Owner Ted Martelle helped bring paintless dent removal into the mainstream — and built a shop luxury manufacturers are willing to put their name behind.
Ted Martelle didn't just open a dent shop — he helped invent the modern version of the trade. Roughly 25 years ago, when paintless dent removal was still a fringe idea in American auto body work, Ted was one of the people who proved it could meet the standard a serious, high-end vehicle demands.
The business has operated under a different name along the way — longtime clients may remember it as California Dent Works — but the standard hasn't moved: read the metal under specialized lighting, work it back into shape from behind the panel, and never touch the paint.
That standard is also why manufacturers who don't hand out approvals lightly — Ferrari, Lamborghini, Rolls-Royce, Porsche, Aston Martin, and a dozen more — list this shop as an authorized service provider. Dealerships and other PDR shops send over the jobs they can't finish; more often than not, they get resolved.
If a dent has cracked paint or needs a panel replaced, a paintless attempt won't hold up — so it doesn't get attempted. That call comes before the invoice, not after.
A Tesla in for a door ding gets the same lighting, the same patience, and the same finish check as a Rolls-Royce in for hail damage.
No solvents, no filler, no repaint booth. It's a lighter footprint on the shop — and one less thing between your car and its original finish.
"I had a stubborn ding on my Urus's A-pillar — solid metal, no access from behind. One shop refused the job, another tried and couldn't finish it, and a body shop quoted me $5,000. Ted took it on and had it done in about half an hour. I've looked hard for that dent since and I can't find it."
Livermore location, or mobile service across the Bay Area — either way, the first look is free.