Although PDR technology has a history of half a century, many people today do not even know about its existence, or at least are not aware of what kind of damage it can be used effectively to repair.
In dent repair, we basically distinguish between two areas:
- Ice damage repair
- Aesthetics (damage caused by parking, collision damage, storm, crop loss)
In summary, we can say that the PDR repair technique can mostly be used if the damaged plate surface is not sharply broken and the paint layer remains intact. The dent is homogeneous. In this case, we can say that the chance of success is almost 100%. Of course, unexpected difficulties may arise during the repair process. We can find an elongated plate surface around the dent, hidden reinforcements in the fixing of individual elements, repeatedly folded back edge plating, repainted and puttyed bodywork, or completely closed, seemingly impenetrable cavity parts. In such cases, the PDR technician's practical experience, professional knowledge, and knowledge of tools come to the fore.
(Perhaps it is worth noting here in parentheses that the technician who improves aesthetics well is certainly also a good ticket damage repairer. Unfortunately, however, the opposite is not necessarily true...)
In the case of damage caused by frostbite, we can safely say that in the case of ice damage to such an extent that the car's glass and plastic surfaces, lights, and exterior mirrors are seriously damaged, the bodywork cannot be saved with the tools of PDR technology alone. This can also be said if the amount and size of the dents cause significant stretching of the plates. In this case, in a lucky case, the damaged bodywork elements can only be pushed forward for refinishing. Of course, that doesn't sound so good anymore. But don't forget that with the PDR technique, you can avoid the involvement of the body builder in the repair process!
If the cost of dent repair on the given element exceeds the complete price of an element replacement, the latter must of course be chosen for economic reasons.
The limitations of aesthetic dent repair are similar to those of ice damage repair. If the extent, location, and degree of damage to the given element is visibly significant, the sagging of the surface is multiple. The edges are sharp, the paintwork is also chipped and cracked, it is not necessary to run unnecessary rounds with the PDR technique. It's easier to think in terms of exchange. Especially if the damage is on a bolted body element, which can be easily replaced.
In addition to the above, we can say that we can help the vast majority of our customers who come to us. Even in sometimes seemingly hopeless cases - with a little compromise - a significant improvement can be achieved on the damaged surface. After the repair, the place of the dent will only be visible to the eyes of a specialist. So if the damage seems less drastic to the casual eye, it is definitely worth asking the opinion of a dent repair technician about its repairability.
The main advantage of PDR dent repair is that the car is returned to its original condition after the work done. There will be no loss of value, no amortization, no recorded damage history. The body has been repainted on the surface of the damage, the layer thickness of which differs from the factory standard, where in many cases there is even a color difference. Not to mention the fact that PDR repairs take a fraction of the time of traditional auto body repair technology. It is not necessary to cancel the use of our car for days or weeks in case of ice damage.
To summarize what has been described, paintless dent repair is a modern, widely applicable, cost-effective and, last but not least, particularly environmentally friendly technology that does not use chemicals that are dangerous to our environment, harmful chemicals, and does not produce waste. Its energy consumption is insignificant, the materials used in the adhesive technology are 100% recyclable.
In our next article, we will look for an answer to who can become an effective, good dent repair technician.
