When you see a sent in your vehicle, you want to see it gone as soon and with as little work as possible. The ideal scenario is that a paintless dent repair services provider may be able to fix it. If you're curious whether paintless dent repair is an option, here are 5 things a pro will look at to determine if that's the case.
Body Cracks
One of the major upsides to modern automotive design is that bodies and paint jobs are designed with highly flexible materials. This means it's often possible to perform paintless dent repair work on them.
The downside, however, is that a crack will make a paintless solution close to impossible. If the body is cracked, you'll either need to fix it with a filler or replace the whole section. On the other hand, the lack of a crack is a good sign.
Dented Metal
At first blush, dented metal might seem like a bad thing. However, it's often possible to hammer the dent out and then clean it up. Some dents do run too deep for a dentless solution, though. If the dent is only mild, such as half an inch, you'll probably have a fighting chance of dealing with it without using paint.
Scratches and Gouges
The damage a vehicle's body suffers during denting means there's almost always some degree of scratching. If there's just a scratch, a professional will usually be able to clean it up using a rubbing compound. A deep gouge, though, may not lend itself to dentless paint repair work.
Discoloration and Smudges
A lot of this scenario depends on what caused the discoloration and smudges. If the damaged primarily involved a light collision, it's probably worth trying a dentless method for fixing it. However, damage caused by a violent enough collision that another vehicle's paint blended with yours may create problems, especially if the two paints are highly contrasted. Similarly, discolorations caused by engine or brake fluids can be problematic to treat.
Paint Chips and Flakes
The flexibility of most modern paints does have limits. When the body of a car reaches those limits, the paint may chip or flake.
The size of the affected area is important in this scenario. If there are several square inches of flaked-off paint, for example, that's going to be hard to fix without applying paint. On the other hand, a technician will probably have an easy time handling an area that's smaller than a half-inch.
For more information on paintless dent repair options for your car, contact a local auto body shop today.
