Sparks file as a mand grinds on the exterior of a red vehicle with a power tool

What Is Paintless Dent Removal

Car dents are a car owner’s worst nightmare. Unsightly dents can affect the overall appearance of your car, making it look worn and aged. Unaddressed dents can cause a lot of damage. They can damage car paint leading to rust problems, mask underlying other problems, and negatively affect your car’s resale value. The earlier you treat dents, the better.

Paintless dent removal or repair is a popular method used by automotive experts to fix car dents. The method is designed to allow cars to retain their original paint. It involves five steps: assess the damage, gain access to the dent, inspect the dent, apply pressure to the dent to remove it, and recalibrate the ADAS.

Assess the Damage

In the first step, the mechanic tries to determine the nature and extent of damage caused by the dent. They may ask the car owner several questions to determine the amount of work required. The expert carefully checks the location and size of the dent and comes up with a plan to access it. Finally, they prepare the area for repair.

Access the Dent

Next, depending on the location of the dent, the mechanic carefully removes the body panels (in some cases, interior panels, or taillights), to access the backside of the dent. This is an important step in the paintless dent removal process as mechanics need a straight path to the dents to effectively fix them.

Inspect The Dent

The technician uses specialized equipment to inspect the dent closely from different angles. Cameras, video screens, and lights are used to create a shadow of the indentation, giving the expert a better idea of where to place their tools on the rear of the dent.

Apply Pressure To The Dent

The next step involves applying pressure to the dent. This is a delicate process and requires specialized skills and know-how. Depending on the depth and severity of the dent, the process can take anywhere from a few to several minutes.

Recalibrate The ADAS

Cars manufactured these days utilize Advanced Driver Assistance Systems or ADAS. It is a group of electronic technologies that assists drivers perform driving and parking functions safely. ADAS offers features such as parking assistant, blind spot detection, pedestrian detection, automatic emergency braking, and traffic sign recognition.

Your car’s ADAS can become uncalibrated when the technician removes car parts to gain access to the dent. In the final step, the expert recalibrates the vehicle’s ADAS to make sure the safety features are working properly.

Traditional dent repair involves filling in dents with body fillers. This is not a long-term solution as fillers crack, chip or fall out of the dented groove. Silveira Auto Body’s auto paint repair in Healdsburg, uses paintless dent repair solutions that don’t use fillers and can help keep your car’s original body intact.

Silveira Auto Body is a leading auto body and vehicle repairing company located in Healdsburg. Our extensive experience restoring dented and damaged cars to their original glory is what sets us apart. To learn more, call (707)433-2424.