A body shop repair can cost you hundreds or even thousands of dollars - even for a relatively small dent or ding. But what if there was a cheaper way to get your car's finish looking new again?
Little dents and dings are part of life owning a car. But when you return a leased vehicle you might get "dinged" for those dents. It can be hundreds of dollars in "reconditioning" charges, especially these days
"The factories are getting a little bit more careful as far as to reconditioning costs and some times they can charge more than maybe would be necessary if you did the work yourself before you return the car," explains Peter Brasso of Richmond Honda.
Many dents can be repaired without repainting. One company that does specializes in dent removal.
"We can get out the smallest door ding that gets caused at a parking lot up to the size of a basketball," promises Chad Galitzky of Dent King.
We put them to the test fixing a tricky spot on a fender. They warn it's going to take time -- up to two hours -- but at a little over $200 it's cheaper than a repair and repainting in an auto body shop.
It is slow work -- heat is used at times to soften the metal -- so it will go back into shape.
"Our process doesn't damage the paint at all, paints on cars these days are very flexible," says Chad. "We find if the dent removal is done right it's virtually undetectable."
About halfway through the process the dent is gone to the untrained eye but they keep working on it to bring it up to professional standards.
If you're looking for a reliable dent removal service a good place to start is at your local dealer. They'd know which company is the best to deal with. Just like you --- dealers want work done that looks good but doesn't break the bank.
After two hours work the dent was gone.
"A lot of people don't know our service exists and when they see what we can do for the price we can do it they are amazed," concludes Chad.
If you are selling a vehicle you might want to get the dents out first. It'll make your car stand out to buyers.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Chris Olsen
