate’ or ‘lucky’ to have that kind of time to prepare. In the event that you are caught off guard by a hail storm seek immediate shelter and wait until it passes. Once it is clear you can begin gathering information for your insurance providers, and start search for Sioux Falls hail repair experts near you!
First, gather as much information as you can. Start by taking pictures of the damage. You’ll want to make sure everything is in clear lighting and easy to see. A little bit of dirt or glare can easily hide some pretty serious dings. Jot down other important info such as license plate numbers.
Next, call your insurance provider. Let them know the full extent of the damage, and provide them the pictures you took earlier. This will help you determine whether or not to file a claim. For instance, if the damage does not exceed your deductible limit then you will be charged the full amount for repairs. In some cases it may be best to forgo the claim.
Finally, the search for your perfect Sioux Falls hail repair team near you begins. Look for a company that is trustworthy and reliable. Word of mouth is going to be your best resource, but you can often find reviews online. As for the techs themselves, you should find someone that enjoys what they do. Otherwise they may neglect their equipment or be out of practice.
The Best Tech in Town
Sioux Falls Dent Repair provides professional quality dent removal services to residents near and around the Sioux Falls area. If you need dents, hail, or minor collision repair, we are the safest, fastest, and most affordable option available. You can schedule a free damage estimate with us today by calling 605-595-4061 or by filling out our online contact form!
