Posted on Mon, Jun 01, 2009
The answer to hail damage to your car?
On May 24th @ 5 pm ... many of us in the Grafton / Millbury area witnessed the most severe hail storm that we can remember. Following the storm, I went outside to find two cars each with more than 80 dings ranging from the size of a penny to the size of a half dollar. Fortunately, our house came out ok with just a handful of damaged screens.
I immediately wondered how anybody was going to be able to repair my cars and the cars of our insurance clients.
- Are they going to use "bondo" to fill all the divots and then sand and repaint the cars?
- Would they put a new hood and roof on my car and then repaint the entire car?
I didn't know, so I began to search on-line and I began to learn about Paintless Dent Repair (PDR). I learned that the method has been used for almost 20 years and it has been the primary method used on hail damaged cars for the last 3-5 years. I called a few owners of local used car dealerships and a friend who works at a new car dealership and I learned that they have been having small dents repaired by the PDR method for a number of years.
On Tuesday, following the holiday weekend, I was contacted by Jared Brodeur of Top Notch PDR in Auburn. He was referred to me by one of the used car dealers I had spoken with the previous day. He told me that he was putting together a team of PDR specialists from around the country who had extensive experience with hail damage. Some of these specialists actually follow the hail storms so they have a lot of experience with hail damaged cars. Jared told me the biggest advantage of paintless dent removal was that it can repair dents without changing the original factory paint. He also noted that PDR was not the answer for every car damaged by hail but that it was effective in most situations. A dent in which the paint had chipped was an example of a dent that could not be repaired by PDR. The PDR method uses specialize tools that massage the dent from the inside surface of the metal. A demonstration can seen on the following website: http://www.dentwizard.com/content/228/frontline_fast.aspx
Later that afternoon, I called Jared back after learning that a number of the auto insurance companies which we represent were planning to recommend and estimate damage based on paintless dent repair. I asked Jared if he would work on just the hood of our 2002 Volvo S60 so that I could see the result quickly before our clients began to call questioning this method. To be honest, I also figured that if they could not do what was promised on the hood it would be easy to fix because I could simply replace it. The car was picked up Tuesday evening and I had it back Wednesday at noon. The hood looked perfect and they told me that they took out 61 dings on just the hood ! Jared told me that the car owner typically underestimates the number of dents because their eyes tend to be drawn to the larger dents.
Volvo hood before PDR
Volvo hood after PDR
On Wednesday , I was asked to talk with a client who had received his damage estimate from Travelers/Premier Insurance. The estimate was based on paintless dent removal and the body shop he went to said they don't do PDR and they also did not think it would work for his car. As we went outside to compare the "before photos" of my Volvo's hood with the finished product (above), an appraiser from Travelers/Premier Insurance arrived and she was accompanied by her supervisor who is the field trainer for all of Travelers/Premier staff appraisers in this area . The field supervisor owned his own body shop up until 15 years ago when he went to work as a staff appraiser for Travelers Insurance. He has also seen PDR at work for more than 10 years and he felt strongly that it was the best solution for most hail damaged cars. He inspected the client's car and told him that he thought paintless dent repair would work. He also told us that if the PDR method was not effective, the company would reopen the claim and the costs to perform traditional body work methods would be paid if the insured used a PDR shop that was on their list of recommended shops. Guaranteeing the work of their recommended shops is a common practice by most auto insurance companies but I would encourage you ask your appraiser or your agent about how your specific insurance company treats this issue.
I realize many people will question a method that they have not heard a lot about and one that costs much less than the traditional auto body repair methods. This is exactly why I wanted to get my car done quickly. I gave Jared my 2005 Audi on Thursday night. It had dings on the hood, roof, trunk, and two of the doors on the passenger side. The estimate for the paintless dent removal work was approximately $2500, 24 hours later , I had my car back and it looks great! ( see photos ).
Audit hood before PDR
Audi hood after PDR
There are many PDR options in the area and I am not trying to imply that Top Notch PDR is the only qualified shop. I used Top Notch because they came recommended to me and I am happy with the results. They are not a client nor do I have any financial interest in the company. My intention in writing this piece was to explain to our clients what PDR is and how it can be effective in repairing hail damaged cars.
Feel free to email me at randerson@gaudette-insurance.com if you have any questions or if you would like to see my car in person.
Rick Anderson
Vice- President of Sales
Gaudette Insurance Agency, Inc.