North Carolina, United States — A recent case involving a Rivian with a whopping US$41,000 repair quote is drawing comments across the industry on the effectiveness of paintless dent repair (PDR) and glue pull repair (GPR).
Initially facing a repair quote of $41,000 for what—in the owner’s words—was a “minor fender-bender,” they sought an alternative solution. They turned to Matt “Dent Slayer” Boyette, a dent removal expert.
Boyette accepted the challenge and examined the damage, which extended beyond the visible dent to the bed, cab, roof, and A-pillar. Boyette noted that conventional repair methods would have required removing the back glass, panoramic roof, windshield, and battery pack and repainting a significant portion of the truck’s side.
Instead, Boyette employed KECO glue tabs, ratchet straps, heat and precise hammering to reshape the metal. Despite limited access to the damaged panel, he successfully restored the vehicle’s original form over two days.
Similar paintless dent repairs for the Rivian R1T typically range between $4,000 and $7,000, said Boyette.
When this story was shared in the Collision Repair Techs United Group on Facebook, one commenter noted that “you should see how much of the [original estimate] was in PPF. Some commenters called the article “clickbait,” while others praised the growing popularity of PDR in collision repair.
“I have 23 years of PDR and 10 years of paint and body experience. Advanced PDR is getting stronger every day. I assure you, this repair is legit. The automotive industry needs bodyshops and PDR.”
“I agree with you,” wrote another respondent. “I have been in PDR for more than 20 years and own a collision centre. These repairs are done all the time. Technology has improved so much over the last 10 years. Even having devices to fix stretched metal.”
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