What is PDR?

Paintless dent removal (PDR), also known as "paintless dent repair", is a collection of techniques for removing minor dents and dings from the body of a motor vehicle. A wide range of damage can be repaired using PDR; however, usually if there is paint damage, PDR may be unsuitable.

The most common practical use of PDR is the repair of door dings and minor body creases. Paintless Dent Repair may be used on both aluminium and steel panels. The techniques can also be applied to help prepare the damaged panel for paint. Such applications are referred to as "pre-paint preperation".

Repair Technique

The most common methods of paintless dent repair utilize polished metal rods and body picks to push the dents out from the inner side of the body panel being repaired. Also, glue may be used from the outside of the panel to pull the dents out. In either case, fine tuning of the repair often involves “tapping” down the repair to remove small high spots, making the surface flat. However quality technicians can use high spots that are barely visible to help match the texture of the paint.

The technology of PDR has been around for many years. Fluorescent lighting, or in some cases a light-reflection board, is used to see the shadows created by the deformation of the dent. This is an important aspect of the repair process. Without a Paintless Dent Repair light board or reflector board, the fine detail of the process is unseen, and the technician cannot locate their tool specifically and cannot remove the damage accurately. The process of Paintless Dent Repair requires a technician to specifically push exact locations of metal to a precise height, which can only be witnessed with use of a PDR reading instrument, such as a Paintless Dent Repair reflector board or Paintless Dent Repair light.