What is the Cheapest Way to Remove Car Dents?
Uh oh, your vehicle has a dent! You are probably asking yourself, what are the options for repair, and what is the cost? Unfortunately, the price of dent removal is correlated to several factors. Consider, the location of the dent, the material of the panel, and the depth and width of the damage. There is no way to give a flat price for dent removal without seeing the damage in person or at least in a photo. Read on to find answers to common dent repair questions.
What is the best way to remove a dent?
The technique to remove a dent depends on the location and size of the dent. For example, if you have a small door ding, your best option is probably paintless dent repair. This can be completed quickly and at a much lower cost than traditional auto body repair methods. Sometimes a panel must be removed to access the dent. Removing a panel will result in an additional charge but will still cost less than conventional dent repair. However, if the dent is located in a ridge, paintless dent repair may not be an option. In addition, there are other situations where the dent cannot be accessed at all; meaning PDR (paintless dent repair) is not an option. A reputable collision repair facility will let you know if your vehicle is a candidate for the PDR method.
Please understand PDR is not for the “do-it-yourselfer” or the guy offering to fix your dent in the Home Depot parking lot. I have personally seen, the damage caused by a bad repair. PDR is a highly skilled technique and not all technicians have good results. It is more economical to have paintless dent repair completed by a professional and only once.
What is the average cost of bumper dent repair?
Like the answers to most of these questions, the answer depends on a few factors. How large is the dent? The size of the dent will relate to how many labor hours are needed to repair and refinish the bumper. A professional Scottsdale auto body shop will price the cost of repair and the cost of replacement. It may be less expensive to replace the bumper than repair the part if you drive a domestic brand vehicle. However, if you drive a Mercedes-Benz or BMW, a repair might be the best option because the cost of foreign luxury auto parts is very high. If you must replace the bumper, the auto body shop should check prices on OEM, used or aftermarket bumpers-especially if you are paying put of pocket. A collision repair facility with good customer service will give you options for a safe repair and let you decide what is best for your vehicle and wallet.
How do you repair a dent in a plastic bumper? 
Not all Scottsdale auto body shops have the equipment to repair a plastic bumper (or technicians who can achieve quality results). Also, if you happen to get a quote at a high production shop (prioritizing speed and profit) you will most likely receive an estimate for a replacement bumper. Fact is, repairing a dent in a plastic bumper is a slow process requiring special equipment, skill and patience.
Scottsdale auto body shop, Airpark Collision Center’s first priority is customer service. Again, we will price out both options, if your bumper can be repaired with our plastic welder and costs less than a replacement, we will offer you that option. ACC invested in a plastic welder a few years ago because of the amount of high-end cars and SUV’s we repair. Many people driving BMW, Lexus, Land Rover, etc appreciate this option since replacement bumpers on luxury vehicles is very high. Repairs with the plastic welder is a time-consuming process where the plastic is heated and the dent is slowly massaged out. The addition of plastic filler is also part of the repair.
How do you remove a dent?
Again, it depends on the location of the dent, the size, and the amount of labor hours to repair.
The options are:
- Paintless dent
- Traditional dent removal and paint
- Replace the part
When removing a dent there are several techniques used by master technicians. Dent removal procedures are correlated to the panel material. Most collision repair technicians are trained to repair steel. However, more and more vehicles are now built with aluminum panels. Aluminum repair requires different dent repair methods and special tools. Using steel repair methods on aluminum will destroy the panel. Scottsdale auto body shop, Airpark Collision Center is an aluminum certified collision center. Our technicians have the right training and tools to make a proper collision repair on either metal.
How to repair a car with hail damage?
Hail damage is often repaired using paintless dent repair and is considerably less expensive than traditional auto body repair. The price is based on the amount of dents and the size of each dent. In addition, any areas difficult to access will be added to the cost of the estimate. There are times where both PDR and traditional auto body methods are used to repair the vehicle.
How much will it cost to fix a dent on my car?
The short answer is dent repair starts at about $90 (the cost of removing a small ding through PDR). As mentioned before the cost can go up depending on the size and amount of labor hours required for repair.
Airpark Collision Center opened in 2006, committed to honesty and excellent customer service. We believe in spending time with our customers and providing them with all safe auto body repair options. Please click here or stop in for an estimate!
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Tina Small has been part of the Airpark Collision Center team since 2006. Working directly with customers, her goal is to share frequent customer questions, and proper methods of collision repair.
