We’ve all been there. You’re going about your day — life as usual — and then it happens. You notice there’s a dent in your car that wasn’t there before.
You’re not alone.
Countless vehicle owners find their cars with glaring (and some not-so-obvious) dents and dings throughout their car’s lifespan. But, you may be surprised to find many dents are repairable in ways that don’t even require a repair technician to touch your car’s paint.
Let’s take a look at how your car’s dents and dings can (and cannot) be repaired.
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How Bad Is The Damage?
The first thing you’ll want to assess is how bad the damage is. If you simply have had your door dented by a shopping cart, it’s possible the entire panel won’t need to be replaced. It’s even possible that the dent can be removed through paintless dent repair (PDR).
So long as the dent hasn’t folded metal in on itself or caused any damage to the paint, professionals like those at JM Dent Repair can safely remove dents and dings without replacing any parts or repainting at all.
However, if the dent is much more severe, paintless dent repair may not work for your repair. It’s even possible repairing it may not be possible, and a complete panel replacement is in order, depending on the nature of the damage.
As a good rule of thumb, if the paint has been damaged, the dent or ding cannot be entirely repaired with paintless dent removal methods. This is because the car’s metal underneath the paint is exposed, and while the panel will be reformed to its original position, the metal underneath is exposed and without painting can rust, causing only more headaches and repairs in your future.
This means for any damage where the paint has been damaged, more costly and lengthy repairs are in your future.
Replace or Repair?
One thing you want to consider if you’re suddenly faced with repair is the cost. Entirely replacing a damaged piece might be more cost-effective than a repair in some cases. For example, say the hood of your car has been damaged. If a shop charges $50 per hour, and there will need to be 5 hours of work spent on the repair, you’ll pay a minimum of $250 in labor.
However, a new hood might only cost, say, $200. This means it’s cheaper to have the entire piece replaced, rather than pay for both parts and labor at a shop (if you’ve got the skills to take care of a more simple repair yourself.
In some cases, though, a new part may cost thousands of dollars, making a repair much more worth it.
A good shop will never overcharge you for a repair. Good shops recognize when a dent isn’t repairable and when replacing is the best option for a customer. If a painted repair is in order, you should find a repair technician that offers paint matching to ensure your car’s new repair won’t clash with the rest of your vehicle.
Can I Fix A Dent At Home?
We strongly discourage customers from attempting to repair dents at home. While the dent may appear small, fiddling with it can cause more damage, especially if you aren’t a trained professional and aren’t using professional tools.
An experienced professional will honestly assess how dings and dents truly affect your vehicle and can help prevent extensive and costly future damage. While a dent may seem minor to you, it could have underlying issues that could even lead to your vehicle’s poor performance or worse body damage down the line.
Leave the dents to the professionals, no matter what methods of repair you’ve seen online.
Need a Dent Fixed?
Despite all your efforts to protect your investment, dents are sometimes simply out of your control. Don’t worry — at JM Dent Repair, we know how much it means to you to get your car looking new again, and that’s why we’re trusted in the Lafayette area for affordable paintless dent repair.
Paintless dent repair eliminates the worry of a color mismatch or uneven fading, and preserves your vehicle’s appearance and resale value. If you’re driving a leased vehicle, it also helps you avoid expensive “wear and tear charges” on your lease return. Contact us for a quote and see why we’re the best around.