Santa Clara County – Auto Body – Paintless Dent Repair

When the paintless dent repair work is done, your shop must provide:

• The paintless dent repair ID
• The paintless dent repair work description.
• The total price charged for paintless dent repair

Confirm warranties at the paintless dent repair shop. You should have:

• The paintless dent repair ID
• Description on what’s covered, including reworking or cash back.
• Instructions for getting action on the warranty.
• The amount of time for which the warranty is good.

Paintless dent repair (PDR) in Santa Clara County involves different needs. Here are some common types of auto body damage services:

Dent
A dent is similar to a ding. Where a ding may be hardly noticeable because it is so small, a dent is larger, and is often able to be fixed by paintless dent repair. Practically, paintless dent repair (PDR) is good for damage from hail, dings from parking lot doors, creases to the auto body, and bumper dents. The size of a dent for using paintless dent repair has gone up in recent years from something like a tennis ball toward something more like a football. Paintless dent repair (PDR) is perfect for dings that are smooth and not too deep, creases between the sizes of dimes and basketballs, and plastic bumper dents without tearing or loss of paint.

Dents
Dents are covered for paintless dent repair by some insurance plans costing hundreds of dollars from new car dealers. But these plans don’t really make good money sense for body repair costs. This is largely because dent repair will average only about $50 of body repair expense; in other words, paintless dent repair (PDR) is so cheap that buying an insurance policy for it isn’t smart. It is also true that even though paintless dent repair can be great, it will not fix some common dents which involve chipping or scratching of the paint. That having been said, it is amazing what paintless dent repair (PDR) is actually able to do for dents. In most cases dents can be completely removed, becoming invisible and making the process hard to believe: like the removal of a dent the size of a soccer ball in half an hour for $400, leaving no visible trace.

Auto Body
In the past, auto body repair for dings and dents to car doors and other surfaces has meant grinding, filling, and repainting. But in today’s auto body market, the body repair shop may well offer paintless dent repair. You may not have known until recently that paintless dent repair (PDR) was possible, as that is only lately coming to be realized by the general dent repair customer. Many dent repairs can be done in an hour or two, and the paintless dent repair service will often be able to come to your auto for your convenience. Dent repair for a single dent might now cost you a hundred dollars, instead of several hundred for older body repair techniques, and your insurance company may be able to remove the cost of your deductible in light of the savings of paintless dent repair (PDR). This may be especially true in dent repair for hail damage.

Paintless Dent Repair
Paintless dent repair (PDR) is the same thing as paintless dent removal, and for you may very well mean nearly painless dent removal for some body repair purposes. Paintless dent repair was introduced into the general body repair market in the last part of the 1980s after being developed in Mercedes Benz factories some 40 years before. Paintless dent repair (PDR) works wonders on many small dents and some bigger dents while keeping your car’s factory finish and avoiding the need for new paint. The paintless dent repair process is a work of massage, getting in behind the metal and pushing carefully and artfully to work out the dent and restore the paint and the auto body metal to its condition before the damage. By keeping your auto body original finish, the paintless dent repair (PDR) process by-passes all the grinding and bondo, all the priming and sealing of former body repair techniques. Paintless dent repair also helps the environment by decreasing the use of chemicals, avoids paint mismatching by keeping your original finish, and gets lots of dent repairs done in an hour or less.

Body Repair
Traditional body repair, or conventional body repair, is one way to address the common problem of small dings and dents to car doors, hoods, roofs, and trunks.  Paintless dent repair (PDR) is rapidly changing that, as people become aware that it can be done, and of the advantages it has over the older kind of body repair. With the earlier typical body repair, the paint at the dent would be ground away, plastic filler would be used on the dent, primer would be applied and the dent would be painted to match the original paint as well as possible. This process is three or four times as expensive as paintless dent repair, takes much more time, has big costs associated with repainting, does not restore the true paint as well, involves toxic chemicals, and can lead to problems later from shrinking of the filler or paint. Paintless dent repair (PDR) is changing body repair, allowing dents to be taken care of quickly: hail damage body repair may perhaps be done in a day now, when before it might have taken weeks.

Scratch Repair
It’s not true that scratch repair is the same as dent repair; scratch repair is unfortunately not something that can be taken care of simply by paintless dent repair. Scratch repair involves the problem of missing or cracked paint, and so scratch repair cannot be paintless. The good news is that many paintless dent repair (PDR) companies will deal with your scratch removal problems as well, possibly through a time- and cost-saving new technology called smart repair. Using smart repair, the auto body or body repair technician can spot-blend paint, taking only about half the time that would have been required before and costing you much less.

Dent Removal
Not every dent can be removed by PDR, but about 95% of minor dents can be. Dents that are removed by PDR are the same size or less than a golf ball. The two factors most important in whether PDR will achieve dent removal are the depth of the dent, and the location of the dent. Even dents larger than a dinner plate may be removed if the depth of the dent is not great. However, the depth of a dent will not allow PDR if there has been too much stretching of the metal. Locations of dents that may not allow PDR are forward parts of hoods and edge sections of panels where the metal reinforcement may be higher.

Dent Repair
Dent repair is quickly coming to mean paintless dent repair. This is largely because of one fact: paintless dent repair (PDR) is much cheaper, mainly because it takes much less time and uses fewer costly materials. Paintless dent repair is an art allowing minor auto body damage to be completely removed. Paintless dent repair (PDR) works for small or quite large dents on cars made during about the last 20 years, where the paint is not spoiled and the dent is not at a reinforced panel edge or too great in depth.

Scratch Remover
One unfortunate myth of dent repair is that it means the same thing as scratch removal. It’s important to think clearly about this special type of auto body work, because scratch repair is one thing and dent repair another, and paintless dent repair does not solve scratches. Scratches are where the paint or clear coat of the auto body finish is damaged, where the paint is broken or gone as with a chip. Scratch removal requires traditional body repair work or perhaps touch-up painting, but may be available at the same auto body shop that does paintless dent repair (PDR), perhaps using smart repair.

Smart Repair
Smart repair is the good news when the news isn’t as good as you hoped (paintless dent repair), but not as bad as you thought (major body repair and repainting). Smart repair is in-between. When your auto body damage is too much for paintless dent repair, there is smart repair. Examples of the need for smart repair are a dent or crease with cracked or broken paint, a dent with too great a depth of metal stretching, or a dent repair at the edge of a door, trunk, hood, or other auto body panel with metal reinforcement. Smart repair technology allows the paint to be blended in a spot. Smart repair dramatically decreases the time and cost of the auto body work compared to typical scratch repair.

 TOP 10 BRAND REQUESTS
Auto body paintless dent repair (PDR) shops in Santa Clara County or the greater Bay Area may use brand names such as those following:

• 1800DentDoc
• NoDents
• DentCraftPDR
• DingsAndDents
• DentMender
• DentCrew
• DentExpertSal
• CADentWorks
• DentsDoctor
• DentTechBayArea
• NAPDRT
• DentWizard

Below are some auto body terms which may be of help in understanding paintless dent repair (PDR) and body repair:

access
The basis of paintless dent repair. Access is getting the tool behind the auto body metal panel in order to push or massage the metal out for successful dent repair or dent removal. Dents in areas where access is blocked may not allow paintless dent repair (PDR), for example dents in double panels, braced door areas, or the edges of panels.

Also known as: dent repair access, dent removal access, paintless dent repair access

accuracy
Another paintless dent repair (PDR) basic. The paintless dent repair technician must know the exact spot of the tool in order to push or massage the metal in the right location. Accuracy comes from reading the metal with a paintless dent repair (PDR) reflector board or fluorescent light.

blade tool
The sharpest type of paintless dent repair tool, used to push out a sharp low spot.

Also known as: paintless dent repair (PDR) tool

blunt tool
The rounded paintless dent repair tool for massaging a gradual auto body dent.

Also known as: paintless dent repair (PDR) tool

brace
Auto body safety reinforcement which can prevent access for paintless dent repair, such as in auto body doors.

crease
A sharp, long dent. The crease is difficult damage in paintless dent repair (PDR), taking highly skilled dent removal.

Also known as: sharp auto body dent, sharp dent, sharp dents

crossing
A technique that reads the auto body dent from views at right angles to make sure the dent removal is perfectly done.

Also known as: paintless dent repair technique, auto body technique, body repair technique

double panel
Doubled auto body metal which makes paintless dent repair (PDR) access hard or impossible.

dragging
A technique for getting a first sense of the paintless dent repair tool placement.

Also known as: paintless dent repair (PDR) technique, auto body technique, body repair technique

edge reading
A technique for finding the exact placement of the paintless dent repair tool.

Also known as: paintless dent repair (PDR) technique, auto body technique, body repair technique

finishing
Final completion of the paintless dent repair, putting the auto body surface back in its original state.

Also known as: dent removal

hacking
Bad paintless dent repair (PDR). This is the result you don’t want, but one that can easily happen with technicians who are not skilled at dent repair and removal. Good paintless dent repair takes long practice: a poor technician makes the dent worse, and you will be behind from where you started.

high spot
A point of auto body metal that has been pushed out past the flat plane.

Also known as: paintless dent repair (PDR) process

low spot
A point of auto body metal that has not yet been pushed out to the flat plane, that still needs massaging out.

Also known as: paintless dent repair process

master tech
A paintless dent repair (PDR) specialist, one having extra training and skill.

Also known as: paintless dent repair master technician, paintless dent repair (PDR) expert

orange peel
The goal of good paintless dent repair is the restoration of the orange-peel-like surface of the original auto body finish.

paintless dent repair (PDR)
A cost- and time-saving way of pushing or (less commonly) pulling auto body metal back to its original shape. The paintless dent repair method was pioneered by the Mercedes Benz company.

Also known as: paintless dent removal, auto body work, body repair

paintless dent repair (PDR) methods
Specific techniques used in paintless dent repair. Metal picks and rods are usually used to push dents out from the inner side of the auto body metal, although sometimes dent repair may involve pulling the damage out using glue or a special tab. Perfecting the dent repair comes from tapping out the high spots for a smooth finish. Good paintless dent repair (PDR) technicians have learned over time how to create the high spots without breaking the paint and ruining the dent repair.

Also known as: paintless dent repair techniques, auto body techniques, body repair techniques

pressure
The basic process of paintless dent repair (PDR), the very exact massaging or pushing out of auto body metal to restore the original contour.

Also known as: dent repair, dent removal, auto body repair

reading
The paintless dent repair technique of reading the tool position and necessary pressure using a light or reflector board

Also known as: dent repair technique, dent removal technique, auto body repair technique

reflector board
A paintless dent repair (PDR) reading device for showing small exact movements in the dent removal process.

Also known as: dent repair reading device, dent removal reading device, auto body repair reading device

shrinking
Dent removal by slow steady massaging.

Also known as: paintless dent repair technique, auto body repair technique

tap down
A paintless dent repair (PDR) tool for taking out high spots.

Also known as: dent removal tool, auto body repair tool

trimming
A technique used late in the paintless dent repair process. Trimming reads areas at the edge of the damage to find any small remaining problems with dent removal flatness.

Also known as: paintless dent repair (PDR) technique, dent removal technique, auto body repair technique

Q: Why choose a Diamond Certified paintless dent repair shop?
A: Diamond Certified ends the guessing game by offering the auto body paintless dent repair consumer a choice from a list of top-rated local companies who pass the nation’s most in-depth rating process. Most companies can’t pass such a high standard, which means only local paintless dent repair shops rated Highest in Quality earn the Diamond Certified award. American Ratings Corporation also looks at every Diamond Certified company with in-depth and ongoing research and ratings. And your paintless dent repair purchase is always backed up by the Diamond Certified Performance Guarantee. So you’re able to feel confident about having chosen a Diamond Certified paintless dent repair shop for your needs.

Q: What are my rights as a paintless dent repair (PDR) customer?
A: Since 1974, the Automotive Repair Act gives you the right to an estimate in advance on paintless dent repair or other auto body repair work, and to a list of charges when the dent removal or other work is done. More information on your rights is available at the California Bureau of Automotive Repair (BAR) (http://www.autorepair.ca.gov/).

Q: What is paintless dent repair?
A: Paintless dent repair is a much cheaper and faster way of dent removal than typical body work, a method that takes care of dents without requiring repainting. Paintless dent repair (PDR) uses patient massage to the inner surface of the auto body metal to push the dent out and completely remove evidence of the damage.

Q: What makes paintless dent repair a better option than typical auto body dent repair?
A: If you had to narrow it down to one word, the word would be “paintless.” The fact that your car does not have to be repainted after the dent removal means that the dent repair will cost less, take less time, and do less toxic damage to the environment. But the main advantage of avoiding repainting is the quality of the dent repair: your auto body finish will be perfectly saved, because your original paint and clear coat will remain undamaged and you won’t have to worry about mismatched paint, or about filler shrinking and spoiling the appearance of your repair at some point down the line.

Q: How does the cost for paintless dent repair compare to that for the usual auto body work method?
A: It’s cheaper: a lot cheaper. Would you believe that paintless dent repair costs about a third of the price of typical body repair techniques? Believe it, and your cost may be even less, as little as one fourth of the other type of dent removal. Expect to pay about $50 for a ding on average.

Q: How much time does it take for paintless dent repair, and how does that compare to the usual auto body work method?
A: It’s faster: a lot faster. A typical single dent repair can be done in less than 60 minutes, and often hail damage that would take weeks for dent removal by the usual body repair method can be done within a day.

Q: Can I count on high quality paintless dent repair work from most auto body technicians?
A: Good question. Unfortunately, the answer is probably “not necessarily.” The paintless dent repair (PDR) industry is quite new, and quality standards for dent removal have not yet been widely used. Dent repair skills will likely be much different among auto body repair workmen, and going for the lowest possible price could result in a very poor job of dent removal on your prized auto finish. This fact points up the value of considering the choice of a Diamond Certified paintless dent repair shop.

Q: What’s the best way to find a good paintless dent repair shop or technician?
A: Remember the quality that Diamond Certified paintless dent repair shops offer.  Diamond Certified dent removal shops may well have National Alliance of Paintless Dent Repair Technicians members (NAPDRT).  NAPDRT is a nonprofit group working toward national standards for paintless dent repair. NAPDRT technicians support consumer satisfaction info, and are often Vale National Certified, the only national paintless dent repair technician certification given.

Q: Will my dent or dents really be completely removed?
A: Minor dents will be completely gone. Larger dents that are deeper will present a bigger problem for complete dent removal. Many dents will be completely resolved, and those that are not 100% gone will be amazingly repaired.

Q: Will my dents be gone for good, or will they show up again later?
A: No worries. Your dents are gone for good, because your auto body metal has been completely and permanently put right.

Q: Will the paintless dent repair (PDR) damage my existing paint?
A: Actually, that question brings up the big advantage of paintless dent repair: your factory finish will be perfectly kept. The flexibility of new-model factory paint is an important factor in making this possible.

Q: Can every dent repair be done by paintless dent repair?
A: Well, no. But you guessed that. If a dent is too deep, the metal has been overstretched, and paintless dent repair won’t be possible. Also dent removal won’t be possible in certain spots like edges and areas of metal reinforcement. But 19 out of 20 minor dents can be removed by paintless dent repair (PDR).

Q: Will paintless dent repair increase the value for selling my car?
A: Absolutely, because the selling value of your car is so closely tied to its appearance. This fact is combined with the reality that paintless dent repair (PDR) is so low in cost compared to other body repair. You will have more interest shown in your car, and will be able to move it more quickly.

Q: So maybe paintless dent repair costs less than typical auto body work, but doesn’t it still cost a lot?
A: Well, that depends on your sense of “costing a lot.” Also the cost will differ for different shops and will have to be investigated. But in general, the answer is no, paintless dent repair (PDR) is very reasonably priced. Although the average price for a ding could be as little as $50, your price could be between $75 and $100, and some dent removals might cost $150. One dent of volley-ball size cost $400 to fix, but regular body repair estimates had been going about seven times that much for dent removal.

Q: How long will it take to have my dent fixed with paintless dent repair?
A: Less than an hour is common, but it could take two. Remember however that it may cost much less time in effect, since paintless dent repair (PDR) services are often mobile and so are able to offer terrific convenience. Even hail damage may be fixable by paintless dent repair in a single day.