Types of Dents – Factors affecting Cost Calculation and Repair
Dent Depth – Stretched dents
Depending on the metal thickness and the impact force such as hail, metal can be stretched. There is a limitation as to how stretched metal can be repaired using special techniques such as induction heating to bring the metal back sufficient to repair. But this can impact the ability to repair if at all if the metal is simply too stretched. It is becoming more common as metal becomes thinner gauage for the metal to become dented if not even stretched. a PDR technician can anylise these issues. False claims from owners who deliberately use rounded hammers or golf balls to produce dents not only can be detected as false dents but often can make dents non-repairable due to dent stretching!
Number of dents – Dent coverage
The number of dents over the panel is known as dent density and can also impact the feasibiliy of the ability and cost repairing dents on panels. Despite what you see, pdr technicians have the skills as well as special lighting to pick up not only the nature of the dents but also the the number of smaller dents. In rare cases where for instance a torrent of pure hail has fallen for say 10 to 20 minutes to the size of golf balls or greater, it can almost make vehicles non-repairable. Please contact us allow us to assess the vehicle if:
- you are thinking of purchasing a vehicle
- going through insurance
- are afraid of write-offs because you passionately love your vehicle
Dent location on panel – Difficulty of access and repair
How do you charge for dents? There are situations that arise that can make certain dents more expensive than others – and yet they look the same! Prices vary based on difficulty of the dents and this includes:
- access to the dent
- dents on the edge
- complex dents (dents within dents)
- creased dents
Access and techniques required – Cant Rail and glue pulling limitations
How do you repair hail with glue pulling? If there is no access to place pdr tools from behind the metal, then we need to use glue pulling techniques. This is simply a special glue that sticks to the paint without damaging it and easily removed with methylated spirits. Applying glue the best fitting shaped glue tabs Depending on the age of the paint, there is always a risk of cracking the paint when glue pulling.
Notes about PDR Repair Paintless Dent Removal DIY Tool Kits
There has been an increase of glue pulling and other pdr repair paintless dent removal DIY Tool kits being advertised online and in places such as Supercheap auto, Bunnings, Ebay and Amazon. Although everyone has a right to advetrtise products but you have to ask the question why the kits are typical from less than $100 to up to $500 as compared to the professional kits used by professional PDR technicians. Please be extra careful using DIY PDR kits with cars you care about and always practice and perfect anything on old bonnets or not as special vehicles first. Once again, paint more than 10 years old is at further risk of cracking with glue pulling techniaues.
Extra Costs – Removal and Replace of Sunroof
Sunroofs, as do other additional features, present a slight challenge in some cases with dents. In this case, the dent can be very close to the edge of the sunroof. Removal and replacement of sunroofs add an additional costing to the quotation of dent repair.