Can Paintless Dent Repair Fix A Deep Crease?

Getting a crease in the sheet metal of a car presents a challenge to fix because a crease bends the metal in such a way that it doesn’t easily pop out.

The good news is, that you don’t have to spend a lot of money getting your crease fixed by choosing paintless dent repair (PDR). PDR can fix creases, save you money on the repair, and doesn’t require bondo or paint to get the work done.   

You may be asking yourself “can paintless dent repair fix a crease even though a crease folds the metal?” Yes, paintless dent repair can fix a crease in sheet metal in most cases.. Read on to learn more about how PDR can remove certain types of creases.

Can you PDR a crease?

Paintless dent removal can remove a crease under certain conditions that include the following. 

The paint has to be intact

All cars have a clear coat on them that protects the paint from light damage such as a crease. The sheet metal will still bend and require manipulation to push it back out, but if the paint itself isn’t scratched, paintless dent removal has a strong chance of success. 

You can determine if the paint is undamaged by looking at the crease from different angles or running your fingernail across the scratch. If the paint is undamaged, you’ll see the paint color where the clear coat has been damaged. A scratch in the paint alters its color or reveals the primer and even the sheet metal if it’s deep enough. 

When you use your fingernail, feel for the depth of the scratch. If your nail barely snags the scratch or not at all, the scratch is in the clearcoat only. The deeper your nail goes, the more likely the scratch is in the paint. 

In the event the scratch is in the clear coat, PDR can most likely fix the crease. 

The dent needs to be “reachable”

PDR works best on creases that are in an area where all of our tools can assist with the repair. A crease that’s in a difficult location may not be able to be completed to 100%. However, PDR is a great option if the area of the crease can be easily reached by a tool and manipulated back into place with a reasonable amount of effort. 

The depth of the dent plays a roll. 

A deep crease in the sheet metal will be more challenging to PDR. A severe crease folds the metal to a point where the metal stretches out and won’t be easily pushed back into place and lie flat. Paint damage is also more likely in a deep crease, and different repair techniques need to come into play for a sound repair. 

PDR can be applied to a variety of crease presentations and restore your vehicle’s appearance. Never assume that PDR can’t fix a crease. We always recommend going into the shop to have a professional PDR technician look at the damage. 

How do you get a small crease out of a car dent?

The technique that’s used to remove a small crease depends on where it’s located and its length. A sharp crease won’t respond to glue pulling as well as a soft dent does. Instead, getting a sharp crease out of a car may require getting behind the body panel and the use of special tools and hammers to help push out and realign the metal. 

A PDR technician begins the process by identifying the location of the crease, what they have to do to reach it, and picking the right tools for the job. In the event the crease is in an easily reachable area, such as a front fender well, they can get directly to work on pushing out the crease. If the crease is on a door panel, the technician may have to pull off the door trim and move everything out of the way to reach the area of damage.

Once preparation is complete, the technician goes to work pushing out the dent with their tools. PDR requires a bit of artistic skill, mechanical knowledge, an understanding of the properties of metal, and the sense to know how much pressure to apply when pulling, pushing, or hammering the metal.

The art of fixing a crease is being able to release the tension out of the metal in its folded state and into its original state of being a smooth body panel. Furthermore, this has to be done without damaging the metal further and getting any paint damage to fold back into place. Paintless dent removal works best when only the clear coat is damaged as the pushing out of the crease causes the clear coat scratch to come back together and almost disappear. 

The repair is considered complete when the metal has been restored to its original condition, any scratches become invisible again, and the car looks like it had never been damaged in the first place. 

How much does it cost to fix a crease in your car?

The cost of paintless dent repair for creases is dependent on the severity of a crease. The initial cost of repairing a 1 inch dent starts at $125 to $300 with each additional inch costing $50. Creases my be subject to a 25% upcharge based on the location and severity of the damage. Part of the initial cost includes the setting up of the repairs and the work involved in fixing the damage. 

The price increases in the event the technician has to remove any parts to access the damage. This requires additional time and labor to get the job done. The average cost can vary. More information regarding pricing can be found here.

The larger and more complex the dent, the more it costs to get repaired through paintless dent removal. However, the cost is typically much lower than it would be for a full panel removal, repair, repaint, and replace job. PDR has many advantages over traditional body repair, and lower cost is certainly one of them.  

How do you fix a creased fender?

A creased fender is fixed in the same way a crease is repaired on the body of the vehicle. The main advantage that a technician has with a fender is what with the liner removed it gives a PDR tech great access to the crease. Once the technician can reach the area of repair, they can push out the crease, then put the liner back into place. 

In severe cases, PDR may not be able to completely erase the appearance of the crease. However, PDR can go a long way towards smoothing out the metal and making the damage almost invisible with a minimal amount of effort, especially when compared with conventional methods of repairing a fender. 

Next Steps

After finding a crease in the body or fender of your vehicle, give your local PDR shop a call and make an appointment for an estimate. The estimator goes over the damage with you and takes the time to explain the methods that will be used to repair the crease. They’ll also tell you how long it will take, and what to expect from the finished work. 

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