Paintless Dent Repair on a 2020 Ford Expedition – Canonsburg, PA

We had a customer (we’ll call him Darren) who had an “Emergency” and needed a dent repaired right away.  Now normally, when someone says, “I need this fixed today!” it is a red flag for us.   However, on this particular day, when Darren called us, he spoke with the office manager and told her his story of what had happened.  This was his wife’s vehicle, and she loved it. Keeps it in pristine condition.  She was out of town visiting a family member in Florida, and Darren was home.  He was working in the garage when he bumped into his motorcycle and knocked it right into the Expeditions front fender!!

There was a good-sized dent there and it had flattened the body line. Darren was half panicked wondering how he was going to get this fixed without his wife finding out, and he needed it done before 4 pm the next day when her plane landed from Florida.  Darren went into the house, sat down at the computer, and began his Google search.

He started with dent repair near me.  The first thing that came up was a company called Dent Repair Now. (Spoiler Alert: It was us!)  He saw that we had a lot of 5-star reviews and seemed to be just what he was looking for!  For those of you not familiar with the process of paintless dent repair, here is a quick definition: Paintless dent repair (PDR) is a specialized method of pushing from behind and tapping down high spots to remove dents from vehicle surfaces (ie: doors, hood, fenders, quarter panels, roof, trunk, tailgate and liftgates) without the need for traditional bodywork involving sanding, filling, and repainting. Instead, skilled technicians manipulate the metal back to its original shape from behind the affected area using specialized tools. 

This process preserves the integrity of the vehicle’s original paint job, making it a preferred method for addressing minor dings, dents, and hail damage. PDR is not only cost-effective but also environmentally friendly since it eliminates the use of harmful chemicals associated with repainting. It’s a precise and non-invasive approach that maintains the vehicle’s factory finish and resale value.

When Darren called and explained the situation, our office manager really wanted to help him out and get it fixed before his wife came home.  She had Darren send her some pictures of the Expedition’s fender so she could see the extent of the damage.  First, we assess the paint.  Is it cracked?  Scratched? Chipped? (These things do not negate a repair, but they can affect the level of perfection, and when we start pushing on a panel that has cracked paint, pushing can cause more paint failure resulting in the need for a body shop to paint the whole panel.  Darren was lucky in that the paint was all intact on the damaged area.   Second is the size of the damage.  This is the basis of our pricing.  We use an industry-standard price guide, however, if our estimation in size is off, our whole estimate will be incredibly inaccurate.  We likened the size of the dent to be about the size of a basketball.  So about 12 inches.  We already mentioned the bodyline, and we would need to loosen or remove the fender liner to gain access behind the dent.

Darren was all in on the price of repair, he just wanted it done before the wife came home and saw what had happened.  Our office manager checked the schedule for the next day and spoke with the lead technician of our shop.  Dave said he’d be able to fit him in the next day and have him out by the time his wife was ready to be picked up at the airport.  Darren took his wife’s Expedition to the car wash that morning and brought it in nice and clean. 

Dave worked on the fender for about 6 hours, and then it was ready to go.  Darren could not see where the dent was at all (because not only do we “fix” the dent…..our goal is to REMOVE it completely.  We were stoked to have another happy customer, who also had a happy wife…and you know what they say, “Happy Wife, Happy Life!”

So, most times, getting a dent fixed is not an emergency.  However, when you are trying to cover the fact that it ever happened, give us a call first!  We may be able to help you out in a scrape.

Texting pictures to us is always a good option to start your repair process and definitely can give a starting point for cost of repair and on the opposite side of the coin, we can let you know if your damage does not make a good candidate for paintless dent repair.  With the increase in difficulty of repairing damaged car panels as cars continue to evolve, we must evolve as well to maintain our ability to provide repairs that are as good as or better than a body shop repair.  If you’re not sure you can get a good picture of your dent, we put together a quick video for you to help!

Please feel free to reach out to us and let us take a look at your damage.  We can help you decide if paintless dent repair is the right way to go, or if a body shop is the best option.    You can fill out the form on our website or text photos of your damage to 724-607-8980 and we will be in touch to see how we can help you.

You can also 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.  For more information, you can check out our website Dent Repair Now.  You can also CLICK HERE to see and follow our social media accounts!