How does professional paintless dent repair compare to DIY hail damage repair kits for your car or truck?
After a bad hail storm strikes and finding out that your auto needs repairs, you may be tempted to go the route of the DIY dent repair systems in order to possibly save a few bucks, but in the following blog, we outline the true cost of these systems and how it will affect your car down the line.
How do DIY hail damage repair kits work?
- Dent pullers – This method only works on shallow dents on flat, flexible surfaces. They can improve the appearance of dents but probably won’t create a perfect finish. But these tools will not work on deep, angular dents or damage along the edges of bodywork.
- Glue pulling – This involves exactly as it describes, gently pulling out dents from the front. However this technique can be slower than PDR and if dents are sharp and deep it will certainly improve them, but may not resolve the issue entirely.
- Dry ice – Park your car with the dent in the sun and let the dent and surrounding sheet metal warm up. Then, wearing protective gloves, put a small block of dry ice over the dent. The rapid chilling of the metal will “pop” the dent without scratching the paint.
Here are 3 reasons why any DIY result is (inferior/not ideal/is a bad idea) when it comes to paintless dent repair.
- Failed attempts lead to worse damages. If you attempt a do-it-yourself fix and are unsuccessful you can make the initial damage much worse or cause more damage than you initially had. Depending on the method you applied, you may make the dent bigger, inadvertently scratch the paint, or even cause the metal to warp. Any additional damage will result in a more expensive fix and more problems than you started with.
- No experience and not enough knowledge. While you may end up with a physically acceptable result, you don’t have the training to be sure if you have fixed the damage inside and out. If not done properly, the internal structure may become more compromised and fail at a later date. This can be dangerous if you get into a collision and the metal doesn’t fold how it should.
- Lower resale value. If you make any mistakes and you ever want to resell your vehicle, you will get significantly less money. Also, if the paint is damaged in any way (chipping, bubbling, scratching), you will void your vehicles factory paint warranty.
Top Benefits of paintless dent repair over DIY kits
- Covered by your insurance
- Guaranteed results
- Value retention