“Nobody gonna take my car
I’m gonna race it to the ground
Nobody gonna beat my car
It’s gonna break the speed of sound…
I love it, and I need it
I bleed it…”
With songs like Deep Purple’s Highway Star thumping through the car stereo speakers and the car engine throbbing and rumbling, an entire generation grew up in love with their cars. The song pretty much epitomized how THIS generation felt about their cars and their need for speed.
For Deep Purple, it was all about the thrill of speed and the emotional rush it gave them, but speed is just one of the many factors why people love their cars. Other factors include:
- Cars represent a sense of freedom and escapism
- People see cars as works of art
- Cars are a symbol of human ingenuity and scientific advancement
- Automobiles are an extension of the owner’s/driver’s self-image.
- Cars are a status and independence symbol
- Cars reflect the owner’s personality
- Cars provide a bonding experience
- Easy and efficient means of transportation
One of the critical aspects of loving a car is how we maintain or improve its appearance. Appearance matters because our cars are reflections of how we see ourselves.
Many of us have been known to spend substantial amounts of time and money maintaining and improving our car’s appearance.
Just as the car industry has rapidly evolved, so has the car repair industry. The car repair industry has seen rapid growth based on the increased number of cars and car accidents and technological advances. Car repair centers have developed many new techniques; one of the most significant techniques is paintless dent repair (PDR).
What is Paintless Dent Repair?
Paintless dent repair (PDR) is an automobile body repair procedure that removes dents from metal surfaces. It is mainly used to repair minor or shallow dents, such as those caused by hail stones or minor dings where the paint remains intact.
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Paintless dent repair can also be used to prepare a dented panel for repainting, and this process is commonly referred to as “push to prep.”
The History of Paintless Dent Repair
In 1931 Frank T. Sargent published his book, “The key to metal bumping,” which was the first reference in America to the process we now call paintless dent removal.
In 1960, an employee of Mercedes Benz named Oskar Flaig conducted a public display of paintless dent repair at the International Motor Sports Show in New York. At the show, Oskar Flaig used the handle of a hammer to push out a small dent in one of the cars so he wouldn’t have to use a filler.
After pushing out the dent, the result was a perfectly smooth surface, and Oskar Flaig had inadvertently reinvented the paintless dent removal process.
Paintless dent removal techniques were used in Germany for close to twenty years before being introduced in the United States by Juergen Holzer. He moved from Germany to Minnesota and started a company named Dent Kraft. Dent Kraft was a metalworking company, and it was the first recorded business in America that used paintless dent repair.
How does Paintless Dent Repair Work?
The most common paintless dent repair process uses metal rods to push out the underside of metal panels. However, the process can also be done from the outside. When doing paintless dental removal from the outside surface, specially designed tabs and glue are used to pull the dent out.
Benefits of Paintless Dent Repair
If you’re wondering why PDRs are such a big deal when it comes to car body repairs these days, an expert in auto body repair in Largo FL lists down the main benefits below:
Avoid Costly Repairs
It is always a good idea to try and repair a dent early because dents can increase in size, leading to more expensive repair work. Furthermore, when exposed to moisture, dents can rust and require more extensive repair work. You may save yourself from having to pay substantially more for costly repairs later by repairing the dent early.
Retains The Value of the Car
The main advantage of paintless dent repair is that it restores your car to its original condition without causing any damage, changing the car’s appearance, or making any modifications to it, thus, helping maintain the value of your car.
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Saves Time
Paintless dent removal is a comparatively quick and cost-efficient repair process that saves you time and money. For example, a professional car repair company can remove a dent from a panel using paintless dent repair within 30 to 60 minutes. The repair job may take up to 3 days for more severe dent damage.
More Environmentally Friendly Process
As the name indicates, paintless dent removal removes dents without the use of paint, making it much more environmentally friendly than other repair jobs that require repainting the surface of your car.
Harmful chemicals found in paint include benzene, chlorinated solvents, azo dyes, and harmful metals, including cadmium, chromium, and inorganic lead.
Any dent removal process devoid of paint is substantially better for the health of car body repair workers and the environment. Paintless dent removal leaves a much smaller carbon footprint than other procedures involving paint.
Insurance Claim
When paintless dent repair is done by professional auto body car repair shops, in all likelihood, insurance companies will cover the cost of the dent repairs. This means paintless dent removal is not only an effective way to remove dents, but it is also affordable.
Is DIY Paintless Dent Repair Possible?
Looks can be deceiving, and while paintless dent removal may look like a relatively straightforward process, in reality, the opposite is true. When engaging in paintless dent removal, auto body workers use specialized tools and specific procedures that they are trained in.
Ensuring the dent is not pushed or pulled too far requires special tools and knowledge. For example, the auto body repair technician must accurately estimate the size of the dent and determine precisely how much pressure must be used to push or pull out the dent. The worker must also avoid damaging the car’s paint job.
There are many tutorials online that can show you the basics of paintless dent removal, but if you do not have the necessary training and equipment, attempting to remove the dent yourself may result in you doing more harm than good.
Key Takeaway
As Americans, we have had a long relationship with our cars. Our cars have become part of our culture, denoting how we perceive ourselves, our social status, and our image. Cars are also an investment.
Because cars are so important to us, we spend substantial time and money trying to maintain or improve our car’s appearance. When our car gets a dent, auto body repair workers have many methods to repair the dent, but the most common process is paintless dent repair.