Why You Should Choose Professional Dent Repair

Minor fender benders can cause huge headaches. Even small damages to your car can be stressful and frustrating, and it can be difficult to know what kind of repairs your car needs. Dents are a common problem that most drivers will have to deal with at some point, whether they’re tiny dings or large cavities, so all drivers should understand the process of professional dent repair. There are a few different methods, so read on to learn more about them and what expert technicians can do for your damaged vehicle.

The First Steps of Professional Dent Repair

First, a technician needs to clean and inspect the dent in order to perform a comprehensive assessment of the damage. The level of damage will determine the steps a technician will choose to take. Sometimes dents are too severe to be fixed and the damaged panel needs replacing. If a technician concludes that a dent can be fixed, they then need to decide what method of dent removal is required.

After an examination of the damages, a technician will be able to determine which method of dent repair will work best for your vehicle. There are two different varieties of dent repair called paintless and conventional.

Dents that can be repaired without retouching the car’s paint are fixed using paintless repair. These are small dings that don’t disturb the vehicle’s current coat of paint and the method of repair will also keep the paint intact.

Conventional dent repair is used for larger dents caused by significant collisions and impact. The dented part will need a retouched or new coat of paint, which a professional auto body shop can match seamlessly.

The Process of Professional Dent Repair

Choosing the right procedure is one of the most important steps of professional dent repair. Experienced technicians are trained to choose the best dent removal technique depending on the type of damage your vehicle has.

Hammer and dolly—The hammer and dolly technique involves hammering the dent out with the assistance of a metal slab called a dolly. Beginning with the indirect damage, the technician will carefully hammer out the dent, slowly moving toward the direct damage. This is called the “hammer-off-dolly” method. To avoid stretching the metal, the technician will only use the “hammer-on-dolly” method when finalizing the shape of the panel. The dolly helps to straighten and form the damaged panel and properly return it to its original shape.

Stud welder—A stud welder is a tool that, fittingly, welds studs into the dent. After doing so, a technician will then pull the studs forward in order to remove the dent. After the dent has been reversed, the technician takes out the studs.

Dent puller—A dent puller can be used on dents found on flat and flexible panels of your vehicle. A technician will attach a suction-cup-like tool that, similar to a plunger, is pushed onto the panel, then pulled off to remove the dent.

Why Professional Dent Repair is the Best Option

If your car has incurred a dent, you may think you can attempt an at-home fix. There are indeed do-it-yourself dent repair kits on the market, and several drivers will take a chance on them in an attempt to save money or time. In fact, having your dents fixed by an experienced, professional technician is a far smarter option for several reasons.

Guaranteed results—With an at-home repair kit, you don’t get the same peace of mind as with an auto body repair shop. A reputable shop will provide a warranty on the repairs, so you can feel assured they were done correctly and will last. Expert technicians have access to all necessary tools as well as vast knowledge of how to properly fix a variety of different damages. They can also perfectly match the new coat of paint to the paint on your car, something most people don’t have the capability to do.

Safety—Even if you’ve tinkered with cars in the past, that does not mean you have the thorough training most auto body techs do. Without a comprehensive understanding of car repair, you run the risk of injuries and health hazards if you decide to do it yourself. It’s best to leave vehicle repair to professionals in order to avoid hurting yourself due to improper methods of at-home repair.

Save money—DIY repair kits are not always cheap, and when they are, they lack effectiveness. You may believe that you’ll save money by getting a kit to fix your damage, but in reality, you could end up wasting a lot of cash and effort. If you get a kit that can’t actually be used on your dent, that’s money down the drain. You could also easily mess up the repair, leading to an even more difficult fix that a professional will need to handle. Plus, in the long run, you want to preserve the integrity of your vehicle’s resell value. Shoddy repairs do nothing for your car but lessen its worth.

Avoid further damages—Though dents usually come from small fender benders, these incidents can actually cause more damage to your vehicle than you realize. Without proper training and certification, you are unable to identify unseen internal damages like structure problems, engine issues, and more. If you are unaware of internal problems, you will be driving a car that could end up with exacerbated damages that require costly and lengthy repairs. Not only is this hazardous to your safety, but it’s also a strain on your wallet.

Trustworthy Professional Dent Repair in Delaware County

Now that you understand the importance of using a reliable auto body repair shop to fix your dents, consider bringing your vehicle into Zingani Collision. Our technicians are highly trained and we have over 40 years of experience in collision repair. Our work is backed by a 5-year warranty, so you can rest assured your results will be satisfactory and durable. We will provide a free estimate, so contact us today so we can begin working on getting your car back to peak performance.