PDR 101 – What You Need to Know with Appearance 1st Automotive

Have you heard of Paintless Dent Repair or PDR?

If not, then you are at the right place to learn and you will be surprised by the benefits and results of Paintless Dent Repair (PDR) compared to a traditional dent repair. But first, let’s discuss what Paintless Dent Repair is and how you can determine if the dents, dings or creases on your car qualify it for a PDR.

Determining if your dents and dings qualify for a PDR is important because, as you will soon learn, PDR is your best option to repair any dents, dings, creases or hail damage on your car’s body.

Let’s dive right in and discuss the basics of PDR.

PDR 101 – What Is Paintless Dent Repair (PDR)?

PDR is the latest and most innovative dent repair method that involves various PDR techniques to repair dents, dings and hail damage. Only a certified PDR technician fully understands these techniques and is qualified enough to professionally practice on commercial cars.

If you are in or around Jacksonville, Florida, Appearance 1st Automotive (A1A) is the best place to find well experienced and certified PDR technicians.

PDR 101 – How to Determine If PDR Is an Option for Your Dents & Dings

Here is how you can determine whether the dents, dings, creases or hail damage on your car can be repaired using PDR.

  • Inspect the dents for paint damage. If there is no paint damage, even in dent clusters of hail damage, PDR is the best option for your dent repair
  • If there is slight paint damage, PDR may still be the best option because it is capable of correcting minor paint damage
  • Lastly, consult an A1A certified PDR technician to best guide you on your options. You can even get a quick quote through call or text
PDR 101 – Benefits of Professional PDR

A professional PDR is better than traditional dent repair in every aspect. It provides superior results and great benefits, especially if you opt for the certified PDR technicians at Appearance 1st Automotive in Jacksonville, Florida.

Here’s why.

Time

You do not have to spend days waiting for your car with PDR. Unlike traditional dent repair, which involves disassembly, fillers, repainting and drying, PDR has no such processes. You can get your dents, dings and hail damage repaired in just a few hours on the same day you bring your car to A1A.

Money

Since there are no fillers or paint involved, you save money on these material costs and only pay for the skills of an A1A certified PDR technician. This makes PDR much more inexpensive than traditional dent repair.

Insurance

You do not need to file insurance paperwork because PDR is so inexpensive that you can pay out of pocket. Your insurer will never be able to tell the difference once Appearance 1st Automotive is done repairing your car using PDR.

Resale Value

PDR immensely saves the resale value of your car because, unlike traditional dent repair, PDR does not tamper with, scrape or repaint the dented body parts of your car.

Why Use Appearance 1st Automotive?

A1A only has the most skilled certified PDR technicians that are well experienced at repairing dents, dings, creases and hail damage on classic, rare, exotic and common cars alike. You will not see better results in or around Jacksonville, Florida, than from the experienced professionals at Appearance 1st Automotive.

For more information on PDR, its benefits, Appearance 1st Automotive or to get a quick quote, please visit our website today.

Top Reasons to Use Appearance 1st Automotive Paintless Dent Repair

Most people believe that dent repair is expensive, time consuming and an unnecessary strain on their lives, especially if it is a relatively small dent. This could not be farther from the truth. The fact is that not all dent repair services are equal.

Appearance 1st Automotive is an industry leader in Paintless Dent Repair (PDR), which is a modern dent repair technique that defies all your preconceptions of dent repair. You would be shocked to learn the innovative advantages it has brought to the world of dent repair.

More importantly, Appearance 1st Automotive provides this service better than the competition in all of Florida and its surrounding area. Let’s discuss the PDR process and the top reasons to use Appearance 1st Automotive Paintless Dent Repair.

The Appearance 1st Automotive PDR Process

The process can be broken down into three simple yet effective steps, they are:

  1. Cleaning your car from edge to edge to remove any dirt and dust particles for a smooth repair process.
  2. Placing your car under UV light to assess the damage and accurately identify which areas need repairing.
  3. Finally, a skilled PDR technician repairs the damage using a glue slab or by massaging precisely the right points of the damage from behind the body part.

It is that simple to bring your car back to its original state. Hard to believe, isn’t it?

As simple as the PDR process may seem, it requires the skills and experience of a reliable PDR technician who knows exactly how to get the best results.

Top Reasons to Use Appearance 1st Automotive Paintless Dent Repair

Here are the top reasons you should opt to use Appearance 1st Automotive PDR service.

  • It’s Fast

While traditional dent repair requires dismantling the body part, fixing the dent and then repainting, PDR does no such thing, which means it is much faster. There is no need for repainting and that means not having to wait for 3-5 days, you can get your PDR done in a few hours of a single day.

  • It’s Inexpensive

The fact that there is no need to purchase fillers or paint for the PDR process means it is much less expensive than traditional dent repair. You only pay for the skill set of Appearance 1st Automotive’s experienced PDR technician.

  • It Retains Value

This is our favorite reason to use Appearance 1st Automotive PDR, because your car retains its value for longer when you use PDR. The original paint of your car is left intact, which means that it will sell for more because the original paint coat has not been removed.

  • It Does Not Require Paperwork

Unlike traditional dent repair, PDR is inexpensive, which means you can pay out of pocket and never have to fill paperwork for insurance. After the repairs, no one, including your insurance company, can ever tell there was a dent to begin with.

Conclusion

If you are in or around Florida and your car needs dent repair, we highly recommend that you opt to use Appearance 1st Automotive Paintless Dent Repair. It is fast, easy and inexpensive and it eliminates all the concerns you may have for dent repair services.

For more information on PDR or Appearance 1st Automotive, please visit our website today.

Dent Removal on a Bumper With PDR

A bumper is one of the most commonly damaged parts of a vehicle. It’s also one of those few parts of your vehicle that you can’t see when you’re driving your car, because of which it often gets a fair share of dents and dings. Apart from the obvious reason that a dent on a bumper is easily visible – you should also consider getting a dent removal with PDR because a dent can have several effects on your car that you might not know.

Here’s why you should get a dent removed from your car’s bumper as quickly as possible.

  • Rust

Why would anyone want to look at an ugly dent that tarnishes the beautiful look of your car? Even when you aren’t looking at it, there’s always that tiny voice in the back of your mind constantly nagging you to get a repair. Ignore it as long as you want; the problem gets serious when you start to see how the dent can damage the paint on your vehicle. 

The cracks caused by the impact allow water to seep under the dent. When this water touches the unprotected metal of the car, the body starts to oxidize, and rust beings to form. The worst part is, while a dent might not expand, rust will!

  • Long-Term Damage

Another problem with a dent on the bumper is that you’re going to need a lot more than just a paintless dent repair if you ignore it for a long time. If there are scratches on the car, your car will need paint, and if you aren’t able to find someone experienced – the process of the repair would be prolonged. 

Weather conditions and occasional wear and tear can make the problem get bigger. 

  • Lesser Resale Price

Let’s suppose you ignored your bumper dent to the point you’re thinking of reselling your car. Now, the dent has expanded, rust has formed, and even if you get a repair, the overall process will drastically reduce the value of your car. Not only are you paying a lot more for a process that could’ve been a small repair, but you’re also losing money off the price of your car. 

That is why – not only should you get PDR on your car’s bumper – you should also get it quickly!

But why PDR?

The Advantages of PDR

  • It’s Quick!

You don’t have to wait for a week to get your back because the PDR process is a lot quicker than a traditional auto body repair, depending on the damage your car has sustained. Since PDR is simpler, certified technicians at Appearance 1st Automotive can get done with it quickly. 

  • It Prolongs the Life of Your Car

PDR also won’t damage the protective coating your car has when it is shipped from the factory. This way, your car can stay safe from paint cracks and dents for a longer period of time. This also means that your car won’t lose value with a small repair! 

Contact us today for a free estimate to get that bumper dent fixed!

 

Why You Should Get a Dent Repaired Quickly

Trunk Dent

If you’ve owned a car in Jacksonville, Florida – a dent has probably popped up on your car somewhere. It happens to the best of us, and there’s no reason to feel ashamed! No matter how carefully we drive, small damages happen here or there.

The dents and dings that happen to our vehicle can occur for many reasons. Someone could open their car door close to your car. A reckless driver could bump into the back of your car during a traffic jam, or perhaps, someone might throw a baseball that might hit your car to cause a dent. 

Often, people have no idea how a dent happened. They walk out of an exhausting day at work and notice the ugly sight when it’s too late. You might think of putting it off because “it’s just a dent,” but do you know what’s happening under? 

Get Dents Repaired Quickly

Getting a dent repaired from a professional dent repair shop like Appearance 1st Automotive is the best decision you can take. This way, you won’t have that little voice in your head nagging you to get the dent repaired. Here are a few reasons why you should get that repaired ASAP.

Rusting Problems

Dents cause blemishes on your car that are not pretty to see. But one of the most prominent damages a dent can cause is to the paint. The cracks on the paint of your car can cause the water to seep through to the metal of your car. This part of your car is unprotected and will soon to oxidize and rust. 

When the dent is small, you might not notice this at first. But as soon as the metal starts to rust, the damage on your vehicle becomes a lot more apparent. 

Long-Term Damage

Dents don’t only cause damage to the body of the car. If you don’t repair a dent long enough, you’re going to get your car repainted as well. Since you’re going to need a paint expert and a dent repair expert to repair the damages on your car – you’re going to have to wait until you find the person for the job. 

This wait will worsen the damage. Weather conditions and everyday wear and tear slowly chip off more paint than the initial damage your car sustained, and with time, you’re only letting the repair cost go further up! 

Reduced Value

There are no arguments that a dented car is going to sell for a much lesser price – but that’s not the point we’re trying to make. After your car has got a dent, there’s only a limited amount of time that you can take it for a paintless dent repair. Even though we at Appearance 1st Automotive want to fix every dent with PDR – our hands are tied in some situations. 

Once your car has been repainted, and a body filler has been used on it – it will sell for a significantly lower price. 

So don’t wait around! Drop by Appearance 1st Automotive and get your car repaired today! Or call us for a free estimate!

PDR vs. Do it Yourself Repair Kit

black mustang

You come out of the movie theatre feeling thrilled because of the movie you just saw. You never quite understood the twist at the end, but you tell yourself that not knowing is part of the fun. But while you hear your friends debate continuously – trying to make sense of what they saw – a dreadful sight pours cold chilly water over your blazing emotions.

Your Cadillac has sustained a dent on the door, and it just doesn’t look the same anymore. It feels like a punch in the gut because you’ve been so protective of your car all this time. A situation like this leaves many people reaching for two possible options that offer to make sense of the mayhem that has ensued.

A Do it Yourself Repair Kit?

The do it yourself repair kits you see online are designed in a way that they implore you. These repairs kits “claim” that without the help of a professional, you can get rid of the most annoying dents yourself. They tell you to stop paying a professional for the job because you can do it all yourself – but how much truth is there to this bold statement?

In some cases, DIY kits can work but to be fair – in those cases, you don’t need a DIY kit for a repair either. DIY kits are made for small repairs that can be fixed without a professional. If you have time and patience for a DIY kit – it might work for you, but then again, doing it wrong can have disastrous consequences as well.

The point is – a DIY kit is not the perfect solution. You’re going to need a lot of patience and some experience repairing dents to make sure everything goes right for you.

DIY Won’t Always Work

In some situations, even the most experienced and skilled home technicians can’t fix dents with a DIY kit. The dent either won’t change at all, or your relentless efforts will make the dent bubble out on the other side of the car.
Even though your DIY kit will come with tools that are supposed to stop this from happening, it’s a very easy mistake to make. And once the dent has bubbled out – your problems have just increased four-folds.

Leave It To the Professionals

There’s nothing like PDR repair from a professional.

Because the professional has done this procedure more times than you can probably imagine – leave their job to them. Not only are they certified experts in the field – but they also work for your best interest. Our technicians at Appearance 1st Automotive, make sure they make every paintless dent repair as affordable and safe for the customer as possible.

Since the PDR process is a lot quicker than a traditional dent repair, customers leave with their car a lot quicker, too. If your car has sustained damages in Jacksonville, Florida– drop by our shop anytime, or call us 904-664-9088 to get a free estimate of your damages.

PDR Hail Damage Estimate Process

PDR on hail damaged car

We can all agree that Jacksonville, Florida, has unpredictable weather. We’ve all come to befriend rainstorms with the passage of time, but the one kind of weather we’re still trying to accept is a hailstorm. Being stuck in a hailstorm is one of the most helpless situations you can find yourself in. Not only can hail damage your home, but it can also leave devastating effects on your car. 

Quite normally, a car is one of the first few things we check after a hailstorm hits our area. Seeing several dimples on your car after a hailstorm is a heartbreaking experience – to say the least. You automatically think of getting your hood replaced, or your car door replaced because when damage is that catastrophic, you think of spending a lot.  

But is that the only way?

Paintless Dent Repair

Paintless dent repair (PDR) is the modern way of repairing a dent. When a certified technician at Appearance 1st Automotive uses PDR to repair the dents and dings on your vehicle, they massage the dents from the back until the shape of your car restores to its original shape. 

The Advantages of PDR

  • When your car is shipped from the factory, it comes with a protective coating on top of the paint that keeps the paint from scraping off. When you opt for an auto body shop repair, the technician drills two holes around the dent and then fills that space with body fillers. They then paint over the dent to make it look like your car has been repaired. But when you opt for PDR, this protective layer isn’t compromised.
  • PDR is a lot quicker! Most cars that come into the shop with small dents and dings leave on the same day, depending on the damage the car has sustained. This is also because the PDR process is a lot simpler than a traditional dent repair. 
  • Since PDR requires few materials to repair the dent, it is a lot cheaper, too. 

But one should also bear in mind that not every dent can be fixed with PDR. If a dent is too big, and if the metal of the car has a tear, there isn’t much that can be fixed by PDR. 

Estimating the Price of the Repair

To give an accurate price quote for every repair, a PDR technician follows a process that gives them a price for your repair.  This is usually a process, rather than simple guesswork. 

Cleaning the Vehicle

The vehicle is first cleaned so the dents can be visible. A dirty vehicle might hide dents on some occasions.

Lighting

The appropriate lighting is crucial for the repair process. A PDR technician usually uses a light strip of LEDs for this task. Fluorescent bulbs can also be used. 

Dent Size

PDR technicians usually use the US coin estimate to calculate the size of the dent. The sizes can be:

  • Dime
  • Nickel
  • Quarter
  • Half dollar

Please call us for a free estimate today at 904-664-9088.

All you Need to Know about PDR in Clay County

Dented Porsche

PDR is also known as paintless dent repair, a non-invasive, environmentally-friendly restoration process that repairs an automobile’s body back to its factory-like form. It is popular for being a cost-effective and time-saving procedure.  

Paintless dent repair is used to remove small or large dents and dings from a vehicle without ruining the original paint of the vehicle. The PDR process comprises of the following essential steps outlined below: 

PDR Techniques and Process

Every day, Appearance 1st Automotive PDR technicians safely reinstate automobiles to their original factory condition without compromising the surface finishing and also taking care of the customer’s wallet

Appearance 1st Automotive provides this service to multiple places in Clay County. Including Orange Park, Argyle Forest, Oakleaf Plantation, Middleburg, Penney Farms, Green Cove Springs, and Doctor’s Inlet.

Evaluate the Damage

The initial step to any restoration process is to assess the damage. Consider the location of the car ding, its size, and how to best get to that dent. Once the assessment of the dent is complete, the area around the damage is prepared for repair.  

Access to the Dent

In most conditions, paintless dent repair requires the technician to access the ding’s backside, which means cautiously detaching body panels, interior panels, and tail lights. To execute PDR, a pathway to the damage is created. Once it is accessible, the repair process can begin.

 

Close up of the Dent

A special light board is used to give the technicians a better look at the dent from their point of view. It displays a shadow of the ding, showing the technician where to place tools on the dent’s backside to pull the body back to its original state.

The PDR process can be finished within a single day, depending on the dent’s severity.

Traditional Repair Time vs. PDR Repair Time

The paintless dent repair is undoubtedly a quick and inexpensive way to get your vehicle back in its original state. A brief comparison between the restoration time of PDR and traditional dent repair process has been shown below:

Dent Type Traditional Dent Repair Time PDR Time
Hail Repair 1 to 2 weeks 1 to 2 days
Minor Damage 3 to 5 days 2 to 3 hours
Door Indentations 3 to 5 days Single day

Looking for an Experienced Professional in Clay County?

Appearance 1st Automotive has been in the automobile repairing industry for over a decade and provides high-quality repairs at affordable rates. We also provide home service repairs, so no need to worry about your car sitting in a workshop for days.

Call us at 904-478-0321 to get an absolutely free quote for your repairs! 

Key Questions to Ask Before Hiring A PDR Technician

Ian Lamb car dent removal

As a vehicle owner, you want to be sure that your vehicle is getting the best repairs in town. This will only be possible by hiring a technician who understands the importance of customer satisfaction. This is especially when you’re choosing paintless dent repair for the first time. You may have numerous questions, and that’s why Appearance 1st Automotive recommends hiring a technician who’ll explain your concerns in detail. Here are the questions you should ask:

Are You Certified and Licensed?

For a technician to provide paintless dent repair services in Florida, they must be certified and licensed. This is a guarantee that they’ve undergone extensive training and practice to attain the set standards. A good technician will be willing to provide their certification and licensure documents. 

How Long Will the Repairs Take?

The repair time will entirely depend on the extent of the damages and the expertise of your ideal technician. Once an experienced technician receives your car, they’ll be able to give a precise estimate of the time to be taken. With a skilled technician, you’ll be able to get your vehicle back in less than a day.

How Will You Match the New Paint to The Original Color?

You’re probably choosing PDR in St. John’s County because you want your vehicle to retain the original appeal. A certified technician should be able to explain the method they’re going to use to satisfy your requirements. Skilled technicians from Appearance 1st Automotive will use paint codes from the manufacturer as well as specialized tools in this process. This guarantees the retention of your vehicle’s original color. 
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