What is PDR?
What Is Paintless Dent Removal (PDR)
Paintless Dent Removal is a way to manipulate the body panel surface back to its original form without removing or repainting the body panel. Of course there are few requirements before PDR can be performed on a vehicle. For example, the damaged area must be accessible by a factory opening and at least 2 inches away from any edges.
Paintless Dent Removal, also known as PDR. It's a technique used in the automotive body repair industry by professionally trained and certified specialists.
PDR does not require any removal or installation of the damaged body panel. It also does not require a paint job. PDR uses stainless steel rods that are shaped with different length, tips, thickness, and handles, specially for auto body panels. A well train specialist uses factory build-in access openings to get to the damaged area, but in some cases drilling might be required to access the damaged area. However, the drilling process does not change the structural integrity of the vehicle nor will it be visible from the outside. The drilled opening would be no bigger than 1/2 inch in diameter and would be plugged with a factory plug (body panels already come with many factory drilled holes and plugged) with sealant to prevent water from getting in or rust.
Once access has been identified, technical would insert the special rod to massage the panel back to it's original shape. The specialist then uses a special lighting system to assist and confirm the repair.
Keep in mind that this is cosmetic repair and often can not be repaired back to 100 percent. However, 90 to 95 percent perfect can be achieved most of the time. Even though the restoration is only 95 percent perfect, it can not be detected by untrained eyes.
How Is PDR Done?
The specialist uses the "Pressure and Release Process(tm)" (PARP) and/or the "Drag and Push Process(tm)" (DAPP) to remove and repair the damaged area and use a special lighting system to assist the repair process. The tools and lights only provide access and to view the damaged area, it's all in the hands of the specialist to maneuver and manipulate the body panel to restore it back to its original form.