Resources // Blog // What Happens During a Paintless Dent Repair Inspection?
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Most people who bring a dent to our shop want one answer right away: can it be fixed without paint? Sometimes we can tell within a minute. Other times the dent looks simple, but a closer look shows a crack in the paint, an old repair, or a brace sitting right behind it. That's why every job we do starts with an inspection.
If you've never had one, here's how it works at Express Paintless, what you can do beforehand, and what you'll know by the time you leave.
Paintless dent repair works by slowly moving damaged metal back into shape, with no filler or new paint. It's a great fix for the right dent. For the wrong one, it can make things worse, so we need to know what we're dealing with before we start.
By the end of the inspection, we'll know whether PDR makes sense for your vehicle, how we'll get to the dent, and roughly what the repair will take. You'll know those things too.
When did it happen? What hit it? Has that panel ever been repaired or repainted? Are you going through insurance? None of this takes long, but it tells the technician what to pay attention to. A dent from a shopping cart and a dent from last week's hailstorm call for a different kind of look.
Regular sunlight and shop lighting actually make small dents harder to see, since the glare off the paint washes them out. So we pull the car under PDR lights and use a reflection board, which throws a pattern of lines across the panel. On a smooth panel the lines look even, but any dip or high spot in the metal makes them warp, and that tells us exactly where the damage starts and stops.
Customers are often surprised by what shows up. We'll be looking at the ding they came in for and find another one on the same door, or a shallow wave around the dent that they couldn't see in the parking lot.
If the paint is cracked or chipped, PDR may not be the right call for that spot, because moving the metal can cause the damaged paint to flake. We also look for signs that the panel has been repainted. Factory paint flexes well. Aftermarket paint and body filler don't always hold up when the metal underneath moves.
Depth matters, but so does shape. We look at how sharp the edges are, whether the metal has stretched, and whether the dent sits on a body line or close to the edge of a panel. We go into more detail on which dents usually qualify in our post on paintless dent removal in New Braunfels.
Most PDR work happens from behind the panel. Sometimes there's an existing opening we can use. Other times we need to pull a taillight, a door panel, some trim, or part of the headliner. If there's no safe way in from the back, glue pulling from the outside might work, depending on the paint and where the dent is. We'll also check whether the panel is steel or aluminum, because aluminum takes a different approach.
Once we've looked everything over, we'll walk you through it. Ask us anything. Common questions are whether any parts have to come off, how long the job will take, and what the estimate covers. If PDR isn't a good fit for some or all of the damage, we'll tell you why and talk about other options.
The typical time for a single dent or door ding is usually 10 to 15 minutes. Hail damage takes longer since we check and document every panel. Our New Braunfels shop is appointment-only, so call before heading over.
A customer might pull in pointing at one ding on the driver's door, and once the car is under our PDR lights, we'll spot two more on the same panel. Shallow dents are easy to miss in sunlight because the glare off the paint hides them. Our lights and reflection board put a line pattern across the surface, and wherever the metal is pushed in or raised, those lines warp. It gives us a clear picture of every dent on the panel, including the ones you didn't know were there.
It also helps to jot down when and how the damage happened. If you're filing a claim, bring your insurance info and claim number. Snap a few photos for your own records too.
The steps are the same either way. What changes is how much ground we cover.
A door ding is a focused inspection. We check one spot, read the dent under the lights, confirm we can reach it, and usually have an answer quickly. Small dings are often a good fit for minor ding repair. Bigger or deeper damage falls under large dent repair. We've also written about door ding repair in San Marcos if parking lot damage is what brought you here.
Hail is treated differently. It rarely hits just one spot on the vehicle, so we go panel by panel across the hood, roof, trunk, doors, fenders, and pillars, and document what we find on each one. That record is what determines the repair plan and the price. Curious how those findings turn into an estimate? Read what determines hail damage repair costs. If the storm just rolled through, start with what to do after hail damages your car.
Photos are a fine place to start, and we're happy to look at them. They'll show us where the damage is and give us a rough idea of how bad it looks.
The problem is that a camera can't really capture depth. Reflections flatten out in a photo, and we've had customers send pictures where the dent barely shows, then pull in with damage that's obvious the second we see it in person. Photos also won't tell us about a hairline crack in the paint, an old repair, or what's behind the panel that might get in the way. We'll give you our best read from the pictures, but the estimate isn't final until we've seen the car.
If you file a claim, your insurer may send an adjuster or have you stop by a claims center. The adjuster's job is to document damage for the claim. Ours is to figure out how to actually fix it.
Those two don't always line up, especially with hail. Dents that are hard to see in normal light sometimes get missed on the first estimate. When we find more damage, we document it so your insurer can review it. We work with all the major insurance companies and can help you through the process, but your insurer makes the final call on coverage. You can learn more on our working with your insurance page or in our post on handling hail damage repair and your insurance.
The lights come back out after the repair. We go over the panel again, looking for any low spots, high spots, or slight waves that still need work. If something isn't right, we fix it before you pick up your car.
No. You can take the information and decide what you want to do.
For New Braunfels, yes. Either way, reaching out first makes sure a technician is free when you get here.
It can be worth it. Knowing what the repair will cost makes it easier to compare against your deductible. Check your policy for any reporting deadlines or inspection requirements.
Yes, just let us know about the earlier work. It doesn't always rule out PDR, but it does change what we look for.
We do. Our mobile service lets us inspect and repair dents on-site for body shops.
Not every dent needs sanding, filler, and paint, but not every dent can skip it either. A quick inspection tells you which one you've got.
We've been doing paintless dent repair in Central Texas since 2008. Stop by our San Marcos shop off I-35, or book a time at our New Braunfels location. Contact Express Paintless to schedule your inspection.
See what happens during a PDR inspection in San Marcos and New Braunfels, from lighting and paint checks to panel access, findings, and next steps.
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New Braunfels by appointment only.
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