Get a photo estimate Plain version: a photo estimate is an honest range, the price is confirmed in person before any work starts, and you inspect the panel under raking light before you pay. Complete satisfaction or no charge applied.
These terms apply between you and Dent Time LLC, 2120 W. Mission Rd. #240, Escondido, CA 92029, when you use this website, request an estimate, or have work done.
Using the site or asking us for an estimate means you have read this. If something here does not sit right with you, tell us before we start work rather than after.
This is the most important thing on this page, so it goes first.
When you text or upload photos, we give you a real range based on what the photos show. That range is an honest assessment, not a teaser figure designed to get us into your driveway. But a photo cannot show everything, and two things in particular are invisible in a photo: how deep the metal is actually stretched, and what sits behind the panel blocking access.
The price is confirmed in person, before any work starts. If seeing the panel changes the number, you hear it then, and you decide whether to go ahead. We do not begin a repair and present a larger number afterwards.
If the damage turns out to be something paintless repair cannot properly fix, we say so and tell you what will. We would rather turn a job away than do one that will not hold up.
You inspect the panel under raking light before you pay. Not in flat daylight, which hides things, but under a light that shows the surface honestly.
If you are not satisfied with the repair, no charge is applied. That is the standard, and it is why the inspection happens before payment rather than after.
Paintless dent repair returns metal to its original plane without paint or filler. On most damage the result is that the dent is gone. On damage where the metal has been stretched sharply, the improvement is dramatic but a trace can remain, and an honest technician tells you that before starting rather than after. If we expect that outcome on your panel, you will know before you commit.
For mobile service, we come to your home, driveway, garage, or office. A few practical things make that work:
Payment is due when the repair is finished and you have inspected it. We accept the usual methods, and card payments are handled by our payment processor, which means we never store your full card number.
For insurance work, we deal with your carrier directly where you have asked us to. You remain responsible for your deductible and for any amount your carrier does not cover.
We work with all insurance carriers, and you are not required to use a shop your insurer recommends. That choice is yours, in California and everywhere else.
When we handle a claim we document the damage and deal with the adjuster. We do not decide what your carrier pays, and we do not tell you to file a claim that does not benefit you. On most single dents we will tell you to skip the claim and pay out of pocket, because the deductible and premium math usually does not work in your favor. Hail is the common exception.
Vehicles arrive with history. Previous body work, filler under the paint, aftermarket panels, prior repairs, corrosion, and paint that has already been compromised all change what is possible, and they are not always visible until work begins.
Where we find something like that, we stop and talk to you about it rather than working around it quietly. Dent Time is not responsible for the condition of paint or metal that was already compromised before we touched it, and we will not proceed with a repair we expect to make worse.
The prices published across this site are real working ranges, not marketing numbers. A door ding starts at $197. Panel-by-panel and damage-by-damage ranges appear on the pricing page and on each service page.
They are ranges because the work genuinely varies: depth, sharpness, position on the panel, access behind it, and whether the panel is steel or aluminum all move the number. Prices can change over time, and the figure that applies to you is the one we quote you for your vehicle.
Training courses have their own arrangements, which are agreed in writing when you enroll: dates, what is covered, deposit, and cancellation. Course details are on the training pages.
Training teaches a craft. It does not come with a promise about what you will earn afterwards, and anyone in this industry who does make that promise is selling you something. What you get out of it depends on what you put in after the course ends.
The content on this site, including the photographs and video of our repairs, belongs to Dent Time LLC. You are welcome to read it, share a link to it, and quote it with attribution. Please do not republish the repair photos or the written content as your own.
The information here is provided to help you understand the work and make a decision. It is general information about vehicle damage, not a diagnosis of your specific vehicle. The estimate we give you after seeing photos is the diagnosis.
We are responsible for the work we do. We are not responsible for damage that was already present, for items left in the vehicle, or for losses beyond the value of the repair itself, such as lost income or the cost of alternative transport.
Nothing here is intended to limit any right you have under California law that cannot be limited.
How we handle your information, including the photos you send us, is set out in our privacy policy. How text messaging works, including opting in and out, is in our messaging compliance policy.
These terms are governed by the laws of the State of California, and any dispute belongs in the state or federal courts serving San Diego County.
Before anyone goes near a court, call us. In more than three decades of doing this, almost everything has been solved by a conversation and a second look at the panel.
We update this page when the way we work changes, and the effective date at the top changes with it. The terms that apply to your repair are the ones in force when you booked it.
Text two photos, straight-on and at 45 degrees, to 858-408-6200 and a technician replies with your range. Related: our privacy policy and messaging compliance policy.