How Does Paintless Dent Repair & Removal Work?

 

Storm Shield's expert auto paintless dent removal technicians utilize a proprietary process, custom dent removal tools, specialized techniques and decades of experience to gently remove and repair dents and dings caused by hail from your vehicle. The underside of the hail damaged panels, which are accessed through a variety of points on each vehicle, are massaged and flexed until the panels return to their original shape, rather than covering the dents and dings up with filler and paint. This process is known as “paintless dent removal” or “paintless dent repair”, and is commonly referred to as PDR. Even hail damaged vehicles that have dents with a multi-inch diameter can typically be repaired through PDR. With paintless dent removal, the paint decompresses along with the metal so that no paint damage occurs during the hail damage repair process.

 

What Are the Major Advantages of Paintless Dent Removal & Repair?

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Your vehicle’s factory paint job, which is the best finish it will ever have, is preserved through paintless dent removal (also referred to as paintless dent repair or PDR). Unlike traditional methods, paintless dent removal does not involve sanding, filler or mismatched paint.

Your vehicle’s structural integrity and original equipment manufacturer (OEM) parts are preserved with our paintless dent repair process. Unlike traditional vehicle methods, paintless dent removal does not involve cutting out and replacing OEM parts with non-OEM parts or misalignment.

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Our paintless dent removal is clean and environmentally friendly since it conserves existing parts and does not involve any spraying, chemicals, paint, adhesives or extreme temperatures. No noxious paint fumes, or volatile organic compounds, are released into the ozone during the paintless dent removal process. Additionally, the threat of paint thinners that could be washed down into the public drainage system and potentially permeate the local water supply is eliminated at our shop.  Paintless dent removal is faster than repair performed at a traditional body shop. Because we are highly specialized, Storm Shield Auto Hail Repair customers typically have two auto hail repair technicians working on their car at one time, and as a result, get their cars back faster than anywhere else.

Unlike conventional repair methods, our paintless dent removal is typically more cost-effective than traditional body shop work which involves replacing and painting new parts. 

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What Do Insurance Companies Think of Paintless Dent Removal?

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All major insurance companies have adopted paintless dent removal or paintless dent repair as the standard and best practice for dent removal and repairing hail damaged vehicles, regardless of the number of dents and dings. Insurance companies are a major reason for the widespread popularity of paintless dent removal (PDR) since the method is more effective and also maintains the vehicle’s original factory paint warranty.

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Can an Auto Hail Damage Claim Increase My Insurance Rates?

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No. Many Storm Shield's customers are initially hesitant to repair the dents and dings caused by hail damage on their vehicle because they think their insurance rates will increase. However, your comprehensive auto policy covers the damage incurred by “Acts of God”, such as hail, wind, tornadoes, and other natural disasters, so paintless dent removal through Ideal Auto Hail Repair is covered.

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How Long Has Paintless Dent Removal Been Around, and When Did It Start Being Utilized for Auto Hail Repair?

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Paintless dent removal (also referred to as paintless dent repair or PDR) has been around since the 1940s. It first gained popularity in Europe as an innovative way to repair dents and dings on automobile production lines. It then gained popularity in the United States in the 1980s as a more effective, less expensive method for auto hail repair and removing dents and dings from hail damaged vehicles.

 

Do I Have to Worry about the Dents or Hail Damage Ever Coming Back?

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No. Metal has a memory and once the molecular structure is realigned to its original form it will stay there, and the hail dents and dings will never return. Additionally, Storm Shield Auto Hail Repair's paintless dent removal process (also referred to as paintless dent repair or PDR) is guaranteed with a comprehensive hail damage warranty.

 

Will Paintless Dent Removal Decrease the Value of My Vehicle?

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No. Paintless dent removal or PDR requires no painting and therefore will not disturb the factory paint job of your vehicle, which means that when the hail damage on your vehicle is fixed, your car still has the best finish it will ever have.

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Can I Remove Hail Damage or Repair the Dents and Dings Caused By Hail From My Vehicle Myself?

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We do not recommend that. You might see an advertisement for a “Dent Removal Kit” or other do-it-yourself methods to remove dents from your vehicle requiring a plunger, hairdryer or dry ice. These auto hail dent removal methods are generally ineffective and can often do more damage to your vehicle’s body and paint. All major insurance companies have adopted paintless dent repair as the standard and best practice for repairing vehicles with dents and dings caused by hail. Since the PDR process removes dents and eliminates the need for repainting, the manufacturer’s paint warranty is not voided. Additionally, Storm Shield Auto Hail Repairs’s paintless dent removal  process is guaranteed with a Comprehensive Hail Damage Warranty.

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What if Storm Shield Auto Hail Repair's Auto Hail Repair Evaluation Is Higher Than My Insurance Company’s Evaluation?

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Not to worry. That’s actually normal! Most insurance companies will initially provide a very low evaluation for your auto hail repair, as they do not do a thorough inspection of the hail damage to your vehicle and have no incentive to do so. Your insurance company will cover 100% of the hail damage through your comprehensive auto policy, and we will negotiate the best claim on your behalf. Auto hail damage evaluation are subjective, and insurance companies have an incentive to provide low evaluation. Ideal Auto Hail Repair is experienced in resolving and negotiating hail damage evaluation directly with your insurance company in order to ensure your hail damaged vehicle is repaired to its pre-loss condition with our paintless dent removal.

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What If I Have Already Filed an Auto Hail Repair Insurance Claim and Received a Damage Evaluation from My Insurance Company? 

 

Even if you have already filed an auto hail insurance claim and received a hail damage evaluation from your insurance company, it is important that you call Storm Shield at 888.484.HAIL (4245) or submit an online request to schedule a supplementary hail repair estimate on your vehicle that has hail damage. We can provide you with a PDR quote after this inspection.

When an auto hail repair insurance adjuster comes to inspect hail damage on your vehicle, as with all insurance companies, the objective is to write the evaluation for as little value as possible and to take as little time as possible to do so for any quotes on paintless dent repair. For example, bright sunlight during the inspection, or your vehicle not being clean could have obscured dents, resulting in an inaccurate assessment of the hail damage to your vehicle. During our inspection, we can provide you with all the information you need for paintless dent removal.

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After Storm Shield cleans and brings your hail damaged vehicle inside our secure garage, we utilize specialized lights to perform a more thorough inspection of all of the dents and dings caused by hail damage, including the obscure blemishes that cannot be seen under bright sunlight. We then build a more detailed auto hail repair evaluation based on industry standards utilizing a specialized dent repair software program designed for hail damage.

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Storm Shield then contacts your insurance company’s assigned auto hail repair claims adjuster directly and schedules a supplemental inspection of your hail damaged vehicle at Storm Shield's secure garage. When the hail damage insurance adjuster arrives, we will review your vehicle’s damage with the insurance adjuster, make sure the adjuster does not miss any hail damage, and will help negotiate the best possible claim on your behalf for paintless dent removal,

 

What If I Am Still Making Payments on My Vehicle with Hail Damage?

 

No problem. If you are still making payments on your vehicle with hail damage, when an auto hail claim is filed, your insurance company handling the auto hail repair claim will make the claim check payable in one of two ways: either to you and your lienholder, or to you and your auto hail repair facility for the PDR, or paintless dent repair process. Your lienholder will require a receipt showing that all the hail damage to your vehicle has been repaired before it will endorse your insurance check. Before you call your lienholder or send the insurance check to your lienholder, call Ideal Auto Hail Repair and we will assist you with the process in order to avoid any delay in your auto hail repair. Most insurance companies will reissue the insurance check in the name of you and your hail repair body shop, which means that you do not have to go through the time and hassle of dealing with your lienholder, which most of our customers prefer during paintless dent removal.