Dents, dings, and small issues are a common thing all car owners deal with. It’s the nature of being a driver in today’s world. Thankfully, technology has advanced over the years so that not all dents and dings require expensive, overhaul-focused autobody repair in order to get your vehicle back in tip-top shape and on the road again. With paintless dent repair, you have the opportunity to save money and time, but knowing whether or not you qualify can be a little confusing at times. Not sure whether or not your vehicle’s dents and dings could benefit from paintless dent repair? Here are some things to consider.
Model Year
While paintless dent repair may be possible on older model cars, the process itself works best on vehicles model year 1990 or newer. The construction of vehicles and the panels that make them up has changed in that time to make it easier for auto body repair workers to utilize the tools and access the panels of the vehicle the way they need to in order to effectively enact this repair process.
Damage Location
Where your vehicle is dented will have an impact on whether or not paintless dent repair will be effective. Because the shell of your vehicle is made up of panels, some locations on those panels are far easier to fix via this process than others. For example, if the damage is located close to the edge of the panel, it will be more difficult to repair in this fashion because of the internal way experts access the dings in order to avoid needing to paint over the repair.
Panel Status
In addition, the condition of the panel where the damage is located will play a factor as well. It’s easiest to perform paintless dent repair on an original panel that has never previously been replaced. That being said, it is possible to do the repair this way on non-original panels as well, though your repair partner may have different questions or requirements for you depending on the panel’s status.
Paint Condition
Okay, so this one might be a little obvious but it’s worth talking about all the same. If your dings and dents come with damage to your paint, paintless dent repair is likely not your best choice. Though the process could still potentially be implemented, any savings you might have would likely be gone with the additional cost of painting over the damaged paint areas. Because paint is more than just an aesthetic choice on your vehicle, any good repair person worth their salt is going to heavily recommend that you cover any areas where the paint has been chipped or damaged. Your vehicle’s paint protects your car from all manner of elemental wear and tear, so it’s important to keep your vehicle’s paint in-tact.
If you’re dealing with dents from something like hail damage or an unexpected bump into something, and there’s no paint damage around the dents, you may be the perfect candidate for paintless dent repair. Be sure to ask your auto body repair shop about your options! Still not feeling sure about your particular situation? Give us a call today.
My car has some dents in it, and I’m not sure what to do about it. It makes sense that I would want to get a professional to fix the dents for me! It’s nice that they can do that without needing to use paint.
I do appreciate that this post shared that when looking for a paintless dent repair service, it is important we consider if our car qualifies. One of the best ways is to speak with an experienced mechanic. I think I will schedule an appointment to determine if my car can undergo paintless dent repair to have the dents fixed.
Thank you for explaining that paintless dent repair is best for those cars built after 1990. I’ve been wondering if my car would qualify for this kind of repair. It was made in the early 2000s so it seems like it would.
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It’s great that you elaborated on understanding your car’s paint damage before paintless dent repair. A few days ago, my sister’s car got damaged when some lady scratched her right door, so she wants to repair it as soon as possible, and I think your insight could help her. Thanks for the information on paintless dent repair and the importance of keeping your car’s paint intact.