Anyone have any experience with Paintless Dent removal!?

[timothylockhart]

Hello everyone, I would like to start learning the art of Paintless Dent removal.

Does anyone here do this for a living?

Just looking for input on which type of tools to look into (seems to be some that you pop the dent out from the other side using a handle as leverage, or some where you glue on holder to the dent and pull with a piece of steel.)

Do you have to spend an arm and a leg on these tools? or would something like this work?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DEVJXZ4/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Lastly if you look at that set I linked it shows a 4 panel short description of how it pops out dents, the final One is not straight but wavy, if you use these tools is the finish crinkled like that?

 

[FigureItOut]

Hello everyone, I would like to start learning the art of Paintless Dent removal.

Does anyone here do this for a living?

Just looking for input on which type of tools to look into (seems to be some that you pop the dent out from the other side using a handle as leverage, or some where you glue on holder to the dent and pull with a piece of steel.)

Do you have to spend an arm and a leg on these tools? or would something like this work?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DEVJXZ4/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Lastly if you look at that set I linked it shows a 4 panel short description of how it pops out dents, the final One is not straight but wavy, if you use these tools is the finish crinkled like that?

PDR comes up on occasion and I don't recall any actual full time PDR pros ever commenting, so we may not have any, but I can partially answer some of your questions.

First I want to say you're off to the right start with that first sentence. I opened the thread prepared to inform yet another guy that he's not likely to pick it up in a couple weekends. You'll make panels worse for a long time before you make anything better, and it'll be a long time after that before you'll make anything like new again.

Good PDR technique involves actually reshaping the metal. You're not "popping" it out. Metal doesn't have memory. A dent is bent and stretched metal, and you have to reshape it, without cracking the paint. You do that with the combo of pushing with the rods, glue pulling, and tapping. My brother has probably 250 different rods, maybe 25 different types of pull tabs, a dozen or so different types of hot glue, and an assortment of tappers.

The set you linked to doesn't really look to me like anything I've seen the pros using, to be honest. The tips just don't look right at all to me, and not at all similar to the starter set I was given. As to your last question, no, you shouldn't see any sort of crinkled finish like that. A good PDR guy can restore the finish on brand new cars damaged on the lot, by door dings, hail storms, what have you, to a point where the car is perfect and not devalued in any way.

I think you'll need to spend more than that to get a good start, but not thousands. I'll ask my bro for some recommendations on a good set and a good vendor and report back to you.

 

[timothylockhart]

I appreciate that! Thanks so much

Sent from my LGLS991 using Tapatalk

 

[Danglerb]

One of the Porsche guys in our group posted about the PDR guy his shop uses, amazing results without a hint of damage, but he won't allow anybody to watch him work. Its a trade where the methods have a LOT of value, and the people who know how to do it have zero incentive to share that info.

 

[Chief919]

One of the Porsche guys in our group posted about the PDR guy his shop uses, amazing results without a hint of damage, but he won't allow anybody to watch him work. Its a trade where the methods have a LOT of value, and the people who know how to do it have zero incentive to share that info.

That's true. I have a customer who does PDR specializing in hail damage at dealerships for insurance companies. He travels all over the US and Canada wherever a dealership has been hit by a hail storm and sometimes will spend a month or more at one place.

He says the body shop guys at the dealership are always trying to get him to teach them, but if he does that he loses the chance to get that contract the next time so it would be cutting his own throat.

 

[johninct]

I watched the guy fix the dent in my trunk a Perp's head made when they recovered my stolen car and he resisted arrest. Perfect job!

 

[Tim37]

I know a couple of guys that do pdr and both make thier own rods. they also both use florescent lights to see what they are doing. Other than that I don't know much

 

[jimmie jam]

You might want to go to www.autopia.org and ask there....FWIW.

 

[Derek420]

Snap on has the glue type and puller on sale right now don't remember price is was like $60-100 it looks nice but I'd say you gotta buy the glue gun swperate but it comes with some glue sticks.

 

[mikegt4]

My son is in the collision business and has a good PDR guy. He did this Mini for a friend of mine. The car had hail damage when he bought it and the car looked like a golf ball. A mini doesn't have much roof area to begin with, this one has a large glass sunroof so the metal area is even less and it is black to boot. The PDR guy fixed 96 dents in the roof alone!

 

[firworks]

No but I've had "Painless Dental Removal" before... It's a lie!

 

[timothylockhart]

My son is in the collision business and has a good PDR guy. He did this Mini for a friend of mine. The car had hail damage when he bought it and the car looked like a golf ball. A mini doesn't have much roof area to begin with, this one has a large glass sunroof so the metal area is even less and it is black to boot. The PDR guy fixed 96 dents in the roof alone!

You couldn't tell there ever was a dent from the pictures!

Sent from my LGLS991 using Tapatalk

 

[FigureItOut]

I appreciate that! Thanks so much

Sent from my LGLS991 using Tapatalk

I asked, and he couldn't genuinely recommend a starter set on the same budget planet as the one you linked to.

 

[timothylockhart]

Gotcha so it's not something I can realistically add to my skills with just $200. He'd probably recommend something like dentcrafttools

Sent from my LGLS991 using Tapatalk

 

[NYBODYMAN]

I would also like to begin messing around with PDR. I have been straightening metal for a long time and definitely know how to massage metal back into place when it needs to be painted but I am looking for a decent starter set to try PDR. I have panels and cars I will practice on.

 

[pistolpete1313]

Edit, Posted in wrong topic....

 

[shelteredV]

ummmm^^^ wrong pew