A technician performing paintless dent repair to a vehicle.

How Paintless Dent Repair Can Save Your Body Shop Time and Money

With the average American spending more than $2,000 a year on car repairs, much of that is in auto body work. That's one of the major reasons that people who love cars will consider opening up their own auto body shop. However, with the advent of paintless dent repair, you can offer some of the great services of an auto body shop with less hassle.

With the help of dent repair estimation software and a knowledge of how to perform paintless dent repair, you could have a lean body shop with massive profits.

Understanding Paintless Dent Repair

Paintless dent repair is a low-cost way to manage repairs to a vehicle and an alternative to the intensive body repairs that can change the way a car looks. Paintless repairs can be just as high-quality as more serious body repairs but can quickly and effectively deal with dings and dents or replacing body panels.

By taking them on from the underside of the panel that's dented, none of the original paint is harmed. With glue pulling tools, it's even possible to manage dents and dings from the outside.

Drivers who have suffered dents and dings may be turned off by the cost and time-consuming needs for body shops. If they're just dealing with small or large-sized dents, PDR is a good choice over standard auto bodywork. Dents and dings can be managed for less and with less of an intense effort.

How It's Done

Paintless dent repair is a way to mitigate the constant damage that a car can suffer. While careless drivers might accidentally nudge something in a parking lot, the most careful driver's car is susceptible to damage and blemishes. A bad hail storm or a stray baseball from the neighbor's yard can leave unfortunate dents on a vehicle.

Usually, you have to use a filler or replacement panels and then paint to match the color of the vehicle. Paintless repair eches this filler and paint approach. Using tools to push or pull the dent from the body, it can be restored to normal without having to leave a car for days at a time.

The most common effort for dent repair includes specialized tools. Gently pushing the dent from the back of the panel can slowly and carefully return it to like-new condition.

Technicians will carefully repair panels with the PDR technique that need to be fixed and then replacement or body work is not necessary. Once technicians learn this process, implementing it is a breeze. Your customers will appreciate the time and money savings.

It can also save the same for you.

Save Time

PDR has become so popular in recent years because it saves a lot of time. The number of cars you constantly see outside the average body shop should be an indication of the slow speed of repair. You might even have the issue at your own shop.

Most auto shops that implement this process can get a car back to the customers on the same day. Rather than the standard week-long turnaround for a traditional repair and painting process, skipping the painting means that time is cut down significantly. Using PDR to save panels from being replaced also makes for a quicker repair because parts don’t have to be ordered and wait days or weeks to receive. You can quickly estimate with paintless dent repair estimation software and come up with a fair cost quickly.

Your shop will also be able to cut down on the rental vehicle time as your customers won't be without a vehicle for days on end.

Improved Resale Value

While it might seem like this is a benefit just for your customers, it's a great sales point. If you never have to do anything to the car's original paint job, you won't have to match strange paint. You also won't have to risk any mistakes.

When trying to match strange or obscure colors, those costs can end up hitting your shop's bottom line. Also, when a car is damaged in an accident or by hail it is reported to Carfax as a permanent record. Using PDR as a repair helps keep the value of the vehicle higher which keeps the resale value higher. This helps the customer and automotive dealerships sell their vehicles in original condition as far as the exterior cosmetics of the vehicle are concerned.

Tell your customers that the history and the condition of the car are preserved with paintless repairs. With fewer accidents and less damage listed, the resale value of the car floats much higher.

Some customers might bristle at the fact that their repairs end up on a permanent record for their vehicle. When you offer them paintless repair, watch their eyes light up.

Paintless Repair is Non-Toxic

One of the major benefits of paintless repair is that it's a non-toxic process. This is a benefit that your customers will appreciate and your staff as you won't be filling the air with noxious chemicals. This keeps everyone safe and happy during the workday.

This helps to save time and money that you'd otherwise spend on paying for the paint and also paying for disposal. You can't just dump toxic solvents, chemicals, and primers wherever you want. Often it's a forgotten expense of running a body shop.

While your customers will have to turn somewhere else for a peeling paint job, they'll be able to come to you to avoid taking the toxic leap. You'll also save masks, ventilation, and other systems required by OSHA. Installing a ventilation system can cost tens of thousands of dollars, so with PDR, you're saving in a major way.

Paintless Dent Repair Will Make Your Shop Even Better

By adding paintless dent repair to your shop, you could tidy up your current auto body shop. If you're considering adding a body man to your shop, adding paintless dent repair is a cheap and easy way to serve your customers better.

Quicker repairs by saving panel replacements and complete repairs without painting would be a much better way of making your shop better.

Take a test drive of our large dent repair tool to see how you could save time and money at your shop.

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