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PDR "Paintless Dent Repair"

5K views 20 replies 11 participants last post by  tech69 
#1 ·
Some of these guys are just like friggin Warlocks! This guy who we have does some amazing work. I know the after pictures suck as I can't get the exact same shading as the original photo which was perfect. But honestly, yes there is a "texture" like a heavy orange peel or something, but the fender is now straight. He did it in about a half an hour.

Brian
 

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#5 ·
Yeah it's funny, I gave it a try. I mean, I can metal finish out some pretty funky dents without bondo, I figured this is a piece of cake. But it's not, at all, it's a different animal and it's not easy at all.

Brian
 
#6 ·
I had 3 dents in the tailgate of my Ford truck done and unless you catch the light right, you can just barely see one of them. I have another ding on the bed side that happened when a small tree leaped up against it while backing our big 5th wheel into a too small campground site. My wife tried to take out the garage door frame with the RF fender on her last car. That one was totally invisible after being fixed via PDR. Unfortunately the guy who did the tailgate and fender has 'disappeared' so have to find another.
 
#8 ·
A lot of them do something that ticks me off to no end. They price it not as to how long it takes them but in relation to what would it cost at a body shop including the paint work, and that is just plain wrong!

We had a guy doing ours that ticked me off at one point to where I wouldn't even talk to him when he came by anymore and thank goodness someone came to work here who knew the guy we have now who is a super nice and fair guy. He gets what he deserves, to be paid for his skills as well as his time, but not stupid money.

I had called the last guy (friend of the boss') to fix something for a local tire shop who we did business with. The car was damaged at the shop and he was paying for it. He always helped me out and I wanted to pass it on so I gave the PDR guy a call and he came by to fix the car here in our lot. He did it in about a half hour and was all proud to tell me how he was going to charge the guy something like $500. I said how did he figure that and he said "Well it would cost $1000 here with paint and everything" and I begged him to not do that, help this guy out, he ended up chargeing him the $500. That jerk never got anything from me again!

Brian
 
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#11 ·
Ya'll keep an eye on those PDR dents. When the rust starts, and the paint flakes. Call 'em back, and see what they'll do about it. Nuttin', Nada, Zilch. An' now you get to eat the cost of a proper repair.

See, what happens, is the paint flexes with the dent, when flexed back it cracks. You can't see the cracks some times, but they're there. Look close, under flourescent light, you'll find them. Moisture gets in there, and corrosion starts, and there ya go.
 
#16 ·
You pay for the guys knowledge and talent. Now if a guy is a friend of YOURS or a good customer then you or the shop should pay half the bill. If getting it fixed would cost 1000 at the shop and if it wasn't a friend or good customer then the shop would add 50% or so for doing what? nothing? is THAT fair? sure it is, in a business sense. Us body and paint guys have been dealing with this since day one. We do all the work but get a fraction of the money paid out. I remember getting 50% of the estimated labor but eventually the shop management thought we made too much money and decided they deserved it more so they made a few changes to the estimate and skimmed a few hours here and there. How fair is that? What your saying is no different than someone who knows nothing about body and paint saying we charge too much. conceder how long it would take for you to screw it up then how long it would take someone fresh out of the school then someone that's been doing it all his life. I'm sure the guy that's been doing it all his life could do the same job faster and better, should he do the job cheaper? Paint companies and bodyshops have been getting rich off us Im glad someone is getting rich off them for a change.
 
#17 ·
Believe me, I understand where you are coming from, but we have to keep it within reason. I know that I like to pass on my skills to the person who needs them. I love looking at a customer pay job like a sprung door that won't close and the person is in a horrible position and I can do my sprung door trick and fix it right there in a few seconds and tell them, "Have a nice day." Not charging them a thing, that to me is one of the great pleasures in this amazing life we are blessed with. I do it all the time, and I noticed after doing it the other day and the lady gave me a big hug, I have gotten a lot of hugs like that from ladies over the years! LOL That's pay enough for me!

The guy who did this Honda charged us only $150, he did it in a half hour tops, so he is making good money. We passed that on to the customer marking it up our standard 20%.

He is a very good tech in demand and makes a good living at it, the guy who turned us onto him said he is one of the best, and he is. A humble nice guy who does amazing work.

I believe on passing it on when the time is right. When we are good, we more than make up for it by getting something done faster than book time that we get paid for.

When we can help another person who needs it, I do all I can.

Brian
 
#18 ·
PDR Master Craftsman view point

I posted somewhere else on this topic. In my area, I am the local expert performing PDR on Hot Rods and Classic Cars for over 20 years. It takes a technician with an understanding of metal and paint to perform these types of repairs well.
I have refused many Hot Rod dent repairs due to the condition of the paint. Usually a lacquer paint job with a dent I will refuse due to the paint already compromised. But, a recent paint job with a quality clear coat can be PDRed as long as the dent is not too deep or sharp. And experienced technician will note that as soon as he looks at the damage.
By the way...Skip the Dry Ice...If you do a search on Dry Ice Dent Repair you will see my blog on how you can screw up your finish with Dry Ice. Dry Ice only works under certain conditions with a specific type of metal. Trust me...Don't Try Dry Ice!
 
#21 ·
that's nice work but a body man would know that there's still a roll where it meets the bumper, which is very typical. Could have just bent it with his hand for a nicer appearance but that's missing the point, he's a pdr guy so that's great work. Was it getting close to total? Not sure why anyone would pdr that.

edit: ok, I've read the part about the favor. Makes total sense now.
 
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