What is door ding removal?
A door ding is an impact dent with a small footprint and a soft, rounded profile. The impact pushes the sheet metal inward and usually raises a faint ring of high metal around it. Conventional repair would mean sanding the area, filling, priming and painting the whole door — an expensive process for a dent the size of a coin.
With PDR the technician passes a rod through the window gap or a factory access hole, locates the exact centre of the ding on the reflection board and lifts it in tiny pushes while tapping the surrounding ring back down. Your door keeps its original paint and its original panel.
Dents suitable for this service
- Parking-lot dings on front and rear doors
- Multiple dings on the same door
- Dings near the door\'s outer edge (with slightly more time)
- Dings on the swage line of the door (treated as bodyline dents)
- Older dings — age does not matter if the paint is intact
When PDR may not be suitable
- Dings that have chipped the paint down to the metal
- Dings sitting exactly on a welded hem or seam
- Doors with previous filler repairs in the same spot
Benefits
- Repaired without repainting the door
- Usually completed while you wait
- Costs a fraction of a body-shop door repair
- No risk of colour mismatch on the most visible panel of your car
- No need to remove the door or leave the vehicle overnight
How Dry Denter assesses the damage
Send one photo straight on and one at an angle that shows the reflection across the dent. We check the paint for chips, the ding's position relative to the door's edges and internal reinforcement bars, and whether several dings can be treated together. Most door dings can be quoted from photos alone.
Repair process
- Photo check and quick estimate
- Door glass lowered; a protective guard is placed inside the door
- Ding centred under the PDR light
- Metal lifted from behind in small pushes, crown tapped down
- Reflection checked from both sides of the door
- Glass raised, panel wiped down, final inspection
How long does it take?
Typical single ding: 20–45 minutes. Dings near the door edge, behind the intrusion bar or on double-skinned lower sections take longer because access is restricted and the metal is stiffer. Several dings on one door are usually cheaper per ding than the first one.
Common questions about door ding removal
How long does a door ding take to remove?
Most single door dings are removed in 20 to 45 minutes. You can usually wait at the workshop.
Do you need to remove the door panel?
Rarely. Doors are accessed through the window opening or existing holes. The inner trim is only removed for dings very low on the door.
Can you fix several dings on one door at the same time?
Yes, and it is more economical to do them together because the door only needs to be opened up once.