It’s been a while since I took the time to post a photo of one of my paintless dent repairs and I apologize. I have been super busy between numerous things and so I hope you understand. Anyhow, here is a basic diagram about what to look for on a body line with a crease going against it. I always look for crowns because that is what holds the pressure and the tightness that keeps it locked. The deeper the dent, the more lines you will notice around the center.

I attacked this dent with a soft tip tool and placed multiple tips on and off the tool as I shrank the dent down with pushes. In between I knocked down and switched sides to keep my dent balanced and clean. Pushing accurate was keen as usual and as you can tell, I kept my push marks down to a minimum. Obviously my first goal is to keep it clean, then remove the dent completely without jeopardizing the integrity of the paint. The metal will flex forever but the paint is what I am most concerned with. My pdr tools are essential and what tips I use are just as vital when performing pdr. Depending on the access and depth, my technique varies and how aggressive I choose to be or not. In this case, I went through a wire harness which gave me decent leverage but at times I struggled to pin point my tool tip without slipping and causing a high spot, I call it a “snail trail.” If that happens it can be so frustrating and take just as much time fixing a mistake besides the original dent.

The dent took nearly an hour to remove but considering how deep the dent was, it came out fairly fast. Remember, no matter if it took me 1 hour or it takes you 4 hours, pdr is not a race, nor should the quality be. In the end, the customer doesn’t really care how fast you do it. He / she will only care if you got it out and how well. Speed comes naturally based on your experience. The more you don’t pay attention to time, the faster you become… believe that! I charged $225 for this dent as well.

Keep this in mind: Understand what you are worth and your value. If you are confident and sell your experience, your customers are more willing to choose you over a cheap priced and low experienced other company. In the end, quality matters more to everyone – even when it comes to having it done cheap. My customers understand I am not selling them a pdr service, I am selling them my overall value. Done right, on site.