I don’t know why I can’t control my passion for PDR? I should say, “no” to a lot of the beyond the “normal” dents. Fortunately though it seemed to pay off. People these days are on a tighter budget and looking to save as much money as possible.
Most people want to only fix their cars if they have to or it’s too obvious to live with. That’s why I believe our trade is raising the bar about paintless dent removal. PDR is now getting into the Paintless “Collision” Removal a.k.a. PCR.
I have a few reasons for doing big dents. Obviously the first reason is the money. But what really drives me to do bigger dents is the self satisfaction. Knowing I can do the big dents and finish… And it pays off.
Now I am not successful at doing every dent I attempt. If I said I do, then I am not challenging myself and definitely not learning anymore. Doing big, stretched and kinked dents takes a lot of patience and experience. Some dents have taken me 6-7 hours to remove from start to finish. Other PDR techs think it’s a waste of time but I believe it’s a self investment because the more I do them, the less time I spend on a similar dent and get paid as I do it.
Work smarter not harder as the saying goes. Sure, I can do smaller dents in less time and make more money. That would be the ideal way wouldn’t it? And I sure in the heck wouldn’t mind it either. Unfortunately, those days are gone for me to cherry pick. Besides, I hate walking away from any type of dent knowing in my head I could have at least tried. Even worse, a competitor tried and even though may not have fully successfully removed the dent, he gained the customer’s loyalty. These are some of the reasons I do PCR dents. I just can’t say no when there is a slight possibility there is a “yes” factor involved.
The art of paintless dent removal is truly evolving and so are the tools and techniques. I see more and more amazing dent removals from others around the world. I’m sure I will continue to even be more amazed within the next decade.
Below is a dent that took me over 6 hours to remove. Ford metal is considered one of the most challenging sheet metal to work with besides aluminum.
Myke Toledo