We are often asked, “This is a mobile service right”? So, let’s discuss the pros and cons of mobile paintless dent repair. The paintless dent repair (PDR) retail industry started as only a mobile service. Technicians serviced mostly automotive dealerships and body shops on location and performed repairs on door dings, small dents, and hail damage. Technicians carried their tools with them and were always ready.
Large and difficult damage was not considered for paintless dent repair at the time and was sent to traditional body shops. With advancements in vehicles and body style engineering, many technicians have moved away from mobile dent repairs. As the automotive industry has evolved, so have the tools of the trade. Adaptation has been key in the automotive space. Larger damage that was once sent to the body shop is now able to be repaired by a PDR technician. In the past, paintless dent repair technicians carried all of their tools in one bag. Now, technicians use tools and processes that should not be done on a mobile basis. One such tool is the Power PDR box. In some cases, a dent can actually stretch the metal. The Power PDR box uses electric current to heat and shrink the metal for better repairs. If you require a mobile repair, we do have criteria that you could qualify for. We often ask if you have a garage to work in if there is inclement weather, but there are other outside factors that can affect their ability to do a great repair. Too much sun will wash out the specialized lights we use to see the imperfections in the metal.
Other weather like, rain, snow, and temperature play a role in mobile repairs. Another qualifying factor is the way the technician will go about repairing your damage. For a mobile repair, we require straightforward access to the dent. We do not want to remove headlights, take taillights out, remove glass windows from your door, or other parts of your vehicle without a safe designated area to place them. We are not going to do any major removal and installation (R&I) on a mobile site. This means dents in the upper half of a door, fenders, hoods, and trunks can be candidates for mobile repair. Roofs, quarter panels, lower door dents, and excessive hood or trunk dents can all require extensive removal and reinstallation of car parts in the path of us getting to your dent. That being said, we do prefer to repair your vehicle in our shop
because we can control the climate and access any of the tools we may need to make your repair the very best it can be. Dent Repair Now company policy states that mobile repair is only an option for repairs that are under $500 in cost. Our main goal is to always provide the best highest quality repair. We have found that when damage exceeds this cost, the repair will require more than we can provide in your driveway, garage, or away from our shop.
- Hail damage is not something that should ever be repaired or even estimated on a mobile basis.
- If any panels need to be removed such as a hood, trunk, or door, they need to be placed on a stand. The reason those panels need to be removed is to gain access to obstructed areas, or in some cases, gain access to another panel.
If our shop is not convenient for you, another option you have is to meet us at one of the body shops that we partner with. We have body shops that we partner with in Franklin, Allegheny County, Washington County, Greene County, in Pennslyvania. We also work with body shops in other states like Wheeling, and Morgantown in West Virginia and St Clairesville, Ohio. We also have a shop we partner with in Garret County, Maryland. We are always happy to help you find the best way to get that ugly, annoying dent taken care of for you.
The decision to open a brick-and-mortar shop was not made lightly. Yes, there is a a fair amount of overhead that comes with having a shop. However, having a shop allows us to perform the highest quality paintless dent repairs possible. As tools, techniques, and the build quality of vehicles change, we are able to repair damage that just simply wasn’t possible all that many years ago. We now repair damage that isn’t measured in inches, but can be measured in feet. This, as you can imagine, requires some very in-depth work. These larger damage repairs also have us dealing with insurance claims and adjusters more than ever before. Adding insurance companies into the mix can and will add extra layers of administrative work as we have to wait on approval from them before we can start or continue the repair. This can add a day or two to the repair process, which is just not feasible for a mobile repair. If you are considering an insurance claim for your repair, take a minute to read our article “Does Insurance Cover Paintless Dent Repair?”
When dealing with mobile repairs we do have a mobile service fee to come out to your location. Our current mobile service fee (as of May 2024) is $79.95. This fee covers our technicians’ time to load their tools into their vehicle, drive to and from your location, and unload and reset their tools at the shop. We also, on some occasions, need to provide extra coverage for them at the shop while they are out on location (we can’t close the shop just to come out and fix a dent).
Please feel free to reach out to us to see what the best way to repair your vehicle is, or see if your damage qualifies for a mobile dent repair. You can fill out the form on this page or text us photos of your damage to 724-607-8980 and we will call you to go over an estimate and what options are available for you.
Stop in at the shop for an in-person evaluation of your damage! We are currently located at 2603 Washington Rd, Unit 3, Canonsburg, PA 15317 . That’s right next to Route 19 just off of the Canonsburg exit if you’re coming from I-79.
If you’re ready to send us some photos of the damage you can watch this video here on how to take a photo of your dent in 4 easy steps.
If you prefer reading, we also have an article on how you can get the most accurate estimate possible you can read up on! As always, you can follow us on any of our social media platforms.