Dent Wizard will begin offering its services to a broader consumer market on June 15th with the opening of its new retail service center in Atlanta. Dent Wizard, a subsidiary of Manheim Auctions, has been providing paintless dent removal (PDR) services to the nation’s automotive dealers, manufacturers, lessors, and rental car companies since 1983, removing dents from vehicles that are being prepared for sale at auction. It also offers its services to collision repair shops that serve retail customers. Dent Wizard plans to open additional retail service centers in the coming year in St. Louis, Charlotte, NC, and Seekonk, MA. The company’s retail plans were bolstered in 1998 when Manheim Auctions bought Dent Wizard and later purchased more than 90 percent of its U.S. franchises, creating the nation’s first national PDR network. Operations also have been expanded into Canada and Europe. Dent Wizard’s PDR processes do not conceal body damage. The process is achieved by massaging the metal from the reverse side with specialized tools, measured with sensitive calibration devices, until the damage has disappeared. There is no sanding, filler or repainting involved. The factory finish is never affected so unlike body shop repairs, PDR actually restores the value of the vehicle. PDR is most effective when the model year is 1990 or younger, where the affected panel or panels have not had previous body repair and the paint has not been chipped or cracked.