The Hippocratic Oath’s primary tenet of “first, do no harm” applies as much to collector cars as it does to medicine. Unfortunately, I wasn’t paying attention when I rested my hand on the car’s roof pillar while rubbing away dried wax on the fender. This seemingly structural area actually made of steel thinner than Costco margins was left with a dent in the exact form of my left palm.
A wave of nausea hit me. I was too embarrassed to call Paul Hoey to explain how I had destroyed his beautiful work.

The next day, my friend Andy Kaplowitz dropped by. An insurance agent, Andy has been sending his Allstate automotive clients for years to Glenn Martucci at Sameday Scratch and Dent. Glenn, he promised, would save the day.

Sameday is a pioneer in paintless dent removal techniques. Instead of hammers and dollies or pulling welded-on pins, they use special long reach tools to get behind dents and massage out damage. This means there’s no need to repaint, although for scratches they offer services to color-match and repair the painted area without refinishing the entire panel like traditional body shops.

The company is based in and has multiple locations throughout Washington. With core clients ranging from dozens of car dealerships to the Le May collection, they have worked on everything from used Hyundai’s to six-figure exotics and classics.

Instead of driving the clean Ferrari through the rain to their Olympia Automall shop, the offered to come to me. Glenn arrived at the Sound Classics garage with his top gun technician Joe Krawczyk, who has worked on just about everything in his five-year career with Sameday.

With the rear interior header panel removed, Joe assessed the damage, as well as checked for sufficient access underneath the area. He concluded it was a dent that could be repaired to perfect condition.

Paintless dent repair has very specific uses. Dents with excessive creasing, paint splitting or those larger than the size of a baseball are often better addressed with other methods. Sameday even has repaired many hail damaged cars, spending hours taking out hundreds of small depressions. Joe indicated that while it takes longer due to the more complicated properties of the metal, the system also works on dents in aluminum panels.

Attaching a small light reflector, Joe went to work. Watching him use the tool to apply pressure against the underside of the dent proved a process of equal parts art and science. One might think such a small dent would take just minutes, but returning the panel to perfect condition requires patience and skilled hands. After roughly an hour of delicate motions, the Ferrari’s roof panel was perfect again.

Some mistakenly believe Sameday’s paintless dent repair service is a cheap alternative to painting. Removing dents can cost the same as an entire Maaco repaint. For restoring a show-quality paint job like the one Paul Hoey did on my Ferrari, it is the best, most cost effective solution, though.

Sameday also applies this concept to interior leather repair. They can eliminate wear and tear spots on seats and panels with a color-matched (via a spectrophotometer) permanent coating.

Paul Hoey brought my Ferrari to show condition. Thanks to Sameday, it can stay there… even if something else tests the strength of Italian metal in the future.

* Find out more at Sam Barer’s Four Wheel Drift automotive news blog.

Mercedes- Benz has just announced the approval of Spies Hecker products for refinishing. The approval is the latest in a series of official endorsements received by Spies Hecker over the past six months.
As extended warranties became more popular, official approvals are becoming more important. The dealer network relies on approvals to substitute a product’s ability to meet official standards when returning a vehicle to its original condition.
Mercedes is in good company with General Motors, BMW, and Ford adding to Spies Hecker’s long list of industry leaders who’ve given their seal of approval.

Spills: Wipe up any excess liquid immediately with a clean cloth or sponge. If necessary use lukewarm water and let the leather air-dry.
Spots and Stains: Apply a mild, non-detergent soap solution with a clean, wet sponge. Rinse and let air dry. Particularly bad spots may require a detergent solution, but care should be taken not to over do it.
Oil and Grease: Wipe the leather with a clean, dry cloth and let any remaining oil dissipate into the leather. Do not apply water or try to wash a grease spot.
Major Damage: Sameday offers specialized services that clean, condition, restore, and repair leather. Routine maintenance can extend the useful life of leather upholstery, keeping it clean and in top condition. Wearing, fading, and even extreme damage such as holes, cuts and burns can be repaired by our skilled leather professionals.

Hyundai sets high standards when it comes to professional refinishing in order to ensure hat the quality of the repair is upheld. Hyundai and paint maker Spies Hecker have signed a global cooperation agreement.
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