Types of Dent Repair
Dent, Not Doom
We understand that your vehicle is an investment, a means of transportation, and perhaps even your pride and joy. Therefore, you don’t want its appearance or functionality marred by a dent. The great news is that a dent doesn’t equal doom. Your automobile is not forever ruined by a wayward shopping cart, poorly pitched baseball, or fender bender. If your car has an unwanted dent, let the experts at Flash’s Auto Body & Paint in Spokane, WA, help you restore your vehicle to its former glory.
Options for Dent Repair
Did you know there are options in auto body dent repair? Sometimes the option is necessarily dependent upon the nature and severity of the offending spot, but at other times you may be able to make the choice you determine is best for your vehicle, schedule, and/or budget. Traditional dent repair involves either filling the cavity with putty (a filler) or pulling the dent out. When putty is used, a process of sanding and smoothing to match the texture and line of the surrounding area becomes necessary. A pull-out entails drilling a small hole through the metal and pulling the caved area until it once again aligns to the surrounding area. Occasionally, a combination of the two is needed to achieve perfection (i.e., pull the dent as far as possible and then finish with putty). In either case, the repaired surface will need repainting. Should the severity of the damage warrant more extensive work, complete panel replacement may be necessary. This entails installation of a new surface for that portion of the automobile (i.e., a hood, a quarter panel, etc.). As with the smaller area of dent repair, the new surface will need to be painted. Any time a portion of the automobile is painted, of course, the paint color must be matched so that it does not stand out from the rest of the exterior surfaces.
If your auto body damage meets certain criteria, you may have the option of paintless dent repair (PDR). It’s possible when the dent isn’t extremely large and/or extremely deep. Also, it cannot be used on plastic surfaces such as bumpers or in areas where the paint is missing. PDR involves using special tools to gently push and pull on the valley to ease it out to its original location without stretching or cracking the paint. This method offers the advantage of fewer preparation hours and eliminates the need for painting, saving you shop time and money.
Choice of Dent Repair, Choice of Collision Repair Shop
While you may have a choice of how to repair an auto body dent, you always have the option of where to have your vehicle fixed. For a collision repair shop that puts customers first, rely on Flash’s Auto Body & Paint.