How an Idaho Falls shop became eastern Idaho's paintless dent repair pioneer

IDAHO FALLS — Although the Dr. Ding body shop at 945 E. Lincoln Road has been in operation for more than 30 years, it remains one of Idaho Falls' only auto repair shops specializing in paintless dent removal.

Shop manager Payden Smith describes it as "an art of removing damage on a vehicle without replacing or repainting the panel."

"It won't fix big collision damage, but it will fix more of your minor dents, door dings, hail damage and creases. If it's done properly, it's a far superior repair — and it's also quicker and less expensive" than other types of repairs, Smith tells EastIdahoNews.com.

There are multiple techniques, but Smith says Dr. Ding's involves using special tools to massage and mold the metal from the inside. It's a slow, meticulous process, and the goal is to make it look like there was never any damage in the first place.

Smith's dad, Cameron Smith, launched the business in 1993. Paintless dent removal was a new and emerging service at the time, and Cameron quickly became one of the only shop owners in eastern Idaho to offer it. After hearing about it in an industry report, Payden says his dad went to a two-week training to learn how to do it.

Over the years, Cameron has traveled the globe to find the best people who are familiar with the technique to bring it to the area.

"He's been perfecting it ever since," says Payden.

It's become the shop's signature service, and Payden says the shop averages one to three new customers a day.

The increased use of electronic parts in vehicles means the likelihood of a breakdown is also increasing, according to Payden, and those repairs are expensive.

"Customers are always shocked when they go to a body shop to fix a panel, and they get a bill for $6,000. We're able to do it for under $1,000," he says.

Payden says his dad worked at a dealership in town before hearing about paintless dent repair. After four days of training in California, Cameron bought some tools and started offering the service on his own in a small garage space.

The business moved to its current location in 2019.

More than three decades later, Payden — who grew up working in his dad's shop — says Cameron still feels like it's an art that he's trying to perfect.

"You're always testing the limits of what you can do to fix damage," Payden says.

Today, Dr. Ding serves customers out of state, which Payden attributes to the reputation they've built through the years. It's a service he's happy to provide for years to come.

"There are lots of body shops in town that can help people with specific damage. This is an alternative that's better for their pocketbook and the resale value of their vehicle," says Payden. "It's a really good thing for customers in our demographic."

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