Superior Dent Solutions

Paintless Dent & Auto Hail Repair: Austin & San Antonio

Paintless Dent Repair

Austin Hail Storm Damage Goes Beyond Dents & Dings

When hail season hits in Austin, the damage can go beyond dents & dings.

This article touches on some dangers that can arise after the storm.

Since we started our business in 2016, the auto hail repair industry has changed—some for the better, some for the worse.

Not only do hail-damaged car owners have to deal with the headaches that come with getting their cars repaired, but they are also faced with parking lot stalkers, circus tent set-ups, out-of-town hail chasers, and auto hail repair company scammers and impersonators. 

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CircusTent Dent Repair
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Parking Lot Dent Repair Guy Stalker

Austin Auto Hail Repair Scam Red Flags.

Parking Lot Stalkers

The persuasive stranger claiming to “fix” dents in your car. You can find them lurking in big box parking lots, car washes, and grocery stores. They promise a quick fix at a low cost. Even if you refuse, they harass you, follow you home, and/or “fix” your car while you’re not looking and then demand money. 

Out-of-Town Hail Chasers

Auto hail repair is an insurance-driven industry, which makes it very appealing for paintless dent repair technicians who don’t drum in enough business with door dings & parking lot mishaps. Some of these technicians might be good at the art of dent repair, but when the storm is over, they take their lifetime warranty guarantee with them.

Circus Tent Set-Ups

They come in all shapes, sizes, and colors, but one thing is for sure: they are hail chasers. Like the parking lot stalker, these pop-up dent repair guys love big box stores, supermarkets, and abandoned roadside parking lots. They make their living on the go, following hail storms like the ‘deadheads’ followed The Grateful Dead back in the 70s, but instead of smelling like patchouli – they smell of empty promises and subpar repairs.

Scammers & Impersonators

This particular ‘red flag’ was inspired by an actual impersonator experience we had with a couple of paintless dent repair company competitors of ours. They say impersonation is one of the biggest forms of flattery, but we certainly didn’t take it that way. We received a phone call from a gentleman who suspected he was being scammed by a sales guy claiming to work for us. We were concerned and surprised but just assumed it was a one-time-thing. Then, it happened again.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on Identifying and Handling the Red Flags of Auto Hail Repair in Austin

What are some common ‘tells’ that the person or company wanting to repair my car hail damage is a questionable character?

They approach you in a parking lot, make big promises, and don’t seem that interested in your vehicle. They offer you a cheap repair on the spot. They don’t have a website, and you can’t find them on Google or anywhere else when researching who they are.

How can I tell if this dent repair company is local or from out of town?

Number one, Google them. If you can’t find them as a legitimate Austin auto hail repair company, decline. If you do find them on Google or social media, check for reviews. A quick Google search can save you time and potentially thousands of dollars.

Is this dent-guy for real?

First of all, if this is a thought that pops into your head, they are likely not. If you choose to go against your better judgment, because it happens to all of us, ask for a business card. Ask them questions like Do you work for a local Austin shop? How many years have you been repairing hail damage? Do you have any pictures of your work? Do you have a website? What proof do you have that you are a legitimate paintless dent repair technician? 

How does the parking lot dent repair scam work?

BBB says, “A person approaches you in the parking lot of a store stating they noticed dents on your car. It just so happens that they work at a body shop and can fix them for you! They promise to charge much less than what a shop would and they can make the repairs on the spot while you are shopping. The “repair person” may try to appeal to your altruistic side by claiming that you would be supporting their small business”.

Real-life encounter stories of dent repair scammers.

Parking lot dent repair scam.
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Paintless Dent Repair: How It Works and Helps You

Dents in the sheet metal of your car, no matter how small, can diminish the look of the car, and lower the value substantially. For many years,repairing a dent meant repainting the car after the repair. That is not always the case now, and paintless dent repair is becoming a popular option for many people with hail damage or parking lot door dings.

Understanding Paintless Dent Repair

Paintless dent repair, PDR as it is often referred to, is a method of removing dents from your vehicle, without having to repaint that vehicle after the repair is made.In the past, an autobody technician would strip the paint off the panel, work the dent out, and skin over it with body filler. That method would require the shop to repaint the area where the damage was.Today, a technicians uses some special rods and picks to push out the dent from the backside of the panel, which allows the technician to restore the sheet metal without the need for body filler and avoiding the dreaded repaint.

Can My Vehicle Be Restored With Paintless Dent Repair

How do you know if your car is a good candidate for paintless dent repair? The best way to find out is to take the vehicle to a shop that specializes in paintless dent repair. The tech will look the damage over, and tell you if the car is a good candidate or not.

The car needs to have steel or aluminum body panel for the technique to work and some flexibility in the paint. Dents that are extremely deep, have a sharp crease and chipped paint, or dents on a sharp body line may not be ideal candidates for the PDR process.

Hail Damage & Paintless Dent Repair

Hail damage is perhaps the most common damage that technicians repair with paintless dent repair. The damage is frequently on the roof, hood, and trunk lid of the car. Since those panels are somewhat flat, they are easier to work with and remove the dent using paintless dent repair.

The technician will remove the headliner inside the car to access the underside of the panel, but once that is out of the way, he can work each dent until he is happy with the progress, then move to the next one.Sometimes the dent is too deep to remove with PDR if the car was hit by a large hailstone, but even large dents can benefit from the technique. Pushing out the dents from under the panel can reduce the amount of body filler needed to make the final repair.

Hailstones large enough to produce damage of that magnitude often damage glass and other parts of the vehicle, so repainting is likely going to happen anyway, but saving some sanding and grinding can reduce the cost and repair time.

Superior Dent Solutions specializes in paintless dent repair. We can take a look at the damage on your car and give you a quote for the work right away. Come and see us today for a free estimate and we can answer any question you have.