Paintless Dent Repair

We try to keep our “toad” (AKA Number 2) free from dents.  We use a device called Protect-a-Tow http://protectatow.tripod.com/, a shield between the motor home and our car that helps to push down and under the car any rocks and debris kicked up by the motor home. We highly recommend this device and it is very quick and easy to install. 

We don’t park way out by ourselves at parking lots, but we do avoid narrow parking spaces and we try to park in spaces with curbs on one side whenever possible to garner more space between us and the next vehicle.  In spite of our best efforts, someone banged us with their door at a lot.  And we aren’t talking a tiny little paint chip.  This hit and the dent it created were so deep that it actually also bent the door edge and how it matched up with the quarter panel.  Of course no one left a note on our windshield even though there was no way possible they could not have known they hit us hugely with their door.  And it wasn’t but a couple weeks later until someone else with their door put another significant dent in the same area.

We were only vaguely aware of the concept of paintless dent repair where they use various tools on the back side of the dent to work it out.  We happened to see a shop here in Colorado Springs called “The Ding Guy”.  They had good reviews on line and Gary took the car there and they told him they felt they could get those two dents 80-90% restored and that for a couple of others that had been there since we purchased the car, they could remove them virtually 100%.

At the end of a 3-hour visit, the dent removal was even better than advertised. We were extremely pleased.   The door edge came back into shape as well.  The cost for removing the four dents was $250.

We had assumed they would have to have direct access to the back of the dent but in the case of our worst dents, they didn’t even removed the inner door trim panel.  Instead, they ran their tool down the glass channel and worked it out with that little bit of clearance.

We now are sold on the concept of paintless dent repair wherever it can be used.  If you want to see a Youtube video on the process, here is one you could watch:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GamM_Zc6tBw