Summer hail causes millions of dollars worth of damage to cars every year. PDR, or Paintless Dent repair, is a great resource for areas where hail is prominent for repairing said hail damage. Hail Damage happens all over the UK, even here in Lancashire.
Not too long ago, hail used to be repaired through the use of paint fillers. Filler would be added to the damaged area, sanded down, and then painted to match. The process is labor-intensive, and the results are rarely perfect, with poor filler repair often needing to be addressed again a year or two down the line.
With PDR, one of our skilled technicians can remove the dent if it’s not extremely complex or has damaged the paint. PDR is a method in which a certified technician uses specialty tools like dent rods and blending hammers to gently massage a dent out of a panel and restore it into its original shape. It’s often a straightforward procedure that takes just a few minutes per dent.
However, the shift by automotive manufacturers to manufacture more parts out of aluminum has provided a big challenge to the PDR industry.
Let us provide a little bit of background knowledge.
What makes PDR work is metal memory. As long as it hasn’t passed this particular threshold, metal will want to return to its original shape. If the dent is too large and the metal stretches past that threshold, it won’t return to its original shape no matter how much you try.
Most metal body panels can be repaired with Paintless Dent Removal, but aluminum requires a different approach. The primary reason aluminum is different to work with goes back to that concept of metal memory. Steel is straightforward to coax back into its original shape; on the other hand, aluminum requires more convincing because it’s so pliable and easily deformable, unlike other metal alloys like steel.
Aluminum also requires the use of heat, unlike steel. This part also provides a challenge to PDR technicians. Too much heat can permanently soften the aluminum, which will leave it particularly prone to damage again. Not only is heat required, but a completely different set of skills and tools is as well. Traditional PDR tools can cause more damage to the area, so care must be taken that the correct tools are used for the job.
A lot of skill is required to do PDR on aluminum to get the repair just right. With manufacturers switching to more aluminum, it’s imperative that the shop you choose is certified and has technicians with the right tools and skillset to repair aluminum.
Our goal at Dent Detail Paintless Dent Removal is to fix your car smoothly, efficiently, and with grace for you. We want to answer any questions, and if this did not, please give us a ring. We want you to understand the process, pricing, and value we are bringing to your repair. We are conveniently located at Unit 46, Centurion Industrial Estate, Centurion Way, Leyland, PR25 4GU, United Kingdom. We would love to serve you. Please give us a call if you have any questions we haven’t answered here.
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