rogerh00

Has anyone used Dent Wizard at the dealer? Dent Wizard is company that comes 3 times a week to dealerships. They perform small dent work. The web site doesn't say much and have never heard anyone say anything about them.

I have a dent in rt rear quarter panel near the tail light. I went to the dealer collision shop and they wanted $1200. They said they had to remove the whole panel and rear bumper to repaint.

I'm looking for a simpler and less costly repair. I'm wondering if this dent can be pulled or pushed out with paint touch up.

Any help appreciated.

Here's the dent

SteveCraig

Paintless repairs, in your case Dent Wizards, use pretty much the same principal.
The metal can be manipulated/massaged back into it's original shape in some cases.
The end product will rely on the condition of the damaged area & the experience/ability of the tech..
I would at least get them to look at it & tell you what their thoughts are for a successful repair.
Common tools used are vinyl coated rods & hooks to work from inside the panel.
Small to medium inflatable bladders are also used,again, everything depends on access to the back side of the panel & the tech. with the right touch.
One thing to consider is the paint.............can you see any breaks in it ?
Any repair should give you a sealed paint coating to inhibit corrosion.

corradoMR2

Roger00, if you have some DIY in you, you may want to give this a shot. Based on your picture, your dent is above the bumper vent where the arrow points. Note this is for the left side, and I also had there the ML sub-woofer which (after removed) definitely has created the space to access the outer panel (and dent). If interested in pursuing this, I'll post other pics on the few steps to remove the panel (left side though) as I believe there is some space on the right side too to access the panel (check out the Sewell diagram http://lexus.sewellparts.com/images/...000/613334.jpg).

Else, if you're not up to DIY, $1200 is very steep for what looks like a dent and no paint damage to the metal panel. I would definitely get the dent wizard quote, and something like this should be in the $200-$400 range, and for the scratches on the plastic bumper cover, DIY touch up paint.

Keep us posted!

rogerh00

There are no breaks in the paint so that sounds like a plus. I'm not confident enough to DIY this. I've never been good working with metal, now if this was wood I'd do it! So hopefully Dent Wizard is at the dealership Friday when I go. I'll see what they say and go from there.

I appreciate both of the comments.

rogerh00

Follow up,

Went to the dealership yesterday and had the recall done for the brake software. They filled my tank up for the inconvenience including a car wash!

While there I met with the Dent Wizard guy. He said he could fix dent for $234, but couldn't do it for 2 weeks. I agreed to have him do it and he offered to come right to my home!

Surprised I didn't get more response to this post, I guess no else has used this service. I'm surprised that Lexus allows them in their dealerships, it has to take away from their collision shop.

Mike_1GO

iTrader: (2)

I work at an Acura dealership and we have a dent guy as well. experience is the biggest factor. most of the time, they drill a hole in an inconspicuous area to access the dent. a rubber plug is used to cover the hole. removing interior panels to gain access is by far the better idea even if it costs more.

rogerh00

Drilling a hole doesn't sound good to me. i don't know how they would hide it. Thanks for the tip. I'll have to ask what the exact method is he intends to do.

corradoMR2

Roger, $234 is on the cheaper end of the expected cost range for this. Go for it, don't sweat it, even if a small hole is made as it will be covered up and won't show.

2011RX350

My experience is there is a good reason why these paintless dent removal guys are called artists. The really good ones are really worth the money. The best ones most often have their own independent businesses and go around offering service to the local dealers. Of course if there is a bad hailstorm somewhere, they are traveling to make extra bucks. Find your local ones and find out which dealers use them. You want one the luxury car dealers use. Your dealer will make as much as the dent artist if you go thru the dealer. My guess is the independent dent artist will do it for near half of what the dealer quotes. Make sure he does it at a temperature higher than 60F or so, to help prevent paint from cracking during the process. Not a problem in most places in the Summer, but an important consideration in the colder weather. my wife got hit in the side by a deer at 35 mph, and it dented both front and rear doors on one side. My local independent dent artist did a fantastic repair job in a few hours for $600 cash. Worth every penny. He said simple door dings are about $100-150 per door.

Evitzee

They often have to drill a hole in a panel that does NOT show from the outside. If you have a dent in a front quarter panel, for instance, the most effective way to access it is through the engine bay so they may drill a hole, do the repair, and then put a rubber plug to cover the hole. They should ask you if this is the way they want to go, but as long as it is invisible it is not an issue.

Barry45RPM

Its always better to do a dent repair without bondo and paint. (Dent Wizard, for example in your case) as long as the franchisee is an experienced artist. The fact that a Lexus dealer has him come to freshen up their used cars should reassure you that he is in fact an artist.

If he did the work at the dealership, your bill would have been from the dealership, (marked up for dealer profit) not him. Now that he is coming to your home, you won't have that dealer markup... and if you ask for a cash discount...

Do yourself a favor & don't watch him make the repair. Watch TV inside. That way you won't know where to stare at thinking you see flaws after he leaves. In time you will forget all about the repair.

LeoDLion

I have seen a dent guy working in a Mercedes Benz dealership.

dctex99

My Lexus dealer has one stop by every Thursday; mainly for used vehicles, but will do anyones; if a large project you come later to his shop; like abraded wheels,etc!

Edison_Chen

I don't currently have a Lexus, however I do have Toyota Sienna minivan, and one day I found a door dent on the rear passenger side quarter panel (where the third row seating is). I dropped by one of the few Paintless door repair guys in town.

The first guy said he would need to remove the rear passenger wheel to gain access to the fender. Then he would drill a 1/4 inch hole to stick his tool to massage the dent out. After they will patch the hole with a rubber plug and spray some type of rust resistant thing, and then install the liner/felt and reinstall the wheel. I didn't like this procedure because I'm afraid that long term it may rust because of all the water and road salt that might get splashed from the wheel.

I thought I was going to live with the door dent, but I decided to try another PDR in a different town. I dropped by and he looked at it. He said he might be able to remove the dent depending on if there are any "access holes". He removed the rear tail light, and there was a hole already pre-drilled from the factory. That hole is perfect, he is able to get to the rear quarter panel with that hole. He then proceeded to massage the dent out using his tool. Once the dent was removed he re-plugged in the rear tail light and installed it back on. It cost about $125 before taxes, and it only took him 15 mins for the entire process.

I was so happy, I almost wanted to kiss him. PDR is the way to go, especially of they don't have to drill a hole. It's so much more faster and more cost efficient. Always get a second opinion, before doing it.