Blog

Excel Dent in the news

It’s Hail Season in Colorado!

It’s Hail Season in Colorado!
It’s Hail Season in Colorado!

April 15. Oh, that dreaded day! Depending on your perspective, it can be considered, “One Hell of a Day!” or “One Hail of a Day!” You see, not only is April 15th Tax Day in the U.S., but it also marks the start of Hail Season in Colorado. And for the next 5 months (Apr 15 – Sept 15), residents of the Centennial State will need to be on the lookout for severe weather including hailstorms!

Like No Other Place
According to the Encyclopedia of World Climatology, the region with the highest frequency of hail in the U.S. lies along the eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains, around where the borders of Colorado, Wyoming, and Nebraska meet. This region has been nicknamed “Hail Alley”, and in some years, localized areas can receive anywhere from 20-30 days of hail storms. (Image an entire month of hailstorms!)

Not only is the frequency of hail greater in this region, but the size of the hail is also greater. The Encyclopedia says that moderate-sized hail (i.e. 1/2″ – 1″ in diameter) is concentrated in this region, and that large-sized hail (i.e. greater than 1″) mostly falls in Wyoming and Colorado, comprising up to 20% of the days. That is the potential of nearly a week of hailstorms producing hail of over 1-inch in size!! And, of course, the Denver-metro is in this region.

Hail Statistics
So, how bad are Colorado hailstorms? Well, according to the Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association (RMIIA), Colorado residents can expect three to four “catastrophic” (i.e. at least $25 million in insured damage) hailstorms every year. And over the last decade, hailstorms in Colorado have caused over $3 billion in insured damage.

To put this amount in perspective, if the cost was spread out over the entire state, it would amount to $560 per Colorado resident. And if this amount was applied just to residents in the Denver Metro – where most damage occurs – it would increase to over $1,100 per person! The RMIIA says, “Up to one-half of your homeowner’s insurance premium may be going toward hail and wind damage costs.”

Most Costly Hailstorms
Below is a table from the RMIIA detailing the 10 most costly hailstorms documented in Colorado.

As you can see, hailstorms have had a significant impact on the residents of Colorado, and particularly those living in the Denver Metro.

Here to Help
If your vehicle is damaged in a hailstorm, Excel Dent is here to help. Our expert PDR technicians will inspect your vehicle, and can often repair the hail-damage without the need for traditional body-work. And that means saving time and money!

Call us at 303-883-4863 to schedule an appointment for a free estimate.
And remember, Excel Dent is Your Hail-Damage & Paintless Dent Repair Specialist!!

What is Paintless Dent Repair (PDR)?

What is Paintless Dent Repair (PDR)?
What is Paintless Dent Repair (PDR)?

Over time, nearly every vehicle will suffer from Dents, Dings, Creases, and possibly Hail Damage. Not only do such blemishes diminish your vehicle’s appearance, but they can be extremely expensive to repair. Thus, most owners just suffer the nuisance. However, Paintless Dent Repair can often restore your vehicle to its original condition, and for significantly less than traditional body-shops.So, what exactly is PDR?

Well, the best way to understand Paintless Dent Repair, is to first understand what PDR is not.

Just a Little Dent
Let’s say your prized vehicle has become the victim of some minor body damage. Not from a “fender bender” or large collision, but the kind of dents and dings you pick up at the shopping mall, or maybe from soccer practice! Such blemishes can be really annoying to look at, and to the average person it seems that they should be pretty easy (read “inexpensive”) to fix, right? Well, not so fast!

Traditional Auto-Body Repair
When it comes to minor dents or dings, here is the approach that most traditional body-shops will take to repair dents and dings.

First, the auto-body specialist will often drill a hole in the center of each dent/ding, and then use a tool try and pull out the dent/ding as well as possible. See a problem here? That’s right! Your vehicle went into the body shop with a couple of minor dents or dings, and now it also has holes in it! Of course, the technician may skip drilling into your vehicle’s body and instead choose something less invasive like a hammer… With this approach, the technician will attempt to pound out the dents and dings. But in the end, either approach will damage your vehicle’s factory paint.

Getting nervous? Oh, don’t worry, it gets better!
Next, the technician will take a grinder to your vehicle’s finish, and grind down the area surrounding each dent and ding in order to prep it for body work. (Need we say that your vehicle’s finish is definitely no longer “factory”??) After this, the technician will use body fillers or compounds to fill in the imperfections caused by the “repair” just performed. After the body filler has dried, the technician will sand each area until it is smooth. (The good news is that at this point – to the “touch” – you shouldn’t be able to tell where the original dents, dings, or creases were located.)

Lastly, the technician will prime the area, and then apply one or more coats of paint and finish to your vehicle. Now, if you go to a reputable auto-body shop, most of the time your vehicle will look as good as new. However, while the dents, dings, and creases are no longer noticeable, you may have a new problem in that the paint doesn’t exactly match your factory paint job. You see, even the best body shops cannot guarantee that their paint touch-ups will match your vehicle’s factory paint job. And if your vehicle is more than a couple of year’s old, this is a common issue. Of course you could pay extra to have your entire vehicle painted, and to some degree this will fix this issue, but do you really want to have to pay for a new paint job when all you needed were some dents and dings removed?

In the end, just having some dents and dings removed can often cost over $1,000 if you go to a traditional auto-body shop.

In Defense of Auto-Body Shops
Before going on, we at Excel Dent would like to go on the record by stating that there are several great auto-body shops here in the Denver metro, and that in many cases a full-service auto-body shop is exactly what you need. For instance, if you have collision damage, punctures, deep creases or if your vehicle’s paint has been damaged, then we will refer you to a full-service auto-body shop.

However, if you have moderate hail damage or minor dents, dings or creases, then experience shows that Paintless Dent Repair can often offer the same or better results, and at a significantly lower cost.

A Different Approach to Dents
Paintless Dent Repair is different because it leaves your vehicle’s body and paint 100% intact. There is no drilling, no grinding, no sanding, no body-fillers, no primer, and no painting.

Unlike the approach described above, our Master Technicians use non-invasive PDR techniques that have been developed over the past 50 years, and were designed to leave your vehicle’s paint untouched.

This typically involves slowly “massaging” dents, dings and creases from the inside of each panel until the metal is in its original form. Doing so eliminates the need to drill into your vehicle’s body, and also leaves your vehicle’s paint untouched.

As long as the dent or ding hasn’t stretched the metal or damaged the paint, then in most cases PDR can restore your vehicle to its original condition. And because PDR eliminates altering your vehicle’s body, it not only preserves your vehicle’s factory body and finish, but it saves time and money.

In the end, Paintless Dent Repair is often a smarter choice when it comes to hail damage and minor dents, dings and creases!

Get a Free Estimate
Call Excel Dent today at 303-883-4863 to schedule an appointment and find out how Paintless Dent Repair (PDR) can restore your vehicle to its original condition while saving you time and money!!

Excel Dent is Colorado proud!

Excel Dent is Colorado proud!
Excel Dent is Colorado proud!

One thing to understand about the Paintless Dent Repair industry is that there are a lot of “storm chasers” out there. These PDR technicians don’t have a permanent location, but instead travel from state to state looking for the areas that have been recently hit by hailstorms.

Don’t Be Fooled
Just because a Paintless Dent Repair company is listed in the Denver-metro Yellow Pages, or the PDR technician you are speaking to on the phone has a 303 or 720 area-code, does not necessarily mean they have an actual business here in Colorado.

With the Internet and cellphones and voice-over-ip, it is easier than ever to create an impression that a business is local, when in fact they are from over a thousand miles away.

Local is Better
Now don’t get us wrong. There are definitely honest, hard-working, and professional PDR technicians that travel across the U.S. fixing people’s vehicles, and who deliver quality results. And bless all of our neighbors from places like Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska and so on.

But at the end of the day, who wants to deal with a business that will be leaving town for good in a few days or weeks?

After all, you live in places like Denver, Englewood, Aurora, Lakewood, Commerce City, Littleton, Greenwood Village and Centennial. So why let someone from another state fix your dents?

When your vehicle suffers from hail-damage or a dent or ding, and you are feeling stressed, it is nice to have the peace-of-mind knowing that you are dealing with a business that is local to the Denver-metro and Colorado.

Aurora is Our Home
Excel Dent started here in the Denver area over 13 years ago. Our facility consists of two buildings with capacity for over 15 vehicles. We are located in Aurora, CO just a few miles west of the University of Colorado – Denver School of Medicine, and a few blocks north of beautiful Montview Boulevard.

When you come to Excel Dent to have hail-damage or dents and dings repaired on your vehicle, not only can you be reassured that you are dealing with a local Colorado business, but also that you are dealing with fellow Coloradans who will understand you and your needs.

Pride in Our Work
At Excel Dent, our goal is simple… We strive to provide the best quality Paintless Dent Repair to your vehicle, at a fair price, in a timely manner, and with the best customer-service possible.

When you choose Excel Dent, not only will you be dealing with a local business, but your vehicle will be repaired and stored in our Aurora, CO facility to ensure it is always protected until you pick it up.

Call Us Today
If your vehicle was damaged in a hailstorm, or suffers from unsightly dents and dings, then Excel Dent is here to help. Call us today at 303-883-4863 to schedule an appointment for a free estimate.

And remember, Excel Dent is Your Hail-Damage & Paintless Dent Repair Specialist!!

Come see our Certified PDR Master Craftsman

Excel Dent is Colorado proud!
Excel Dent is Colorado proud!

When you come to Excel Dent, you can be reassured that your vehicle will receive the best paintless dent repair care possible. Our owner has over 13 years of experience using Paintless Dent Repair to fix hail-damage, dents, and dings on vehicles. In addition, he is a certifiedPDR Master Craftsman by Vale Training Solutions.

While there are numerous PDR training programs and certifications on the market, they are not all created equal. So, why does the Vale PDR certification stand out?

A Better Certification
Vale Training Solutions created its Paintless Dent Repair certification program over 10 years ago. What makes the Vale certification unique is that it was developed by an advisory committee of both PDR technicians and insurance carriers.

Instead of a group of peers settings standards and “certifying” each other, the Vale PDR certification meets the rigorous standards which insurance companies demand before they will pay out a claim on things such as hail-damage.

Vale offers three levels of PDR certification: Journeyman, Craftsman, and Master Craftsman

Vale Certification Process

The certification evaluation is a timed event. The PDR technician must use his/her own tools to repair hail-damage and dents on hoods, deck lids and doors of late-model domestic vehicles. Once time has expired, a state-of-the-art light imaging machine is placed on the vehicle, and 16 light bars inspect the PDR technician’s work. Variations in the surface level are compared against tolerances. In addition, the appearance and texture of the vehicle’s finish is evaluated both electronically and visually by a human reviewer. If the PDR technician’s work meets Vale’s strict PDR certification standards, then the technician is certified for the given level.

Simply the Best
When you bring your vehicle to Excel Dent, you can be reassured that it will receive the best care possible, and be supervised by a certified PDR Master Craftsman!

Call Us Today
To schedule an appointment for a free estimate, call Excel Dent today at 303-883-4863.
And remember, Excel Dent is Your Hail-Damage & Paintless Dent Repair Specialist!!

Over 12-inches of Hail in Aurora, Colorado

Excel Dent is Colorado proud!
Excel Dent is Colorado proud!

Shortly after 4:00 p.m. MDT today, a severe storm developed over Aurora, Colorado. Witnesses on the ground in northwest Aurora spotted dark clouds forming, including one person who reported seeing spiraling clouds hinting at a possible tornado. In the background, tornado sirens wailed. To the east, a funnel cloud was photographed over Anschutz Medical Campus.[1]

Over 12-inches of Hail in Aurora, Colorado
Over 12-inches of Hail in Aurora, Colorado

By 4:30 p.m., severe rain was reported in the Montview area, including pebble-sized hail. The rain and hail continued for over an hour. Severe flooding resulted, with reports of water over 2 feet deep near 6th and Lowell.[2]

Just south of Montview, near 17th and Dayton Street, a hail swath hit the neighborhood. As seen in the picture, one homeowner had over 12 inches of hail in her front yard. According to her son, “I am a native Coloradoan, and have never seen this much hail accumulate in such a short period of time.” He added, “The hail came in two waves, and lasted for about an hour.”

In the surrounding area, houses and front lawns were covered in a blanket of hail stones and puréed leaves. Streets were also covered with leaves and branches.

One spotter in downtown Denver reported a stranded vehicle with water up to the windows. The National Weather Service issued a flood warning for the South Platte river at Henderson until Thursday afternoon. Reports of widespread flooding across the Denver metro were being reported, including Cherry Creek being over its banks.[2]

Hail stones up to 1.50 inches were reported across the Denver metro, and mainly to the south and south-east.[2]

Over 12-inches of Hail in Aurora, Colorado
Over 12-inches of Hail in Aurora, Colorado
Over 12-inches of Hail in Aurora, Colorado
Over 12-inches of Hail in Aurora, Colorado
Over 12-inches of Hail in Aurora, Colorado
Over 12-inches of Hail in Aurora, Colorado
About Us

Excel Dent, Inc. is Paintless Dent Repair shop specializing in small and large dents. It was founded in 2003, and is located in Aurora, CO. Excel Dent has two Master Dent Technicians and several support staff. Gustavo Bonilla is the founder and president.

Your custom form here