Getting in a car accident can be overwhelming and flustering. The events following an accident will include speaking with your car insurance, and whether you are at fault for the accident or not. Another step is searching the internet for an “auto collision repair near me.”
The process and cost of repairing your car will depend on the extent of the damage. If it was a minor fender bender that resulted in a few dents, it could cost less than you would expect if you can find a body shop for auto collision repair near me that will do paintless dent removal.
What is paintless dent repair?
Paintless dent removal (PDR) is the process of removing car dents without damaging the existing paint or needing to add more paint to the car. PDR can be lower in cost, time efficient, and eliminate the need to remove and restore the original car paint
You may choose to send your car to the dealership, a larger franchise, or a small mom-and-pop shop. During the process of the repair, the technician will use a variety of specifically designed tools to access the dent. Slowly, the panel will be reshaped to its original form, making it look new again without needing to touch the paint job.
The cost of paintless dent removal will depend on the size of dent(s), the number of dents, the location of the dent(s), the type of car needing the repair, and who does the job. You can expect to spend anywhere from $40-$125 on a one-inch dent. The larger the dent, the more expensive it will be. Multiple dents will also wrack up the price; however, the cost may not be as much higher if the dents are close together.
If you are searching for “auto collision repair near me,” East End Body Shop can be your go-to. The mechanics can give you more information about paintless dent repair and more about what you can expect to spend on the repair.
Why choose paintless dent repair
Your first thought when needing to find an auto collision repair near me may be to have a body shop do whatever they need to do to repair the dents in your car. It may be a good idea to discuss the option of a paintless dent repair with a dent repair specialist. The following are advantages to repairing your car dents without using paint.
- It’s cos- effective
Due to eliminating the need for paint and fillers, a paintless dent repair is cheaper than a traditional dent repair. If you choose the traditional route, you will need to pay a professional car painter, and their services can get pricey. The average cost for non-paint dent repair is $75-$125 while the cost for a regular dent repair can cost $150-$200.
- The repair takes less time
Paintless dent removal only takes a few hours to a day of work for the mechanic, but a traditional dent repair takes much longer because the mechanic needs to sand the car down, repair the dent, and repaint the area. Traditional dent repairs also require extra tools needed to do the repair, whereas paintless dent repair just requires one tool to carefully pull the dent out.
- The factory paint warranty remains valid
If your car brand offers a warranty on the car paint, a paintless dent repair will be your best option if it’s possible. If your vehicle’s dents are fixed through traditional repair, the warranty is no longer valid. If the damage is not too extensive and you have the option of a paintless dent repair, that will be your best option.
- It’s a non-intrusive repair
The process of repairing a dent without repainting the car is non-intrusive, which means the dent is carefully put back into place without using special tools that may damage other parts of the vehicle.
- Fewer risks are involved in the repair process
Choosing to repair your car dents without repainting will bring fewer risks because you don’t need to worry about repainting and using body filler, over spraying other areas of your car, or using the incorrect color on the paint job.
A paintless dent repair can ease your mind about the repair because there is less room for things to go wrong.
Not every car is eligible for paintless dent repair
Depending on your car and the extent of the damage, your situation may not fit the requirements for a paintless dent repair. Here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Vehicles with damaged paint don’t qualify
If the damage done to your car has caused the paint to already come off or start peeling, you will need to get it repaired using the traditional method.
- Only works on metal
Only the metal parts of your car can be repaired using the paintless method, but if the dented area is plastic, paintless dent repair is not an option.
- Certain locations on your vehicle are not accessible
The mechanic repairing the dent will need access to the area because they will need to massage the back part of the dent to pop it out. If the area the dent is located is not accessible using the tool, you will need to choose the traditional repair option.
How to know which auto body shop to choose
When you are looking for an auto body shop to take your car in for a repair, it’s important to know what to look for.
- Recommendations
The biggest reason people typically choose the auto shop they do is that they either have had good experiences with the shop in the past or people they know have given good recommendations for the shop.
- Get multiple estimates
Don’t settle for the first auto shop you find when searching “auto collision repair near me.” If you want to avoid an auto shop overcharging you for a repair, it’s smart to take your car to a few different shops to get a quote from each one.
You should not necessarily go for the cheapest one either. If an
gives you a super cheap quote compared to the other shops, that may be a red flag that they are not going to fix it correctly. Be willing to spend money on the repair but not necessarily spend the most.
