Paintless dent repair or PDR, is a newer and excellent alternative to traditional bodywork on dents that are not too creased and haven’t broken the paint. The most common type you’ve probably heard of here in Colorado is correcting hail damage, like this VW Golf that looks like a golf ball.
PDR isn’t just for hail damage, collision dents can be fixed as well provided they haven’t deformed the metal too far and haven’t broken the paint. With PDR, the metal will be pushed and pulled back into the shape it remembers when it was formed. This can be achieved directly with special tools behind the panel, or even by using a glue system on the outside of the panel, choice depends on accessibility and difficulty of the dent.
PDR is a preferred repair method when it can be used because it is cheaper than traditional body work, faster, less invasive, keeps the original paint in tact -which is likely the best paint system the car will have because matching factory conditions during resprays is extremely difficult to achieve and usually not pursued- and it is better for resource use and the environment because it doesn’t use the wealth of products traditional bodywork does, and produces almost no waste. PDR is priced by the dent based on size and complexity to correct. Many insurance plans will cover PDR if you have more than liability insurance, so be sure to check your policy. PDR shouldn’t be performed on panels that have been resprayed because the paint may crack or be pulled off, but most factory paint with healthy clear coat can withstand PDR