Retaining the Value of your Car through Paintless Dent Repair
Whether you own a family van or a sports car, your vehicle is an important asset. And no matter how well you take care of it with regular oil changes, frequent washing, waxing and interior cleanings, your vehicle always runs the risk of losing value because of a few unrepaired dents or dings.
It doesn’t take much to alter your vehicle’s worth. Perhaps the truck in front of you on the highway dropped some gravel or some debris kicked up from the road. Maybe when you were in the grocery store a careless person knocked into your vehicle with a car door or a grocery cart went astray. Regardless of how your vehicle acquired damage, it’s most likely will cost a bit to repair. With the cost of traditional body shop repair and painting, it’s understandable vehicle owners often try to avoid repairing minor dents and dings for as long as possible.
The paintless dent removal method
Over the past decade, a repair method called paintless dent removal (PDR) has become widely used by car dealers, rental agencies and resale businesses to help prepare slightly-damaged cars for resale. As long as the paint was not compromised when the damage occurred, PDR can be used to repair some dents as large as a football. In the past few years, auto body repair shops have begun offering this convenient and cost-effective option to its customers.
PDR is different in that it approaches the damaged areas from the inside. Using specialized tools, technicians gently push back the metal from behind the dent. Access to the damage is usually gained through windows or by removing inner panels and trim pieces.
This method is unique because it can restore your vehicle’s body to its original appearance at a fraction of the cost of traditional body repair. The process includes the use of fabricated tools and techniques to safely remove dents and dings from most vehicle body panels.
Advantages include:
- Cost is much lower than traditional body repair
- No body filler
- No sanding
- No repainting
- No risk of color matching
- Turnaround time usually fast
Maintaining the value of your vehicle so important — whether you plan to keep your car for many years, or want to sell it someday for top dollar. Experts say a vehicle with its original paint retains a higher value than one that has been repainted.
If you have the damaged location repainted, no matter how small, it can suggest to a buyer and/or a trained appraiser that the vehicle has a history of collision. Any type of collision can significantly reduce the resale value of your vehicle.
While numerous auto dealerships and auto body repair shops now offer this unique and cost-effective service, be sure you rely on a reputable shop with plenty of PDR work experience before trusting them with your repair.
If you need any work done, or existing damage repaired, contact the Collision Center of Andover at (316) 733-9310, and we will get you back on the road.
