Purchased car new, just made first payment, and now hail damage.
It’s just heartbreaking. Unfortunately, this is not an uncommon scenario, especially in Austin, TX. The good news is that it CAN be repaired with paintless dent repair to its ‘brand new’ pre-damaged condition.
Even though paintless dent removal has been around for nearly a century, many vehicle owners don’t know much about it. In this article, we will discuss the history of the technique. If your vehicle is a good candidate for PDR, the auto hail repair process, share some before-and-after photos and a video showing a technician using the technique on a hail-damaged vehicle.
The History of Paintless Dent Repair
Paintless dent repair is a specialized technique that has been used to repair dents and dings for nearly a century. It started in 1931 with a man named Frank T. Sargent, who published a book called “The Key to Metal Bumping.”
The Key to Metal Bumping by Frank T. Sargent
Thirty years later, paintless dent repair was further refined and put to perfect use by a man named Oskar Flaig. In 1960, at the “International Motor Sports Show” in NYC, Flaig’s primary function was to repair any paint and dent damage produced by the public during the day so that the vehicles would look like new for the next day’s show. He discovered that if he pushed gently on the back side of a dent with a hammer handle, the dent disappeared without repainting!
Today, paintless dent repair is synonymous with auto hail damage repair in Austin and all over the world. Experienced PDR technicians can reverse the dent & ding damage caused by hail without the use of fillers, sanding, and repainting. This saves the factory finish on your vehicle, which cannot be replicated or reproduced.
Paintless Dent Repair for Auto Hail Damage
What kind of damage qualifies for paintless dent repair?
As long as the paint surface is intact, it can be repaired. Common practical uses for paintless dent repair are hail damage, door dings, creases, body line dents, and minor collision damage.
Even if the vehicle is brand new, right out of production, it can be 100% repaired and restored to its showroom floor condition. A PDR repair will not show up on a CarFax as the damage was reversed. It is not uncommon for our customers to claim we used some kind of sorcery when they see their severely hail-damaged vehicle returned to its pre-damaged condition.
Allen Sparks, Austin, TX Customer Review
“I worked with Andrew during the whole ordeal, and he was great. He approached me at my house, and I showed him my car, which had hail damage. He handled all the back-and-forth with my insurance, which was amazing.
Andrew also went above and beyond with the rental car and is a true expert in his industry. I had a reservation with Enterprise, but he suspected that the local enterprise shop might not have a car for me. He showed up before me at the enterprise and got my reservation moved to an enterprise that had a car. He saved me over an hour of time with that alone. Additionally, they were always willing to Uber me to/from their shop or rental car place to pick up my car or rental if needed.
Andrew and the others were also kind enough to explain the inner workings of the insurance industry and how things shake out with the back-and-forth. I’m a nerd like that, and I like to know how things work.
I did not have a deductible but was given a credit, so that was great.
TL:DR: Andrew and the entire outfit are awesome, honest people. If something wasn’t right, they went out of their way to make it right. They were a pleasure to work with, and they gave me warmth and fuzzies. Oh, yeah, my car is fixed, too.”
Read more reviews from our auto hail repair Austin customers here.
What kind of damage does not qualify for paintless dent repair?
Factors such as paint damage, stretched metal, or an already re-painted panel can inhibit the success of a PDR repair.
Other FAQ About Paintless Dent Repair
What if my hail-damaged car has paint damage?
Superior Dent Solutions started as a paintless dent repair exclusive shop in 2016. In 2023, we added a full-service auto body shop complete with paint and glass repair/replacement.
When should I get my hail damage repaired?
After a severe hail catastrophe, insurance companies get busy, and Austin paintless dent repair and auto body shops get slammed. It is always a good idea to start your hail damage claim ASAP. This doesn’t mean you have to get your vehicle repaired immediately, but it does start the repair process.
The Austin Auto Hail Repair Process
What are my next steps in the auto hail repair process?
Schedule Inspection
While you wait for the insurance adjuster to inspect your vehicle, you can start shopping around for a paintless dent repair shop in Austin. Schedule an inspection with a paintless dent repair shop. At SDS, this gets you into our system and essentially saves your place in line because we’ve already accessed the damage and will know the next steps after your adjuster gets you their estimate.
Insurance Adjuster Estimate
We consider the estimate from your insurance company to be simply a starting point. Many estimates are written up after a video inspection. They are well aware that not all of the damage was accounted for and expect a supplement request from whatever repair shop you decide to take your vehicle to. We do have to have that initial insurance estimate before we start any repairs on a vehicle.
Rental Car Reservation or SDS Loan Car
After your claim has been filed and you have rental car reimbursement on your policy, you should get a rental reserved ASAP. We can help you with this by calling the rental agency and setting you up. If your policy does not cover a rental car, we will get you in line to use one of our customer loaner cars.
If your repair takes longer than the car rental allowance designated by your policy, we will cover the overage amount by cutting you a check once the repairs have been completed.
Schedule Vehicle Pick-Up or Vehicle Drop Off for Repair
Once you have your insurance estimate, we schedule the vehicle for repair. Together, we schedule a day that works best for your schedule. If you drop off your vehicle at Superior Dent Solutions, we will put you in an Uber to pick up your rental car.
Before any work is done on your vehicle, we thoroughly re-inspect it. We circle all of the damage and compare it to your insurance company’s estimate.
Supplement Request
Any missed damage will be recorded in a supplement request and immediately submitted to your insurance company. Once the supplement request is approved, we will contact you to let you know that your vehicle is ready for repair.
Part Replacements
Sometimes, panels need to be replaced, and parts need to be ordered. These can be side mirrors, windshields, vehicle panels, sunroofs, body rails, etc. We will text you at every step of the repair.
Paint
If your vehicle has paint damage, the hail damage is repaired first and then it is prepped for paint. Again, we will send you text updates as your vehicle moves through the auto hail repair process.
Paintless Dent Repair Technique Video
Schedule Your Free Hail Damage Inspection
Superior Dent Solutions offers free hail damage inspections at our shop located in Liberty Hill, TX. To schedule a home inspection, please call us at 512-999-7909.
