Paintless Dent Repair at NorthWest Auto Salon, Seattle's premier auto detailing facility.

Paintless Dent Repair at NorthWest Auto Salon, Seattle’s premier auto detailing facility.

IS YOUR CAR IN NEED OF PAINTLESS DENT REPAIR FROM DINGS AND KNICKS?

Surface imperfections in an otherwise well-kept vehicle can seriously detract from appearances for most automotive enthusiasts. Utilizing specialized tools & honed techniques, our paintless dent repair technician can work out minor dents, dings, and impressions to improve the surface imperfections of your paint job & restore it to a flat, polishable plane. “PDR” can be tricky to execute depending on the level of damage, so read through our paintless dent repair FAQs below to find out if your vehicle can benefit from our paintless dent repair service!

PAINTLESS DENT REPAIR FAQs

What is PDR?

We commonly throw around the acronym “PDR” as shorthand for “paintless dent repair.” It’s easily the most effective method for remedying most minor dings & dents without the need to remove paint, completely re-paint, or require any air-brush touch ups. The technique itself is quite time consuming, utilizing multiple tools to carefully work dents out from the underside or backside of the affected area.

What kind of dents can you fix with a PDR service?

Most common fixes are shallow dents on flat surfaces. The closer the dent is to a crease or body line, the harder it will be to remedy. If there’s serious surface or paint damage, it’s likely that a little PDR will not solve the problem. Equally so, if the dent is not accessible due to structural bracing or body cladding that can’t be removed, it’s likely that it cannot be fixed with PDR.

How does a PDR service compare to what they do at body shops?

Paintless dent repair is often a “same-day” service, depending on what other services the vehicle may be receiving. Since we aren’t doing any serious paint or body work, the car won’t need an extended stay at our facility for prep or curing. Some body shops may offer a PDR service, but many would prefer alternative methods to remedy the damage that may include re-sprays & heavy paint blending.

I think my car was caught in a hail storm. Is PDR right for me?

Depending on the severity of your dents & damage, paintless dent repair may be your best option. Hail doesn’t get too dangerous here in the PNW, so if the dents are golf ball sized or smaller, they can probably be fixed. Keep in mind, if the dents are in hard to reach places, you might be out of luck.

My car is riddled with dents. Do you offer discounts for bulk repair jobs?

Sorry, since every dent is different & some may take longer to mend than others, we can’t offer a discount on bulk PDR.

I'm handy around the house and own a soft mallet. Can't I do paintless dent repair myself?

We don’t recommend anyone attempt to do PDR at home by themselves without prior knowledge of techniques, but go for it. Just keep in mind that if you accidentally make it worse, we may not be able to fix it, so it might be better left to a professional.

Do I need to get my car detailed before I can get the dents repaired?

Not particularly, though it’s quite common for dents to be more visible once the car is clean & polished up. If it’s coming in for PDR, we recommend an exterior hand wash at a minimum. If PDR is performed on a dirty car, chances are you may discover more dents that need fixing once you have it cleaned, resulting in more repairs needing to be made.

I want to sell my car. Should I consider PDR to improve the resale value?

Most definitely. If the vehicle has a relatively clean history but suffers from some door dings, paintless dent repair is the perfect treatment. A car with no dents & an accident free record is infinitely more reassuring to any buyer than a dented up car that claims to never have been wrecked.

I'm leasing this car. Can you repair the dents before I return it?

Of course! If you’re concerned about your lease terns, we’re happy to review them with you just to be safe. It’s always better to return a car in the condition that it was purchased.

Does your paintless dent repair service involve drilling or hole punching?

No. While we have heard some horror stories about PDR outfits who access dents by drilling or punching holes, we vow to never do that to any vehicle that’s in for PDR without explicit permission from the client. If the dent can’t be accessed, we’ll likely contact you via phone before proceeding in any way.

It looks like my paint is cracking. Is it too late to perform paintless dent repair?

Sadly, yes. If we perform PDR on a surface with cracking paint, it’s likely that the cracks will only worsen & result in much more significant damage that will require a respray.

Can you guarantee my dents will be 100% gone after receiving PDR?

Unfortunately, no, we can’t. Some dents may not be able to be removed, some dents may only see minor improvement if they’re quite large. If we don’t think you’ll be satisfied with the results PDR can provide, rest assured we will inform you of any complications well before performing the service or at the time of your consultation.

Will my dents come back over time if they get fixed by paintless dent repair?

We have yet to experience a dent that “pops back” after being treated with paintless dent repair. Unless you damage the dented area a second or third time post-repair, dent resurgence is highly unlikely.

I have scratches in my dents. Will this effect the finished product when I receive paintless dent repair?

Depending on how deep the scratches are, they may prevent us from performing successful paintless dent repair. If the paint surface is simply in need of correction, you don’t have anything to worry about. If the scratches are cutting through the paint entirely, there may be complications. Please let us know at the time of scheduling if you think the surface condition may pose an issue for our PDR treatment.

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Please check back for more information on paintless dent repair in the near future. Have dents that could be alleviated? contact us with more information about the extent of your dent problems we’ll do our best to ensure the surface quality of your paint is significantly improved.