Dent repair (PDR) and scratches

What is PDR (Paintless Dent Repair)?

PDR is a specialty technique where we push or pull a dent back to original shape without damaging the paint. The method uses specialised tools inserted from the rear of the panel (through wheel arches, door cards or dedicated service points) or glued pulling tabs on the outside, and massage movements bring the metal back to shape. When the paint is undamaged, the result is that the dent disappears without trace — and you keep the original factory paint, which is the best paint your car will ever have.

When is PDR suitable?

PDR works best when the paint over the dent is intact — that is, no cracks, scratches or marks where the paint has been pressed through. Typical successful cases are hail damage, parking dents from another car door swinging into yours, and round dents from footballs or other soft objects. The dent should be in an accessible area with room for the tool on the back, and the edge of the dent should not be too sharp — sharp creases in the metal cannot always be massaged out without leaving traces.

When does paintwork become necessary?

If the paint is cracked or damaged over the dent, PDR alone cannot solve the problem. We then either combine PDR with spot painting (push the dent out first, then spot paint the surface) or do a full panel repair. Other cases where PDR does not work are dents with deep cracks in the metal (rare on modern cars but it happens), dents along panel transitions and edges where the tool cannot reach, and dents where the metal has stretched so much that it will not return to shape (typically with heavy deformation).

Scratches — assessment and treatment

Scratch assessment is primarily about depth. Drag a fingernail across the scratch for a good indication: if the nail does not catch, the scratch is in the clear coat and can often be machine polished out by a professional. We then rebuild the clear coat with polish that fills the micro-grooves. If the nail clearly catches, the scratch has gone through the clear coat into the base coat or all the way down to primer/metal — then we have to use spot work to build up clear coat and possibly base coat in the scratch area, followed by polishing for an invisible transition.

Price and time

PDR on a small dent typically costs 1,200–2,800 NOK and can often be done while you wait (1–3 hours). Hail damage packages with 10–30 dents are priced together and require 1–2 days. Clear-coat polish of scratches costs 800–1,800 NOK per panel. Spot work for deeper scratches sits in the same price range as other smart repair (1,500–5,000 NOK). We always provide a fixed price after a brief visual inspection.

Book paintwork online or call us on 41 17 32 24.