Justin F. Knotzke said:
Excuse me for the really stupid question but is "paintless dent
removal" a type fix to a car or a description of the type of damage?
Paintless dent removal is a technique for repairing minor damage
without the need to do any repainting. If the dent has not resulted
in paint damage, it can sometimes be removed without a trace. In
the case of a door ding that involves a minor chip, the dent can be
removed leaving only the chip that can then be touched up.
I just had three dents - all self inflicted :-( - removed from my
Miata yesterday and the results are incredible. One of these was
a buckle about 8" across on the front quarter panel. The results
probably depend on the skill of the technician doing the work,
so ask around before you take your car in.
Otherwise the strategy of parking at the far end of the lot has always
served me well. I cringe when I have to park next to another car,
but if I need to do that, I pick the nicest looking car that has an
open spot figuring that they care about their car too.
OBTW, there are no stupid questions, though there does seem to be
no shortage of stupid answers.