Paintless "ding" repair

[49er]

 Back in 1970 my car was parked in front of a restaurant (Chuck's steak house) in Marina Del Rey CA. When I came out a 1950's vintage DeSoto station wagon was parked a couple of feet from the SL and sure enough the SOB put a ding right in the middle of the driver's door. It was small but certainly noticeable, especially to me. All these years it has bugged me but I was always afraid repair would worsen the condition so I just lived with it. A couple of days ago I took a chance and took the car to a local paintless dent removal shop and was truly amazed how well the job came out. Virtually undetectable. So for those of you out there that are considering using this technology and know of a qualified shop, I highly recommend this procedure.

John   

[CCollum]

Thank you, John! I'm going to do the same in the next week or two. Hoping it comes out as well as yours.

[mclewis]

I had it done last year with great results.  I also was apprehensive about how it would work on 50 year old aluminum, but there were no problems.

[specracer]

I hoping to find a similar person in south east MA. I have not found them yet.

One thing I bet wont happen again, ever..... Getting doored by a DeSoto.

Glad you had a great experience.

[Jonny B]

I will add my report on good results also. I had a small depression on the trunk (boot) lid and the fellow was able to take it right out.

The key consideration is for them to be able to access behind the ding/dent.

[dirtrack49]

I have contemplated having the same done to my 66 230SL. All of the paint with the exception of the right rear fender is original.

My problem, there are approximately 60 plus dings in this car. When it sat for years in a garage, other car doors were opened up on it. On the left rear fender alone, there are over 20 dings all in a row for about a foot. It also has dings in both doors and on the trunk lid. This car was not taken care of to say the least.

Someone a few years ago, told me that they charge by the panel, not the individual ding. Any truth to that? And how can you remove dings from not only steel, but aluminum, without stretching out the metal or popping the old paint?

Tom L.
 

[johnk]

Its amazing to me that somehow they can put even deep dings back into place. I had this done several times when I had a new red full size car in a narrow two car garage with three small kids. Each time the results were perfect.

[thelews]

the biggest risk is the old paint cracking.

[Rick]

Its not workable for everything, but it is wonderful for the right kind of ding.

I hate dings.   In 1982, I parked my car clear across an empty parking lot, in an end stall at Stanford University.  Some Jack_ _ _ in a junky chevy wagon went clear across the empty parking lot and parked right beside me and put a big ding in my door.  I have to wonder if it was on purpose.  35 years later and I am still ticked off - 

[waltklatt]

I'm sure everyone suffers the same fate, but how they have increased in the last few years.
I've got two round hammer head dents in my car, right between the glass and the jamb of both passenger side doors.  Hammer head marks, because I took my hammer and compared the perfect round dents and it fit(Haha, not my hammer). 
Geez, what are they doing these days?
Will have to replace the door with another original same color door in the future (when ready to sell).

Paintless dent repair is a great idea and will take car in for the other dents.

Is the cost calculated by the dent, location, size or panel??

[114015]

Walter...,

Is the cost calculated by the dent, location, size or panel??

Basically it depends on the service or the repair person perfoming this job.
But mainly costs are based on time and effort needed. Not so much about the number or severity of dents.
Time and effort - as in most workshop facilities.
 

Best,
Achim

[rgafitanu@gmail.com]

Specracer, when you find a paintless ding repair shop in MA let us know. I have a ding that bothers me.

[specracer]

^^^ Will do!

[dpreston Virginia]

I have used paintless dent repair numerous times on old and new cars. Amazing what they can do. I usually spend $200 on repairing multiple dents. He heats up older paint to try and keep the cracking to a minimum. He fixed a big door and fender dent on my Pagoda and you can’t find where they were.
Fantastic value. I always give my guy a good tip for future work.

[Tomnistuff]

I know this is a paintless ding removal discussion, but I thought I would ask about the group's experience with paintless ding removal with concurrent paint damage.

Although there are automobile dents without paint scratches, which prompted the creation of the wonderful “paintless dent removal” service industry, and there are automobile paint scratches without dents, which prompted the creation of the “paint touchup product and service industry”, my personal experience with dents and paint scratches has almost always been that one seldom (in my case only once) occurs without the other.

Every time I have asked a paint scratch repair guy about fixing a scratch residing in a dent, he says I need to go to a body shop.  Every time I have asked a paintless dent removal guy about fixing a dent with a scratch at its center, he too says I need to go to a body shop.

I’m sorry if I hurt someone’s feelings, but for me, sheet metal is sheet metal and paint is paint and they require two different repair techniques.  I see no reason why, if they coincide, they cannot be repaired sequentially by the same person using the two techniques that are ideal for the two types of damage.

I have great respect for the talent of people I’ve met who do paintless dent removal.  I think it is a wonderful technique, but they seem terrorized by the idea of working on paint.

I have been less impressed with the products sold to do paint scratch repairs, not because of the product, but because their videos typically do not show the quality of the repair.  They often repair chips in white paint where there is no detail to be seen, or use lighting that does not allow the repaired area to show the repair result.  Sometimes they even photograph a tiny repair from far away.

An exception to the “shows nothing” paint damage repair video tape sales technique seems to be a company called www.Car-Scratch-Remover.com.  They have a lot of youtube videos of many types of paint repairs of clear coat, paint and primers in many colors of paint with types of lighting that show real results.  I bought their products but have not used them yet.  That’s my last job in the springtime.

I plan to fix the paint myself then take the car to a paintless dent removal guy that has worked for me on the one “dent only” job that I had to have fixed.  It would be easier for me if he fixed the dent first without touching the paint scratch, but I don’t know if I can convince him to do that.

NOTE:  I’m not recommending this company, since I haven’t used their products or techniques yet, but I would appreciate comments if there is anyone here who has experience with them.  Also, I can’t find fault with their videos of paint repairs using their products, so I would also appreciate opinions and comments about their youtube how-to videos from anyone who decides to investigate them.

Tom Kizer – Levis, Quebec, Canada

[chrislohrcdm]

Can you recommend a place that is in Los Angeles for paintless ding repair? 

Also, what are some good tires with white walls for my 1969 280sl?


Thank you!

[neelyrc]

Also, what are some good tires with white walls for my 1969 280sl?

Chrislohrcdm, if you search "white wall tires" in the search function above (forth button to the right of "Home"), you will see that there has been quite a bit of discussion on this subject.

I went with Maxxis last year but you will see that there are a number of choices available.   

[chrislohrcdm]

Thank you!

Also, car refer a good "paintless" ding repair company in Los Angeles? 

I appreciate all the help!!

[StevenF]

Has anyone tried one of these?
https://www.ebay.com/i/272394179289?chn=ps

[49er]

 In addition to the ding I had repaired in the drivers door this past December, there was another series of three small dents in the passenger door that I finally got around to having repaired yesterday. Back in the summer of 1974, the car suffered an act of vandalism while parked at where I worked. Some unknown individual came along and threw bottles at the car breaking the passenger window and denting the passenger door right before the handle. the dent was not too obvious except to me and like the small ding in the driver’s door, I lived with it for all these years. I am now happy to say the car is totally dent free and looks as good as the day it rolled off the assembly line. Here are a couple of before and after photos.

John