Paintless Dent Repair (PDR)

[TheOilWizard]

I have a 2015 Ford Focus that I purchased brand new. Per BITOG standards, I've taken care of the vehicle over it's life with full services, regular washes and details, etc.

Naturally, over 8 years of ownership and being a daily driver, there are a number of small (dime sized or smaller) "door dings" along both sides of the vehicle. Nothing that is super obvious or would be considered unusual for the age.

I figured, why not invest some money into the vehicle and see about getting it PDR'd, restoring it closer to it's original new condition? A friend of mine recommended a PDR shop in town that he had used and was very satisfied with.

I get the estimate, and the grand total? $2,800 to PDR 4 panels (all 4 doors). This particular shop will only do a minimum of a single panel - they will not let you pick the particular dents you want repaired, which makes sense to me. Helps avoid the "I wanted this dent fixed, not that one!" situations.

No thanks, normal wear and tear, the door dings can stay..

Just wanted to share this experience since I was under the impression that PDR was somehow cost effective. I suppose it's all relative.

 

[SC Maintenance]

How many dents?

I would get a second estimate. Sounds pretty high to me.

 

[KGMtech]

I've never shopped this service, but it does seem expensive based on what I read.

 

[joekingcorvette]

I have had some good results with the do it yourself paintless glue sticks and dent repair kits. It takes practice but in most instances they work ok.

 

[atikovi]

I get the estimate, and the grand total? $2,800 to PDR 4 panels (all 4 doors).

That's the, "I mostly work on Mercedes and Jaguars" price, instead of telling you to just go away. Find a mobile PDR guy that dealers use. The last time I checked it was like $50 for the first ding and $20-$30 for additional ones.

 

[TheOilWizard]

That's the, "I mostly work on Mercedes and Jaguars" price, instead of telling you to just go away. Find a mobile PDR guy that dealers use. The last time I checked it was like $50 for the first ding and $20-$30 for additional ones.

I agree, or the "I only work on insurance claims" price.

 

[TheOilWizard]

How many dents?

I would get a second estimate. Sounds pretty high to me.

They counted 21 in total, but I could walk around the car and pick out maybe 6 or 7 under normal conditions. Their count seemed very high to me, but I suspect that with their detailing light they were able to find small dings that would not normally be noticeable to the eye. In fairness, the majority of these dings are on a body line that seems to be the natural impact point for someone's door. I've heard body line repairs are more involved and therefore cost more.

 

[HowAboutThis]

I have a 2015 Ford Focus that I purchased brand new. Per BITOG standards, I've taken care of the vehicle over it's life with full services, regular washes and details, etc.

Naturally, over 8 years of ownership and being a daily driver, there are a number of small (dime sized or smaller) "door dings" along both sides of the vehicle. Nothing that is super obvious or would be considered unusual for the age.

I figured, why not invest some money into the vehicle and see about getting it PDR'd, restoring it closer to it's original new condition? A friend of mine recommended a PDR shop in town that he had used and was very satisfied with.

I get the estimate, and the grand total? $2,800 to PDR 4 panels (all 4 doors). This particular shop will only do a minimum of a single panel - they will not let you pick the particular dents you want repaired, which makes sense to me. Helps avoid the "I wanted this dent fixed, not that one!" situations.

No thanks, normal wear and tear, the door dings can stay..

Just wanted to share this experience since I was under the impression that PDR was somehow cost effective. I suppose it's all relative.

I had one done for about $90 about 3 years ago. It took him about an hour. For $2800 you either have a ton of dents or you need to shop around. My opinion.

 

[The Critic]

That's the, "I mostly work on Mercedes and Jaguars" price, instead of telling you to just go away. Find a mobile PDR guy that dealers use. The last time I checked it was like $50 for the first ding and $20-$30 for additional ones.

My guy starts at $2-300 per panel and that price is for 1-2 dings.

 

[atikovi]

My guy starts at $2-300 per panel and that price is for 1-2 dings.

HAHA, had whole roof and 4 pillars stripped down and repainted for $450 on my Grand Am,

 

[ls1mike]

I have had some good results with the do it yourself paintless glue sticks and dent repair kits. It takes practice but in most instances they work ok.

I have also. I got a kit off Amazon and was able to get a ton of door dings and other minor dents out. You just have to take your time.

 

[andrew_j]

HAHA, had whole roof and 4 pillars stripped down and repainted for $450 on my Grand Am,
View attachment 189701

How many significant dents were in the roof?

 

[atikovi]

How many significant dents were in the roof?

That the paint was peeling and had to taken down to bare metal takes as much time as getting out a bunch of dents, if that's what you're getting at.

 

[John105]

That's the, "I mostly work on Mercedes and Jaguars" price, instead of telling you to just go away. Find a mobile PDR guy that dealers use. The last time I checked it was like $50 for the first ding and $20-$30 for additional ones.

This is what I was thinking, have times changed? I have a small one picked up in June that only I’ll ever find, but it bugs me knowing it happened when I always park far away and curb the car. I was thinking one day I’d drop $100 and remove it. Not $2800….

 

[DuckRyder]

I think you got the “I don’t want to do it” price because for 21 dents on 4 doors that’s not a little high it is idiotic.

 

[JohnnyG]

Had two significant dents repaired on my previous Mercedes. Both on one front (aluminum) fender, $300.00.

 

[97prizm]

I have a 2015 Ford Focus that I purchased brand new. Per BITOG standards, I've taken care of the vehicle over it's life with full services, regular washes and details, etc.

Naturally, over 8 years of ownership and being a daily driver, there are a number of small (dime sized or smaller) "door dings" along both sides of the vehicle. Nothing that is super obvious or would be considered unusual for the age.

I figured, why not invest some money into the vehicle and see about getting it PDR'd, restoring it closer to it's original new condition? A friend of mine recommended a PDR shop in town that he had used and was very satisfied with.

I get the estimate, and the grand total? $2,800 to PDR 4 panels (all 4 doors). This particular shop will only do a minimum of a single panel - they will not let you pick the particular dents you want repaired, which makes sense to me. Helps avoid the "I wanted this dent fixed, not that one!" situations.

No thanks, normal wear and tear, the door dings can stay..

Just wanted to share this experience since I was under the impression that PDR was somehow cost effective. I suppose it's all relative.

Check out some of the local dealerships. If work gets slow you can sometimes have the pdr company they use cut you a deal. I did this with a windshield replacement company that contracted with a dealership that I worked for. Only one windshield needed replacement so while he was there I asked the guy if he'd fix a couple of rock chips in my windshield. He cut me a great deal, plus he made a little extra.

 

[Gasbuggy]

That's a rip. Keep looking

 

[Fordiesel69]

I have a 2015 Ford Focus that I purchased brand new. Per BITOG standards, I've taken care of the vehicle over it's life with full services, regular washes and details, etc.

Naturally, over 8 years of ownership and being a daily driver, there are a number of small (dime sized or smaller) "door dings" along both sides of the vehicle. Nothing that is super obvious or would be considered unusual for the age.

I figured, why not invest some money into the vehicle and see about getting it PDR'd, restoring it closer to it's original new condition? A friend of mine recommended a PDR shop in town that he had used and was very satisfied with.

I get the estimate, and the grand total? $2,800 to PDR 4 panels (all 4 doors). This particular shop will only do a minimum of a single panel - they will not let you pick the particular dents you want repaired, which makes sense to me. Helps avoid the "I wanted this dent fixed, not that one!" situations.

No thanks, normal wear and tear, the door dings can stay..

Just wanted to share this experience since I was under the impression that PDR was somehow cost effective. I suppose it's all relative.

Way high. Locally its $75 per dent. Small dime size are half that.

 

[RhondaHonda]

I have a friend that does it. He typically makes $2-3,000/day in hail claims and that’s doing a car with a lot more than 21 dents. Shop around, I’d suspect you can get 4 doors done for $500-$700 cash. Personally, on a 9 year old, daily driver economy car, I wouldn’t spend that much but I can appreciate you wanting to keep it looking fresh.