mattchk

Hello!

We purchased a 2013 RX350 in mid-April and it recently was caught in a hail storm. 20 to 30 strikes on the roof, hood, chrome moldings, and a few on fenders / panels. No damage to any of the four doors.

Our Lexus dealer doesn't offer any body work service and referred us to their dealership chain collision center. Estimate is right at $5000 for all repairs and they're using paintless dent removal. The process also involve the removal of the interior head liner, sunroof, motor, etc.

What're the forum's thoughts on this? I want to ensure that my Lexus is being treated as a Lexus.

Thanks!

SteveCraig

I used a paintless repair on a door-ding last year. Well worth the money, for us.It was $ 100.00, no trace of the dent left behind.
You need to gain access to the inside of the panel as the process involves gently reworking the steel back to it's original form. An experienced tech. can do really nice work.
Keeping the factory paint is also a big benefit.Haven't seen a body shop yet able to duplicate a factory finish.Some do very nice work but the factory process is much better.
Hope it works out well for you.

4482

I used a company called the Dent Wizard and they are fantastic. As long as the paint is not cracked or chipped there is no need to repaint.
A single dent cost me about $100.00, so I would think it will cost your insurance company a few bucks if you have many.
The job will come out perfect however.

jfelbab

Toyota's official position on PDR is covered in CRIB #146. Might be wise to review this bulletin with the PDR shop you choose, along with your insurance company representative, and acquire the 30x microscope device suggested, or a 30x jewelers loupe, to inspect the damaged area(s) prior to and after repair, looking for paint stress cracks.

http://www.dentimpressions.com/image...ge_File_13.pdf
http://www.theccre.com/Toyota146-Pai...DentRepair.pdf

nipponbird

I read this post with much interest, because I have two dings on my RX. You have more info on this repair?

SteveCraig

Local body shop referred them to me. No franchise but just a couple guys in a small truck. They do a pass on the car dealer strip here about every two weeks.They can be very busy at times.
The ding in the door was repaired via inserting the tooling into the window slot with the glass down.
Tooling is made up of different shaped rods/tubes, some were rubber coated.
Gently pry/manipulate the sheet metal over about 45 minutes.It is flexible to a point, mine was well within limits.
They were also using a couple mirrors with suction cups on the side of the car. Exterior views from 2-3 different angles help them determine where/how hard to pry. Metal work can be an art, those who excel at it make it appear easy.

kitlz

mattchk, sorry to hear about your RX. PDR is one of the safest way to repair the hail damage. If you can speak to the person who will be doing the work. Like SteveCraig said, it's an art. They should also give you a guarantee. Good luck and please let us know how it goes.

Cough

I just had my 2010 RX350 done after huge hail damage in early may. Probably 200 dents, mainly on the roof and hood of course. Also on the passenger side since the hail came in from the right.

Done on insurance - total cost was $7500. I had to pay the deductible but found out half way thru the process that I should have negotiated with the PDR place to swallow the deductible when I selected them...

Obviously with a four year old car I have paint chips etc but I am really pleased (so far) with the work on the dents. I cant see anything on the hood. The roof did need a repaint after the dents were taken out because of some paint cracking. Essentially all the chrome trim on the passenger side had to be replaced - including the tiny rear window which bizarrely you cannot buy the trim from Lexus without buying the whole window.

The main concern of the dent place was on the side rails because they cant get inside them to push the dents out - they have to use a suction cup system - but it looks fine.

Company used was KHS - Know How Systems - which is a major North American franchise. Warranty covers any future paint lifting, and any dents not noticed so far. Roof liner had to come out but they seem to have done a good job on refitting it.

All repairs including painting at another shop took a full two weeks

And they tell me that fluorescent light - not sunlight - is best for seeing any issues after PDR.

mattchk

Sorry for the late response and thank you for all the help. The PDR guy being used by Travelers is the same one used by our Lexus dealer, so that seems promising. Appointment made for the 16th and we will see how things turn out. We don't have 200 dents, so I'm pretty optimistic. Plus, I own the insurance agency that has our policy so I'm pretty sure I can make a fuss if I'm not happy! Will let you all know how it turns out.