Body Line Dent Repair Without Repainting
A body line is one of the sharp styling lines pressed into a door, fender or quarter panel. When a dent lands on one of those lines, it is harder to fix than a dent in the flat middle of a panel, because the line has to come back straight and crisp. Many body line dents can still be repaired with paintless dent repair (PDR), keeping the factory paint.
Why body lines are harder
Our 2013 Mazda 5 write-up puts it simply: a body line dent is “a little bit more complex than the average dent.” On a 2013 Ford F-150, a dent crossed over three body lines and was “very time consuming,” but it came out with the factory paint kept on the truck. The metal in a body line is stiffer, and any wave along the line is easy to see.
Reading the reflection
From our 2013 Hyundai Sonata write-up: “We work off of reflection,” and “Perfection is in the reflection” and “The lines don’t lie.” That is why you see line boards and lights in our photos. When the repair is finished, we like to show you the spot under the lights, from different angles, so you can see the line for yourself.
Body line repairs from our files
- 2015 Chevy Traverse. A driver’s rear door body line, original paint kept.
- 2015 Ford Edge, tri-coat white. A rear quarter body line, with the factory finish kept.
- 2016 Jeep Cherokee. A sharp body line door dent with paint transfer, removed without damage to the finish.
- 2012 Subaru. A body line dent in the fender.
- 2014 Chevy Silverado. Body line dents.
Keeping hard-to-match paint
Some colors are hard to match in a body shop. Tri-coat whites and pearls, like the Ford Edge above, are good examples. Keeping the factory finish with PDR means no blending and no color mismatch across panels, as long as the paint is not chipped or cracked.
Parking lots and extra setup
A near-new 2015 pearl white Denali picked up a sharp body line dent in a parking lot. Getting to it took removing and reinstalling interior trim panels (R&I), plus heat and bracing inside the door. Setup like that is part of why body line work is priced on the car in front of us. Our estimating guideline and PDR language page explain those terms.
If someone has already tried
Our Sonata had a fender body line that had been through a poor do-it-yourself attempt, and it was saved. Not every dent can be saved after that, so please read our do-it-yourself warning first. If the dent is a sharp fold rather than a round push, it is a crease, and many of those can be repaired too.
See also our guide to creased dents.
In-shop repairs only. We don’t offer mobile service. Drive-in customers are welcome at either shop during its open days.
Drive in to Springfield (Monday to Wednesday) or Lincoln (Thursday to Saturday). Directions are on Services & Areas.
Get an estimate
Call 217-306-4175, email 217Dent@gmail.com, or send us the details on our contact page. Estimates are free. We bring more than 30 years of paintless dent repair experience to every estimate.
In-shop repairs only. We don’t offer mobile service. Drive-in customers are welcome at either shop.
- Springfield: 550 North Street, Suite 2, Springfield, IL 62704. Monday to Wednesday, 9:00 to 5:00.
- Lincoln: 2009 N. Kickapoo St, Lincoln, IL 62656. Thursday to Saturday, 9:00 to 5:00.
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