Collision Repair
EV Repair
A door ding or a handful of hail dents doesn’t have to mean a trip to the paint booth. Auto Beauty Specialists uses paintless dent repair (PDR) to lift dents out of your vehicle’s body panels while keeping the factory paint intact, restoring the panel without sanding, filling, or repainting. It’s faster and more affordable than traditional dent repair, and it’s the first option our technicians evaluate for drivers across Olivette and the greater St. Louis metro. Get A Free Quote from us today!
What Is Paintless Dent Repair?
Paintless dent repair works by accessing the back of a damaged panel and massaging the metal back into its original shape from the inside out, or by pulling it from the outside with specialized tabs. Because the process never breaks the paint’s surface, there’s no need to match color, blend a repair, or replace parts. PDR works best on minor to moderate dents where the metal hasn’t stretched and the paint hasn’t cracked or chipped.
How the PDR Process Works
Our technicians start by inspecting the panel under specialized lighting to map every dent, since normal lighting can hide shallow damage. From there, they select the right combination of tools and access points, sometimes working from behind the panel with rods, sometimes pulling from the outside with glue tabs, depending on the dent’s location and depth. Each dent is worked individually until the metal returns to its original contour.
Is PDR the Right Fit for Your Damage?
Not every dent qualifies. Our technicians evaluate a few factors before recommending PDR over traditional repair:
- The location of the damage (body lines and edges are harder to access)
- The size and depth of the dent
- Whether the paint is still intact or has cracked or chipped
- The type of metal involved (aluminum vs. steel)
If the damage checks out on all four, PDR is usually the faster, less expensive path. If the paint has broken through or the metal has stretched too far, traditional dent repair is the better call.
PDR on Aluminum vs. Steel
Aluminum panels are more difficult to work with PDR because aluminum lacks steel’s “metal memory,” it doesn’t want to spring back to its original shape the way steel does. Tools designed for steel can actually cause further damage if used on aluminum. Our technicians are trained and equipped for both, so a Tesla, Rivian, or Ford with an aluminum body panel gets the same careful assessment as a steel one. For repairs involving structural aluminum components, see our aluminum auto body repair page for the full detail.
When To Use Traditional Dent Repair Instead
PDR isn’t always the answer. Once a dent has cracked the paint or the metal has stretched too far to spring back, the panel needs to be repaired, primed, and repainted to match the vehicle’s factory finish. This is also the more common path after a heavy hailstorm, when dozens of dents and cracked paint show up together. See our dent repair page for the traditional repair process, or our hail damage repair page if a storm is the cause.
Common Questions About Paintless Dent Repair
How long does paintless dent repair take?
Light to moderate damage with no paint issues is often completed in one to three days. A vehicle with dozens of hail dents across multiple panels can take longer, depending on how many panels are affected.
Does insurance cover paintless dent repair?
Most comprehensive auto insurance policies cover hail-related PDR. We work directly with all major insurance providers and can assist as your liaison during the claims process.
Can PDR fix hail damage?
Yes, PDR is the preferred method for most hail damage, since a hailstorm typically leaves shallow, evenly distributed dents without breaking the paint. If a storm has cracked or chipped the clear coat, traditional dent repair may be needed for those panels instead.
Whether it’s a single door ding or storm damage across several panels, Auto Beauty Specialists evaluates every vehicle before recommending a repair path, for drivers throughout Olivette, MO and the St. Louis metro. Contact us to schedule an assessment, or get a quote online.
Insurance Process
We work with all major insurance providers and are knowledgeable on their various guidelines — so we’ll be your liaison in the matter.
AUTO REPAIR Facts
We want our customers to know that the promise of a guarantee is not the same thing as a high quality, safe repair
