Paintless Dent Removal?

tguil · 06-22-03, 08:13

I managed to put two small dents in back edge of the roof and one dent on the top of the driverside door on my 2003 Ram 1500. I am going to check tomorrow about having the dents removed using paintless dent removal techniques. I'd like to hear about some of your experiences with this process. I have had it done in the past with mixed results.

I was about to try Blackfire just before this happened. My desire to detail has been temporarily (I hope) cooled immensely.

(How did I do this? I was attempting to adjust my tonneau cover in very high winds. It came loose and "whapped" the roof three times.)

Tom

GoodnClean · 06-23-03, 12:36

Its all in who you get to do the work. I've experienced it where its been good, not great, and where its been great. It also depends on where the dents are...

OutlawTitan · 06-23-03, 01:33

The experienced guys are really good. Most of the good ones do work at dealerships as well.

bunker · 06-23-03, 02:31

You may be out of luck with the PDR. From the experiencesI've had, they need access behind the dent. Are the dents in a place where the tech can get behind the headliner?
I've had excellent results from the process (if they have the access).
Good luck.

tguil · 06-23-03, 08:15

Three small dents = a $684 repair job. The dents on the roof can be fixed using paintless dent removal. The dent in the door will require body work and painting because it's at the edge of the door. This dent will be pulled out, filled, sanded, etc. The repair and its surrounding area will be painted in the black base coat. Then the WHOLE door will be clear coated. All moldings and handles will be removed and reinstalled. If the paintless dent removal doesn't work on the other two dents, the roof will have regular body work and will be repainted too.

I have Meguiar's PPP on the truck. I want to make sure that it is super prepared for the painting. Any suggestions for its removal. I shouldn't be so concerned. The truck is going to a very reputable shop that I have gone to for over thirty years. The MPPP is my first use of a sealant. That's why I ask

Damn, I hate that first trip to the body shop!

Tom

elsanto · 06-25-03, 02:01

My car got hit with a Hail storm, and was in the shop for 5 weeks.. LOTS of paintless dent removal, and they replaced the Hood & roof.. Paintless looks great, but to begin with they were small dents on cheap japanese steel. If the price seems high, ask the shop if you can do any of the prep work, ie take out trim, drop the headliner whatever you can do to save them the tedious work and let them do their magic!

paperchase · 06-25-03, 04:54

I just pick my car up from a "Dent Wizard" -- probably the most well-know paintless dent removal outfits. The biggest thing is the expertise of the person you use. Some are rookies and some have been doing it 10+ years. If a person looks at the damage and isn't sure if they can get it out, I'd go seek another opinion. The good guys know pretty quickly what they can and can't do.

I actually had something worse than a dent. I had a light crease that covered most of the right front quarter panel and passenger front door. It happened via the handle of a wheelbarrel one of the masons working on our house left too close to the driveway.

When I went to pick up the car today, I was astounded. Then I sat and looked at the repair from every angle for about 2 minutes and noticed a faint hint of the crease on the front quarter. I pointed it out to the tech. He saw it too. He took the car back in the shop, came out in about 10 minutes and let me reinspect. It was absolutely perfect. I almost cried. The cost? $279. $99 for the right front fender and $180 for the right front door. I went to three places before deciding. A small price to pay to avoid paintwork if you ask me.