We got hail damage on 3 of our family cars. the ins. company sent me checks for less than 50% of the estimates and said to use dent smart (PDR) to fix the damage. Does anyone have any long term experience with the paintless dent removal technique? How does the paint hold up over time?
thanks
dan

tell the insurance company to fix them the right way or you will walk! graemlins/angry.gif

I guess I'm not sure what a threat will do to influence an insurance company to pay out more money. Most likely if you threaten to leave them, they will gladly let you go. :rolleyes: I had PDR done on my car after a nice Oklahoma Hail storm in 1997, I still have the car and have had no problems with the paint cracking or anything. I would personally rather have PDR done than to have a body shop sand and fill each dent then repaint the entire car anyway. The one peice of advice I would give is for you to stay away from the storm chsers and go to a local body shop or PDR specialist, they are more apt to take the time to do it right if they have a reputation to maintain in the area, and if you have problems good luck finding the "mobile" guys.

Dan, a friend of mine paid a bunch of money to get the training and the tools for the paintless dent removel. When done properly, it works well. Of course that depends on the guy that does it. Anyway, he removed some hail damage on another friend's car about 3 years ago and it still looks good today. As long as the paint hasn't been cracked or otherwise damaged, it seems to do the trick. On the other hand, you pay insurance premiums for a reason...make 'em do it the old fashioned way, if you want.

thanks for the replys. I did go to a reputable body shop, known for quality work, and slightly higher prices. He told me that he dosn't lay down for ins. co. Guess what? he's got the dent smart guys working out of his shop and told the ins co. he will work with them. I don't know if this PDR guy is a local or a storm chasin gypsy. according to my ins agent if there is probs with the paint down the road then the ins will fix it right.
thanks again
dan

Dan
I got some hail damage out of that storm too. The body guy said as long as the paint doesn't crack you should be okay. He recommended waiting until fall to allow the summer sun to possibly let a few come out.
I plan on doing that and an hoping to get a goodmark cowl hood for my pickup and then PDR the roof. The gypsies should be gone by then.

hey doug, i wonder what the ins co would do if i waited for the gypsies to leave? would they possibly pay the full estimates? it could be worth wating to find out.
Dan

They cut me a check on the spot. He said that I could cash it right away and collect the interest until I can get into the shop, which could take a while. I don't see any difference between that and waiting until the PDR gypsies leave. Any differences between the insurance estimate and the actual cost of the work, is to be worked out between the shop and the insurance co., leaving me out of the loop as far as costing. Of course, like I said, I will change the actual work being done, like purchase a cowl hood instead of repairing my flat hood. :D