tiny dent - can it be repaired?

Something fell on my passenger side door - right near where the mirror would be if it were present...at the top part, where the door meets the front bodywork. Does anyone know if this is an easy area to access for one of those 'dent doctor' guys? They can usually do anything easily as long as the panel can be reached.....

 

you should be able to reach the panel with the window in the up position and removing the interior door panel. it depends on the nature of the dent. i too, have you on my passenger side and it can't be worked on because it is more than just a ding, the metal is actually "creased". it is hard to see, but annoys me to no end. hopefully, he can work it out. most of those guys amaze me with their work, things i have seen removed still perplex me.

 

he's coming monday so i'll keep my fingers crossed. it's quite small but huge in my critical eyes. these guys are really good and the only tool they use is that thin metal prod. i may have to get him to take the inner door panel off to access it though. these cars dent so easily.....

 

It might be able to be fixed just for that very same reason. I the paint wasn't damaged and the metal did not crease, it should be able to be fixed...

 

I had my 308 repaired by a dent doctor ,if any dent is along a crease or has a reinforcement structure on the inside then chances are they can't fix those. I have a couple on mine that he just can't fix. Good Luck

 

please do not let any dent guy work on your car without getting a referal from a local hi end dealer- they should be able to give you the name of a good one. the best dent guys can absolutely work magic- but there are a lot of hacks out there who will do more harm than good. I'm not sure if the panel in question is aluminum or steel, but I do know that aluminum is much more difficult to work with and requires alot more talent. hope this helps

 

Mine was done by a guy who services dealers and was recommended he did a great job but there were a couple he couldn't get to on the door because of the body crease and the door inner interfered.

 

I have heard from several apparently reliable sources that dent repairers must make sure never to use tools that they have used on steel on an aluminum panel as the tool will end up leaving minute traces of steel/iron particles that will cause the aluminum to fail/rust. Is that true?

Mark

 

i've never heard that before about dissimalr metals in tolls and body panels. the guy that i use (in columbus, oh) who is the best i've ever seen in 15+ years in the high line auto business uses titanium tools of his own manufacture. the best guys can access otherwise unaccesible dents using a tool similar to the "pops a dent" tool advertsed on tv. the reson it takes talent to use is that once the dent is "popped" it comes up above flush and needs to be hammered down into place. once again ask for referrals to find the best one out there

 

Can you post a picture of the dent?

 

if you care to send me a couple of pictures I would be more than happy to give my advice, I could more than likely find a tech for you in your area . As I am a member of NAPDRT ~> "National Alliance of PDR Technicians" that has some really great techs from around the world
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For the most part I really do not see this as being a large concern, compared to other ways of repairing the dents or dings. There are precautions the tech can take like using different kinds of rubber caps that are made to slip on the tools tips. Another reason is unless you are using what I refer to as a ice pick tip to cold shrink the metal. I only use these if the damage is badly stretched or fine tuning a repair. The chances of scratching the coatings on the under side is very slim.
The tech can also use special tapes and wipe off his tool tips. Also most techs use stainless steel tools that are not as soft and transferable as much as tools used 5 or10 years ago or older that where cold rolled steel. My self I do not use any like this anymore
Hope this helps
take care Eddie

 

Eddie -

Thanks for the info, and WOW, your truck looks really well equipped!

Mark

 

Thanks, when you love what you do it's kinda easy to get caught up in buying new and better tools to improve your workmanship & what can be done.
I'll see if i can dig up some picture's of the differences of the back sides of panels repaired with PDR , compared to conventional methods. I used to have it on my old web site not sure but still might have a old link to the page, it was an interesting to see the different methods side by side.

 

Can you post some pictures of the kinds of dents you fix (before/after) or are there some good ones on your website? Not for my Dino, but curious for other cars... also any good guys in the NY area??

 

I have some good ones on my site but when it was redone he left a lot off but has not really finished the web site yet. Here is a couple I've done in the last few of weeks.
I have one friend that is around New York but to be honest not sure just how good he is. I have a link on my web site with a bunch of techs listed some I know there work personally and some are friends of friends. But most of the stuff on my web site is not normal repairs most PDR tech can or will do so keep that in mind. The 350 Z the dent does go over the edge of the trunk and I have a Porsche Cyan I think it is called? In my Testimonials that is cool repair. As it went over the edge of the rear hatch also. I like doing dents that challenge me.
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Those are awesome! What does something like a fender ding cost? I have an Infiniti FX35 that's coming off lease with a couple of little issues that I'm sure they'll want to nail me for. I gotta find someone around here... I'll poll a few dealers and see what I can find!

 

Thank you very much, as far as cost all depends on size, depth, location and how clean someone wants it ....opps forgot to add how far I am traveling. My start is $100 for the first but have charged around $400 for a dime size ding that others have said impossible to access but those are rare. Unless they are deep & across on a body line of a new BMW or MBZ with the laminated door glass access is very bad.