Scratch Master’s Hail Damage Repair

720-242-9595

Brian Lewis owner, 18 year hail tech, insurance claims expert, and flaming paintless dent repair enthusiast

Hello, Brian Lewis owner of Scratch Master here:

Fair Warning: Don’t corrupt your valuable factory paint & parts with conventional body shop methods!* Instead, fix it the smarter way with Paintless Dent Repair!

When choosing a repair facility to fix your hail damaged vehicle, you have 2 options:

1. A paintless dent repair shop
2. A conventional body shop

Our Current Offer:

  • We cover your deductible up to $1,000*
  • We buy you a Galaxy Tablet or $180 visa cash card*
  • We can come to you for inspection, then bring your car to our shop
  • We pay you $200 for every car you send us (Plus your friends get the goodies above). So forward this to someone with hail damage.*

*Restrictions apply, call for details
Have a forward here button which will open their email to send (what do you recommend?)

Paintless Dent Repair

What is paintless dent repair (PDR) and why is it superior to conventional repairs at a body shop?

PDR is the fastest, highest quality, least invasive, and most cost-effective method in the world for repairing hail dents. PDR is the art of reshaping a dent to make it disappear with no sanding, no bondo, & no painting, no welding. PDR is very much unlike conventional body shop repairs (using fillers & repainting panels which cause corruption)

Benefits of our quality paintless dent repair:

  • Insurance preferred & authorized
  • 100% Guaranteed
  • High-quality results
  • Smarter / more sensible
  • The only method that protects your car’s maximum integrity & highest resale value
  • Superior durability
  • Least invasive

Time saver tip: I’m gonna blow you away with the facts and you’ve come to the right place. So call me now to save time @ 720-242-9595. But I understand if you want to read on … if so, notice the answers to insurance questions down below.

  • Avoid corrupting your factory paint
  • Avoid an array of repaint problems
  • Avoid risk of a paint mismatch
  • Save time / faster turn around
  • Most cost effective / no waste
  • “Greener”
  • Does not void your manufacturers paint warranty
    avoid body shop mindset

Paintless Dent Repair FAQ’s

Q: Why is our quality Paintless Dent Repair better than conventional repair at a body shop?
A: Since there’s no sanding, bondo or painting involved, we keep your car’s paint & parts “original” rather than corrupt it with an aftermarket repaint.

Q: Why is it important to keep my car’s paint “original” rather than repainting it?
A: Key concept: Your original, factory paint applied in the factory is the definition and essence of “perfect”.  It is ideal and superior to a repaint in terms of durability, appearance, and film thickness.   This paint cannot be duplicated in a conventional body shop. When your original paint gets repainted in a body shop, it gets corrupted and is often more vulnerable to further damage and other problems (see below)!  A car with original factory paint has a higher utility & resale value when compared to if it has been repainted.  At car dealerships, if you bring your car to trade it in, they will often use a paint meter to see if your car has been repainted and deduct the price accordingly.  So don’t corrupt your factory paint! Fall in love with it!  “Preserving” is better than “repainting”.

How is PDR performed?

As highly skilled craftsmen, we use specialized lighting to cast a reflective pattern on the dent so we can “read” it correctly. Then, working from behind the panel, we use specially crafted rods, balls & spoons to massage your dent with gentle, precise pushes & the right amount of pressure.  This reshapes the metal back to its’ original contour.  Your original paint and parts remain intact, and the results are truly amazing!  In cases where we are unable to access the dent from behind, we use specially engineered glue pulling systems to lift the dent from the outside.

Q: Warning! What is a conventional repair (CR) at a body shop and why should I avoid it for hail damage repair?
A: Conventional repair (CR) is truly legitimate and I am not bashing it.  Yet it is a highly invasive process of last resort to be used only when absolutely necessary.  It includes replacing panels or filling the dent with bondo, then repainting the entire panel with a paint finish that’s “not quite the same” as the original factory finish. What remains is diminished monetary and utility value and potentially other problems like mismatched paint, cracking, checking, crow’s feet, and becoming more chip prone.  The list goes on.  Also, it the original finish is disturbed in any way, your manufacturer’s paint warranty is often voided.  I protect that warranty!  CR should be carefully avoided unless as a last resort your damage cannot be fixed properly by PDR.  Understand that we are always going to need conventional body shops for major damage too severe for PDR.

Paintless Dent Repair (PDR) Recap

So to recap, here are the top 5 advantages of PDR over conventional body shop repairs:

The most important advantages are “highest quality” and “less invasive”. Your insurance company is legally obligated to restore your car as close to the original finish as possible and the filler is not metal. It’s filler!  PDR is the closest you can get to “like it never happened”.

  • Avoid destroying your paint warranty.  Auto manufacturers provide a factory paint warranty on their vehicles. If the original finish on the vehicle is disturbed in any way, the warranty is often voided. I protect this warranty through my expert hail damage repair.
  • Higher resale & utility value.
  • Save time.  PDR is a much faster repair process than CR.
  • Cost effective since PDR is more efficient, I can offer complete dent removal at a very fair price.

Smart tip: Let the PDR specialist be the “quarterback” of your insurance claim rather than a conventional body shop.  It’s a no-brainer.

Give us a call now to schedule the drop off of your car.  720-242-9595

Meet me (Brian the owner)

Hi, Brian the owner and still here. I will be answering questions about the insurance process below. But before I do, I’d like to briefly introduce myself. I’m a flaming PDR enthusiast, & founder of a local paintless dent repair (PDR) company called Scratch Master. I’m a 19 year expert at performing PDR with thousands of satisfied customers. It’s important that you know I am not an out of state hail chaser who will be gone tomorrow. I live, shop, and raise my family here (4 kids and 1 wife ;0). Headquartered in Littleton, Co., I serve the entire Denver Metro Area.

Here’s what I can do for you:

  • Work diligently with your insurance company to ensure you get a fair settlement.
  • Conscientiously repair your vehicle the smarter way.
  • Adamantly avoid conventional auto body work when it makes sense.
  • Ensure your car preserves its’ original factory paint & parts when prudent.
  • I can often reduce or eliminate your deductible. Call for details at 720-242-9595

Frequently Asked Questions related to Paintless Dent Repair

Q: I want to hire you, How does this work?
A: My process is easy as 1,2,3.

  1. Drive your car to my shop (or we can pick it up for you if you want).
  2. Sign the work authorization form.
  3. Hand me the keys. Now relax as you are done. My team and I will take care of the rest.

Q: Can all hail dents be removed with PDR?
A: Hail damage can almost always be removed perfectly by PDR. In extreme cases where the metal is stretched, I can still make a massive “near perfect” improvement. My promise: I guarantee excellent results. So if I encounter a dent that cannot be fixed to an acceptable level with PDR, then I can refer you to a conventional body shop I trust

Q: If I file an insurance claim will my rates go up?
A: No, except in rare cases. As a rule, when you file a catastrophic claim you will not be singled out for a rise in rates. However because you live in hail-prone Colorado, you already pay high rates and they may raise rates statewide or in a particular area from time to time. Hail is classified as an “act of nature”, which is a “no-fault” claim.

Q: Should I file a claim?
A: It depends on the situation. Here are 2 examples.

  • Situation 1: If you have insurance and if the cost of repairs is significantly higher than the cost of your deductible, then yes file a claim. Why wouldn’t you? If you do not file a claim, then your monthly premium will pay to fix your neighbors car while you receive no benefit. Would you pay for a gym membership every month and then not use it? Of course not. If you’re not going to use it, then why do you pay for it?
  • Situation 2: If you have a $500 deductible and you have only $700 in damage, then we might recommend you keep insurance out of it. Come and see us for a free inspection and we will give you our best advice. We support your decision either way you decide.

Q: I already filed a claim and received a check from my insurance company. I need to pay some bills and I’ll just leave the damage on the car. Is this a good idea?
A: It’s usually not a good idea for 5 reasons:

  1. On average, the check you received is typically written for approx. ½ the actual cost of repairs. Seriously! If you have doubts about that, please have a frank conversation with an insurance adjuster. Or call our office, ask for Brian and I’ll explain how it works.
  2. Let’s say someone sideswipes you. That claim will be either denied or significantly reduced due to preexisting hail damage.
  3. When you go to sell the car, the sale price will be reduced significantly.
  4. If your car is a lease or if you are making payments on your car, typically you are under contract to fix the damage.
  5. Driving a hail damaged car is not sexy.

Q: Do I have to use the shop referred by my insurance company?
A: No. Auto insurance is not like an HMO where they tell you what doctors you can use. You pay them for the right to choose who fixes your car. It’s your choice. Period. Choose a trusted paintless dent repair company to navigate your claim and the dent by dent decisions made on your car.

Q: Why does it matter who I choose to fix my car?
A: If you had a problem with your heart, would you choose the doctor that was a general practitioner, or would you choose a cardiologist? The same applies here. The person you hire to navigate the job and the claim will have dent by dent decisions to make as to what will happen to your valuable factory finish. Unfortunately, poor decisions are made on a regular basis when a CR specialist is calling the shots on a hail claim. Especially on a particular dent that “seems” to be to be a bit more challenging in the mind of the CR shop owner who just does not know what is possible since he or she is not a PDR specialist. CR shops tend to see damage through their CR lens.

Q: What does PDR cost when fixing hail damage?
A: If you have insurance, then your hail damage repair will be 100% covered except for your deductible. So for example, let’s say you have a $500 deductible and your hail damage claim comes in at $5000 total. You will pay the shop $500 and your insurance will pay us the difference of $4500. Scratch Master is often able to reduce and sometimes waive your deductible. So in that case, your cost is $0 out of pocket. If you don’t have insurance, come on in for an estimate. We will do all we can to make it make sense for you.

Q: How is pricing a hail damaged car determined?
A: It starts with a highly skilled technician viewing the car under PDR UV lighting. From there, we use a PDR software trusted & used all over the world. It accounts for cost and is friendly to insurance company standards. Then the insurance company sends an adjuster out to verify the damage with the insurance company’s software. The technician and the adjuster have a conversation and together they determine the actual cost.

Q: My insurance company is telling me I have to drive around and get 3 estimates. Am I really required to do that?
A: No. I work with insurance companies all the time. In 19 years, I have never had an insurance company deny my estimate because they needed an additional one. If you want to hire me, bring your car to my shop and drop it off. It’s that easy. My team and I will handle the entire claims process so you don’t have to.

One last thought:

Important distinction! – There is a difference between:

A. a PDR specialty shop (who performs PDR every day with the intention to avoid CR when prudent)
and
B. a CR shop who hires a “dent guy” (who will agree to whatever the CR shop owner tells him).

I have seen conventional body shops choose inferior CR when PDR was possible (even though they had a dent guy). The CR shop had control & the side of the car got corrupted. Why risk it? Go direct.

For the health & value of your car, every dent that can be removed properly with PDR should be removed with PDR especially with a strong emphasis to avoid CR. And, great effort and commitment should be made to do so especially on dents that are somewhat “challenging”. The best way to ensure this commitment is to hire a quality PDR shop to navigate your job rather than hire a CR shop. Even if they subcontract to a dent guy. Even if they advertise for paintless dent repair. This way, you remove the middleman, their bias, their interference, and their non-specialization. Hire a conventional repair shop for what they do best. Major damage. There are definitely times the damage is too severe for my PDR service. When this is the case, I will certainly recommend you take your car to a conventional body shop.

Call us at 720-242-9595 or fill out this form.