 | Jeff Wood is owner of Vietti’s Auto Body & Alignment in Pittsburg and has 27 years of experience in the body shop. He has Co-Owned & owned Vietti’s Auto Body & Alignment since September ‘99. Jeff graduated from the auto body tech program at Pitt State. He was also an insurance adjuster for Mid State in Joplin for 2 years. |
Automotive Service & Repair
2011-04-01 14:13:00
Local vs. non-local PDR
Question: What is PDR, and are these out of state PDR vendors actually a good deal?
Answer: Kansas weather can produce severe storms in a matter of minutes that leave behind significant damage that must be addressed by vehicle owners. Hail, in particular, can cause a tremendous amount of damage and leaves vehicle owners with some choices.
In the past, conventional repair was a process the body shops used. In this process, bigger dents the size of golf balls were pulled out, filled and primed, then ready to paint. When a panel was covered with too many large dents, it had to be replaced. This process was very time consuming and not cost effective. Sometimes both processes had to be used to take care of some harder hit cars.
PDR, or paintless dent repair, is an increasingly popular option. With this process, PDR professionals are able to remove hail dents without painting, leaving the car’s original finish intact. PDR takes care of the smaller dents, usually 50 cent piece size or less. This process is definitely more cost effective and has a quicker turnaround time, usually of a day or two.
Local vs. Non-local PDR
One of the choices that many people face with vehicles that have sustained hail damage is where to take it for repairs. Very frequently, after a storm, PDR vendors will come in to town, set up shop for a short time offering PDR services, offering incredible deals. As in anything else, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. Vehicle owners may be tempted to consider the services that are often strategically priced under common deductibles, but may get more than they bargained for.
Before spending hard earned cash, here are a few things to consider about short-term vendors:
•There is no way to know the
training or experience of short-term
vendors.
•Frequently results in “outies” which
look like hail damage but pushed
out.
•If the work is sub-par, there is
often no recourse and insurance
will not cover fixing the original or
added damage.
•Short-term vendors follow storms,
so if a larger hail storm is predicted
somewhere else, they must move
to where the money is, regardless
of how many people they have
scheduled in the current location.
Local PDR
When done professionally, PDR results in a finished product that has been returned to pre-hail damage state. PDR falls under the “comp” deductible and local professionals work directly with insurance companies to assure that the customer’s interests are being represented.
•Your vehicle retains its original
factory finish
•No fillers, grinding, sanding flaws,
or paint mismatches
•Cost effective
•30-60 minute turnaround on
most door dings and dents. 1-2
days turnaround on hail damaged
vehicles
•Environmentally friendly process
•Lifetime warranty
When a repair matters, local vendors execute restoration with quality craftsmanship and provide long-term personal service that can be relied upon.
