Paintless Dent Repair Explained
Paintless Dent & Hail Repair | Springfield & Lincoln, Illinois
Paintless dent repair
Paintless Dent Repair, Explained
Paintless dent repair (PDR) works the metal back into shape from behind the panel, so the factory paint stays on the car. Here is what that looks like in our shop, with real vehicles we are working on.
How a PDR repair works at 217 Dent
Inspect under PDR lights
Hail and dents hide in normal light. Our estimating guidelines call for a cleaned vehicle, looked at indoors, with professional PDR lighting equipment.
Get to the back of the dent
To reach the back of a panel we may remove and reinstall parts, called R&I. For a roof that can mean dropping the headliner. For a door it can mean taking off the inside door panel or the glass.
Push it out, or glue pull it
Tools push the dent out from behind. When we cannot get a tool behind a dent, we glue pull it from the outside. That takes longer, but done right the result is the same.
Keep the factory paint
PDR needs paint in good condition. Cracked or chipped paint means paintless dent repair may not be the right fit, and we confirm the best repair at your in-person inspection.
What the PDR light shows
A PDR light board throws straight lines of light across the paint. A dent bends or breaks those lines, so it stands out. These close-ups are from real 217 Dent jobs: a 2025 Toyota Highlander Hybrid and a 2012 Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon.
Real example: 2024 Toyota Tundra
This 2024 Toyota Tundra came in with extreme hail damage. Its hood, doors and bedsides are aluminum, and all of them need specialized aluminum PDR technique.
- Aluminum: hood, doors, bedsides
In the photo the headliner is dropped so we can reach the roof from inside, a PDR light board sits on the roof, and the rear door is open.
Aluminum panels require additional time and specialized tools.
Steel vs. aluminum on the same car
The black 2012 Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon in our shop has extreme hail damage on panels made of different materials:
- Aluminum: hood
- Steel: roof, fenders, doors, quarter panels, lower liftgate
- Fiberglass: upper liftgate
The steel roof and the aluminum hood both have hail dents, but they do not behave the same. The aluminum hood needs specialized aluminum PDR technique, just like the Tundra’s aluminum hood, doors and bedsides.
Steel wants to go back where it came from. Aluminum does not, so it has to be worked in smaller steps.
More on this in Aluminum hood and truck dent repair.
Also in the shop
Other recent vehicles in our shop include a black 2025 Toyota Highlander Hybrid and a 2025 Toyota Tacoma SR. You can see them on our photo page.
Is my dent a good fit?
Not every dent can be fixed without paint. Start with our PDR checklist, read about creases, and look up any shop words in PDR language. Our older article How does paintless dent removal work? covers the basics too.
Related pages
Get your estimate
Contact us online, or call either number. Estimates are free.
Get your estimateSpringfield
550 North Street, Suite 2
Springfield, IL 62704
Monday to Wednesday, 9 to 5
Lincoln
2009 N. Kickapoo St
Lincoln, IL 62656
Thursday to Saturday, 9 to 5
In-shop repairs only. No mobile service is available.
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