Blog Post

5 Reasons You Should Choose A PDR Specialty Shop vs. a Traditional Body Shop

February 18, 2025

The body content of your post goes here. To edit this text, click on it and delete this default text and start typing your own or paste your own from a different source.

There are things to know when choosing your auto hail repair shop. Paintless Dent Repair, aka PDR, is the most favored method to remove dents from a vehicle. There are 5 top reasons to choose a PDR specialty shop vs. a conventional auto body shop.

Body shop technicians specialize in replacement vs. restoring. This means they will typically use fillers, resins, primers, and other additives to cover dents. These can require sanding, grinding, and factory paint matching. Cosmetically it may appear as a professional paint job, but over the years it could fade, oxidize, or even begin peeling and no longer have the integrity of your factory paint.
PDR is a specialized skill that takes practice and experience to be the best. The best PDR technicians are expensive to staff, so most body shops hire contractors seasonally, or on an “as needed” basis. This means the quality of work can vary from each repaired vehicle. Successful PDR shops know to keep the best PDR techs with year-round employment and a competitive salary to maintain the production of quality work.
When doing PDR, there is a shorter process since you are not involving body shop paint. This eliminates additional wait time with the drying, curing, and hardening of paint after they finish repairs.
PDR is the most eco-friendly because no harsh chemicals or solvents are used that are harmful to our environment. Your carbon footprint will be reduced because we are not replacing any major parts that will cause waste or use resources.
Traditional body shops are usually 50%-80% more if an individual is paying out of pocket instead of using insurance. This is because it is less labor intensive and doesn’t require paintwork.

Keep in mind that even though PDR is the preferred method, not all dents qualify for this technique. Dents with compromised paint (cracked or deep scratched), or dents in body lines (sharp creases) cannot be properly repaired with PDR. Some dents might not be accessible from inside panels which disqualifies those for PDR as well.

< Older Post

Newer Post >

You've Been Through Hail & Need The 411

Hail stone layers from circulation in the cloud

How Are Hail Storms Formed?

By Jessica Black • March 3, 2025

When a thunderstorm has an updraft of water droplets, they can be lifted into freezing air temperatures, especially with stronger winds. Once this point is reached, the droplets freeze on contact and become pellets. These pellets will circulate within the cloud and continue to collect more cold-water droplets causing the ice pellets to grow larger. They will continue to go through this cycle until they become too heavy for the updraft to hold them, and then fall to the ground as hail stones. The strength of the updraft will determine the number of times the pellet cycles which will control the final size of the hailstone. When you are able to see hail falling in paths, it is known as a hail swath. There have been swaths know to be several acres up to over 100 miles long. Here are some cool hail facts: If it hails during a rain storm, it can cause the sky to turn green since hailstones reflect the entire spectrum of sunlight. \ It’s hard to measure how fast hail falls from the cloud. National Severe Storms Laboratory says a 2 ¾ inch baseball-sized hailstone can get up to 100mph. Hail typically falls in 5-10 minutes because of its fast movement and short bursts of energy. Sometimes it can last 30 minutes to 1 hour. If you break open a hailstone, you can usually see the layers to show how many times the pellet circulated before getting heavy and falling.