My flawless black Challenger R/T got an anonymous, major sharp door ding on the rear quarter right on the body crease line. Dammit! This in spite of using the car very little and always carefully parking in far away end spots. I can't tell you how much what seems like a small thing can ruin the whole experience of having a nice-looking car.
It was definitely not something that could be pulled or popped out so I didn't understand how paint-less dent repair could fix it. Then after reading about the techniques and seeing many perfect reviews for the San Jose DentPro guy and then my local Morgan Hill guy Kevin, I realized this should be the right way to go.
I sent Kevin an email photo and description of the damage, and he replied in minutes from an iPhone. He guessed it was do-able and gave a surprisingly reasonable estimated cost range. We scheduled a bright and early weekend house call. The San Jose guy Sean was also just as responsive when I contacted him several weeks before, but when I was ready I went with Kevin because I live in his area and he seemed to have a similar level of expertise.
I don't recommend standing around watching like I did. It made me nervous and I made him nervous. Before starting he told me this one is challenging because the dent is right on the crease and then assured me it won't cost anything if it doesn't work out... what?! But he's been doing this 17 years and he thinks he can do it. So he proceeds to apply a number of different techniques including, blindly working the metal from behind with long tools through a hole in the wheel well, directly tapping and banging around the the dent with various tools and hammers, applying heat with some kind of little blow-dryer looking thing, repeating all these a number of times before the dent started looking like it would come out. I was worried when I saw some fine sandpaper and buffing on the clear coat, but before long you couldn't tell where the damage or work was done. He billed me the low end of his estimate. It was a small fraction of my insurance deductible.
I was really surprised about the quality and value of the repair job, and he said sometimes he even surprises himself! This is an art, not a procedure, and above all it's a service. There is no BS in this business unlike so many other auto body and repair services. read more