Paintless Dent Repair (PDR), also known as paintless dent removal, is a specialized technique used to remove dents from a vehicle’s body without sanding, fillers, or repainting. As long as the paint surface remains intact, many types of damage can be repaired using PDR on both steel and aluminum panels.

PDR is most commonly used to repair hail damage, door dings, minor creases, larger dents, and damage along body lines. Because it preserves the original factory finish, it’s often the preferred repair method for maintaining a vehicle’s value.

In some cases, PDR is also used to prepare a damaged panel for traditional repainting by significantly reducing the need for body filler. This process is commonly referred to as “push to paint.”

The success of paintless dent repair depends on several factors, including the flexibility of the paint and how much the metal has been stretched by the impact. Modern automotive paint finishes are typically flexible enough to allow for effective PDR. Generally, the shallower the dent, the better the results. Even dents several inches wide can often be repaired if the metal and paint have not been overstretched.

While many dents and creases can be restored to an excellent condition by an experienced technician, extremely sharp dents or severe metal stretching may require alternative repair methods.