Service
Dent Repair & Paintless Dent Removal in Yonkers, NY
Fast Life Collisions removes dents in Yonkers, with paintless dent removal (PDR) when the paint is intact and bodywork and paint when it is not: door dings, creases, hail dents and dents left by a minor accident. Whether a dent can come out without paint depends on one thing above all, whether the paint over it is still intact.
What is paintless dent repair?
Paintless dent repair (PDR) pushes or pulls the metal back into shape from behind or from the surface, without sanding or repainting. The factory paint stays on the car.
Conventional dent repair works the metal back into shape, fills and smooths what is left, then primes, paints and blends the panel. It is the right method when the paint is broken or the metal is too stretched for PDR.
| Paintless dent repair | Conventional repair | |
|---|---|---|
| Paint | Must be intact, not cracked or chipped | Any condition |
| Works on | Shallow dings, round dents, many hail dents | Sharp creases, stretched metal, dents on edges |
| Factory finish | Kept | Panel repainted and blended |
| Time | Usually shorter | Longer: filler, primer and paint need to cure |
Does paintless dent removal really work?
Yes, on the right dent. When the paint is intact and the metal has not been stretched, a skilled technician can push the dent out from behind, a little at a time, until the panel is level and the reflection on the paint runs straight again. On the wrong dent, a sharp crease or a dent with cracked paint, it can't give a clean result, and an honest shop will tell you so before starting.
When paintless dent repair works
- The paint over the dent is not cracked, chipped or flaking.
- The metal is not sharply creased or stretched.
- A technician can reach the back of the dent, or pull it from the front.
- The dent is not on a heavily curved edge or a seam where metal is doubled.
How big of a dent can be pulled out?
There is no single size limit. A large, shallow, rounded dent can often come out completely, while a small dent with a sharp crease may not. What decides it is depth, how sharp the edges are, whether the metal is stretched, whether it sits on a body line or panel edge, whether the panel is steel or aluminum, and whether the back of the dent can be reached.
Can I fix a car dent myself?
Store-bought suction cups and glue-pull kits sometimes lift a shallow, round dent on a flat panel. On creases, body lines and edges they usually leave the panel high and low, or crack the paint, and then the repair needs paint. If the dent is on a body line or the paint is already cracked, skip the kit.
Why a dent with broken paint should not wait
Paint is what keeps steel dry. When a dent cracks or chips the paint, water and road salt reach bare metal, rust starts at the break and creeps under the paint around it. A repair that would have been a small paint job can turn into cutting out rusted metal. If you can see bare metal or cracked paint in the dent, get it looked at soon. More on this: what happens if you leave a dent or scratch.
Do
- Look closely at the dent for cracked or chipped paint.
- Touch up exposed metal with touch-up paint until it is repaired.
- Take a photo of the dent when it happens, for insurance or the other driver.
Don’t
- Try a suction cup or hair-dryer trick on a creased dent; it can crack the paint.
- Leave bare metal exposed through a winter.
- Run the car through a brush car wash with a fresh paint chip.
What does dent repair cost?
The estimate depends on the size and depth of the dent, whether it sits on a body line or an edge, whether the panel is steel or aluminum, how hard the back of the dent is to reach, and whether the paint is broken. A dent that needs paint costs more than one that does not, because the panel is refinished and the panels next to it are blended. Hail damage is priced dent by dent and panel by panel; see hail damage repair.
Does insurance pay for dent repair?
A dent from an accident with another car or object falls under collision coverage or the other driver's liability coverage. Hail, falling objects and vandalism usually fall under comprehensive coverage. In both cases your deductible applies when you claim on your own policy, and a small dent may cost less than the deductible; see should you file a claim for a small accident.
Got a dent? Send us a photo.
A clear photo of the dent, taken from an angle so the light shows its shape, is often enough to tell whether it can come out without paint.