Most cars will eventually get a door ding. When that happens, it's time to take your car to an auto body repair shop. Or should you? Another option is to head over to a paintless dent repair shop, which can be much less expensive.
What to Expect From an Auto Body Shop
When you head to an auto body shop, the mechanic will sand or grind all of the paint away. The auto body repair technician uses Bondo to fill the dented area and allows the Bondo to harden. Then, the mechanic sands the area. If there is an opening in your car, the Bondo dust might get inside your car. Therefore, you must make sure that you have rolled your windows up. This process might need to be repeated several times depending on the extent of the damage.
Your car will then sit for about a day and will be prepared for painting afterwards. The damaged area will be painted. The mechanics try their best to find the right type of paint to match the paint of your car, but they occasionally struggle to match the original paint color and the repaired area might stick out. Because of how long this process is and because of the issue of finding a matching paint, it's better to rely on paintless dent repair services instead.
What to Expect From a Paintless Dent Repair Service
When you use a paintless dent repair service, the technician will use specialized tools that will restore the dent to its original appearance. This process is much faster than what you would expect from an auto body shop and is more likely to achieve a seamless result. The area is then polished to remove any evidence of the original impact.
Not only is the process faster, but it is much less expensive. When your car is damaged from hail or from someone opening their car door too forcibly in a parking lot, going to an auto body repair technician is too much.
If you are concerned about how you impact the environment, paintless dent repair is the best option. It doesn't use any harsh chemicals, and the entire process is clean. There are some cases where paintless dent repair can't be used, such as if your metal was scratched, but you should use it under all other situations. Sharp dents cannot be repaired using this method, but shallow dents can. The best way to find out is to stop by and ask.
