left fender damage

No matter how careful you are with your car, minor dings and even major dents may still occur. While many car owners fix large dents right away, they often put off fixing smaller dents and dings. A minor blemish can soon turn into something much worse because you never know what’s going on beneath that dent. Besides making your vehicle look bad, there are also hidden risks of putting off auto dent repairs. The auto body experts at Heritage Collision in Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor, Michigan, help you avoid these risks by offering affordable auto dent repair that protects your car’s appearance, your safety, and your wallet.

Long-Term Paint Damage

Even small dings can damage your automobile’s paint job, which will only get worse over time. Normal wear and tear, weather, and even washing your car can cause small cracks in your paint to become larger. Eventually, the paint may begin to flake and peel, exposing the sealant beneath. The same forces then damage the sealant, and once it’s gone, all that’s left is bare metal, and metal is highly prone to rust.

Runaway Rust

A major cause of rust is dents. When the outer layer of paint and sealant on your car’s body is pierced, the metal beneath loses a vital layer of protection. Contaminants assault metal once it’s open to the elements and cause corrosion, which leads to rust. When the dent or ding is small, you may not initially notice rust forming. As the rust spreads, it’s easier to spot, but it could also have reached a sensitive inner area of your vehicle, which could compromise your vehicle’s safety.

Safety Risks

With or without visible rust, small dents can mask underlying structural damage. A dent in your door could compromise the window operation or create gaps that allow water to seep in and damage vital electronic controls during rainstorms. Water exposure can also lead to mold growth inside your vehicle, which poses a health risk. Damage to a door could also cause the door to operate poorly, which could hamper your escape in an emergency. Head-on or rear-end collisions that damage the quarter panel could bend the underlying metal, which may lead to instability in the front end or rear end and compromise vehicle safety.

Higher Repair Costs

The longer you wait to fix a dent, the higher the repair bill will likely be. As previously mentioned, when dented areas are exposed to the elements, rust spots may appear, and the paint may begin flaking away. If you live in an area prone to severe weather or salt air, this damage spreads even faster and the more damage that occurs, the more it’s going to cost to fix it. If you’re putting off an auto dent repair to save money, your delay could cost you a lot more in the long run.

Lower Resale Value

Even if your car runs like a top, if the exterior is unsightly, it impacts the selling price. When your automobile has visible dents, paint damage and rust spots, the price a buyer is willing to pay for your used vehicle goes down. Buyers won’t like the vehicle’s appearance, and putting off auto dent repairs makes you appear neglectful in the vehicle’s upkeep. If you’ve ignored the exterior, buyers may assume you’ve also ignored standard maintenance to the motor, brakes, transmission and other mechanical parts. If you plan on selling your car at a future date, keep it blemish-free to ensure you get top dollar.

Michigan’s Auto Dent Repair Experts

Heritage Collision specializes in repairing auto body damage from collisions and everyday wear and tear. We offer a full line of auto body services by skilled repair technicians with prestigious Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) and Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair (I-CAR) certifications. We ensure you receive the most affordable service available with quotes and some of the lowest estimates in the area, regardless of vehicle make, model or repair needs. If you live in Michigan and your car suffers from minor dings or major dents, our shop can handle it all, and our cutting-edge paint system matches your vehicle’s color exactly to give you a high-quality finish. Contact us in Ypsilanti at 734-975-4600 or Ann Arbor at 734-327-7500 to schedule your auto dent repair today.