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“A Beginners Guide to Paintless Dent Repair”

Introduction to Paintless Dent Repair Paintless dent repair (P.D.R), also known as "paintless dent removal", is a collection of techniques for removing minor dents and dings from the body of a motor vehicle.A wide range of damage can be repaired using P.D.R; however, usually if there is paint damage, PDR may be unsuitable. The most common practical use for P.D.R is the repair of hail damage, door dings, minor body creases, and minor bumper indentations. The techniques can also be applied to help prepare the damaged panel for paint. Such applications are referred to as "push to paint", or "push for paint". When PDR was first introduced to the collision repair industry, it was frowned upon by many repair technicians and car manufactures. This is because the techniques at that time were to drill hole in the parts in order to gain access with the paintless dent removal tools. The problem with this method is that this changes the integrity of the part. It also disturbs the corrosion protection. Therefore, many car makers started stating that P.D.R was not a recommended repair for their vehicles. However, as with everything else, better techniques have been developed to perform this procedure without the use of drilling holes. Now most body shops and dealerships have a paintless dent repair technician or hire a contract P.D.R tech when needed. P.D.R has changed the face of the automobile industry, starting from humble beginnings it is now a global industry, and is the preferred method of removing dents, dings or hail damage from cars by every insurance company on earth. The History of Paintless Dent removal is a complicated one, but one thing is for certain, is has developed into a thriving business for a lot of people around the world. Paintless Dent Repair is not an over night get rich scheme, as some people believe but with hard work, practice and dedication it can be your ticket to financial freedom!

Types of dents When it comes to paintless dent removal/repair (PDR), there are ways to categorize types of dents. So, what's the difference? Simple.

"Door Ding" A ding or more commonly known as a "door ding" is considered no bigger than the size of a R1.00 coin. These types of dents tend to appear in the middle of your car door. They are relatively easy to repair as long as no paint damage has occurred, which otherwise requires the aid of a body shop.

"Dents" A dent is considered the size of a R2.00 coin or bigger. In general, a dent is sharper, bigger and requires more time to remove. Depending where it is located on the panel, the PDR technician must determine access points for leverage as well. Small- and modest-size round dents sometimes result from a hailstone or a round object, such as a cricket ball or basketball, hitting the car and causing a dimple on the hood or roof. As with dings, Paintless Dent Repair can usually remove round dents fairly easily provided no damage has occurred to the car's paint

"Creases" A crease is considered a dent or ding that has a line shape indentation in the metal panel. These dents usually result from an auto accident. A crease-type dent usually scores and bends the car's metal along its body line. Each car has its own metal memory formed at the time of production by heating the metal at high temperatures and shaping it. Cars frequently lose their metal memory when they sustain a crease-type dent.

This type of crease can vary in width, length and depth. A crease is also considered one of the most difficult repairs to achieve for most common PDR companies. A good reason for this would be to say that it is like folding a piece of paper and then trying to iron the line out. If not performed correctly, you will still be left with a smaller or thinner line.

Slide Hammer Glue Puller User Instructions

1.) Apply hot glue to tab. Make sure glue is not scalding hot to prevent damage to paint. If glue is too hot, allow it to cool for about 10 seconds on the tab before you apply the nib to the vehicle panel.

2. Apply tab to center of the dent. Do not apply too much pressure when applying the tab or you will create too thin of a layer of glue between the car panel and the nib.

3. Let glue cool for about 45 - 60 seconds (glue should be hard ) Come from under the tab head and lock onto the nib. Then swivel the tip so that the tips are facing right or left.

4. When using larger nibs, slide the weight towards you without much pressure. Let the weight do the work. Use several short and quick pulls instead of one large pull. When using the smaller nibs, give a quick strong pull as the tab will usually break lose on the first pull. After each pull,spray some alcohol on the nib or excess glue left on the panel and remove the tab or glue with the plastic razor blade. You can also try spraying the alcohol on the tab at the end of your pulling, and give it one hard pull to remove the nib. Repeat as needed.

5.If the nib comes off on its own, spray release solution (Isopropyl Alcohol) on the glue and panel to release the glue.

6. Peal excess glue off with the provided plastic razor blade or your fingernail.

7. Tap down any high spots with the nylon knock down Repeat the process as needed. Most dents require several pulls.

Tips Clean the surface of the dented area with the release solution (isopropyl alcohol) to remove any dirt or wax. The larger the dent the larger the diameter pulling tab you should use. If you do have trouble getting the tab to stick when pulling you may need to increase the size of the tab you are using. More pliable panel areas will require a smaller tab, however, more rigid areas may require a tab that is even larger than the dent you are removing. If you have tried cleaning the area multiple times and tried larger tab sizes, then the dent may not be fixable with a glue puller. Make sure the glue is hot before applying to the tab. When applying the tab to the panel make sure that you apply enough glue and pressure so that The tab sticks to the panel with a strong bond. When using smaller tabs, it can help to cover the outer edges with glue to create a better bond with the tab since the surface area is smaller. This process can also be used with larger tabs when pulling more stubborn dents Most of the time the glue will release from the tab before the car panel while you are pulling. You will have apply several applications of the release agent to remove the glue from the car panel. Use short quick pulls and make sure you are not pulling too hard or the tab may release too quickly. Let the weight do the work. For most dents, you will want to pull the dent further out than the panels normal surface (create a mound) and tap down the high spots with your nylon knock down. If you find that you have a small portion of the dent that is stubborn and won't remove with pulls, try knocking down the perimeter of the dent to flatten the area and try another pull. Repeat the process as needed. Do not use on panels that have been painted or have body filler. Only use on factory finishes.

Glue pullers work best on shallow dents and pliable areas that have more flex. Very deep dents may not come out all the way and may require a much more experienced pdr tech to remove them with good results. When you remove the tab, if there is excess glue stuck to the tab do not try and remove it, just melt it with the end of your glue gun tip and apply more glue on top of it.

Glue pullers have limitations. They don’t afford you the precision that a Paintless Dent Repair pick does. They are a great asset for removing dents that are not accessible with picks or for the amateur that does not know how to use PDR picks to remove dents. Although glue pullers take much longer to use than a PDR pick, In the right hands a glue puller can do a great job but it is always the second resort to a PDR pick. ALL GLUE PULLERS HAVE LIMITATIONS AND CANNOT REMOVE ALL TYPES OF DENTS PROBLEM DENTS: RIGID AREAS OF THE PANEL THICK METAL DEEP DENTS BODY LINE DENTS GLUE PULLERS WORK BEST ON PLIABLE MORE ELASTIC AREAS OF THE VEHICLE

Window wedge / Air Bag- These are used to create a space between window and panel to access Door Dents.

Knock Down – This tool is used to remove stress and high spots * See steps to repairing dings and dents* Removable tool tips & tools - Your set contains 3 removable tool tips for different dents. This is ideal as the same 2 tools can be used for many applications.

* Refer to steps to removing a dent*

Steps to Repairing Dings and Dents STEP 1: Free access to the dent: PDR is performed from the underside of the panel (unless using the glue pulling method), so access is paramount. Knowing how to gain is access to the dented area through the routes that are available in the car saves a great deal of time.

Dents to the Hood: For the hood, as in the case of dings caused by hailstones, access is gained through the underside.

From Front to Back: For the front and the rear ends, you have to gain access through the headlight or taillight assemblies, and then gain access through the wells of the wheel and the ends of the doors. The other area to think about is the roof. In the case of hailstones, the roof is obviously the hardest hit. Roof work requires that the headliner be dropped.

Dings to the Door: To gain access through the window use the window wedge to create an open area 5-10cm wide. This area will be used to slide the tool down and begin working on the dent.

NOTE: You may also gain access using the reflectors or the water drain holes.

STEP 2: PDR tool Selection: First decide whether to push using the rods, pull using the glue puller kit or use a combination of both methods.

Some tips to decide which of the options to choose: Can you get access to the dent from behind the panel? Has the vehicle been re-sprayed? (Pulling on an area that has been re-sprayed will cause the paint to crack and pull off the cars surface)

*More often than not, a few pulls using the sliding hammer will remove stress from the dent setting up for a cleaner finish using the rods.

STEP 3: Set up the area: Make sure you can open all doors and be able to move around the car. This is an important step, because the only way to make sure that the dent is out is to check it from all available angles. Failure to do this will result in the dent appearing gone from one viewpoint, but standing out from another. You will need to examine the dent and get a clear idea of what you are working with.

The Line Board The Line Board is a very important feature of dent repair, it allows you to locate your tool tip as well as see the distortion of the dent on the panel. Position the line board so that it casts a shadow over the dent. By positioning yourself parallel to the dent, you will clearly see the distortion in the lines. Your goal is to manipulate the metal back into its original shape.

Here is an example of a ding, in the shadow of a line board. You can clearly see the distortion in the lines. This is where the damage is. Once the dent is removed-the lines will return to a symmetrical pattern.

Finding your tool tip using your line Board When pressure is exerted on the tool it causes the reflection to pinch, or in this case the lines to pinch look much like an hour glass shape. Where the lines pinch or touch is the location of the tool underneath the panel. When these lines are placed over a dent, they circle the dent somewhat like a figure eight and when the tool tip presses on the bottom of the dent it causes the figure eight to squeeze or blink like an eye. This technique has been commonly taught for years and can be an easy way to get started because it is simple to understand.

STEP 4: Understand how to fix a dent. A dent is formed in the metal after an object such as a hail stone has struck the panel. That part of the metal is now stretched, and unlike popular belief will not just pop out, it needs to shrink back to its original form.

P.D.R uses a series of small pushes (or pulls using the sliding hammer) back into the metal to re-shrink it. More often than not a combination of these techniques is used. You need to find the precision point of the tip of the tool (using the line board), and gently push on the back of the dent using a series of gently pushes, starting from the outside in. By putting a lot of smaller dents back into the original it creates a type of corrugated effect and in effect shrinks the stretched metal back to its original size. One of the most important aspects of large dent and some smaller dent repair is stress relief. If there is still stress on the panel, the dent is not 100% repaired. Stress—or a crown—comes from a dent being so big that the metal has nowhere to go but out. The term "crown" is generally used when describing the ring of stress that surrounds large round dents such as large hail. Another way for stress to occur is for the dent to be in an area close to a body line, or an edge, or some other restricting area.

STEP 5 Start the repair process: Remove stress in steps: The reason we push/pull first is to give the stress somewhere to go. If you try to knock the stress out first, it will likely lock the dent in. What we want to do is lock it out. Push or glue pull the dent a little. Then start relieving the stress until you feel you can push some more. Continue like this until the repair is complete. When pushing a ding/dent, start from the outside and work yourself in.

Most of the time, after the bulk of the dent is removed; the last 20% or so is going to be a large, shallow, low area. There is still stress on the panel that needs to be relieved. When relieving stress, use the knock down and gently tap away around the edge of the dent to remove stress. The knock-down can also be used to tap down any high spots from an over-push.A lot of light taps is better than just banging away at it.

THE BEST ADVICE THAT CAN BE GIVEN IS: PRACTICE, PRACTICE, AND PRACTICE SOME MORE!!!!!

The Business End of Things Once you get to a point where you are confident in repairing dings and dents the question is now, “How do I turn this into money?” There are many places and establishments where the PDR trade is in demand: - Panel Beaters - Rental Companies -Auto Valet centres -General Public - Vehicle Dealerships (new and used) -Office Parks

One of the major benefits of P.D.R is that you can be completely mobile, and the benefits of this speak for themselves. NO OVER HEADS. As long as you are doing good work, there will be no shortage of business:  Create yourself a brand, this ensures you can build a name for your business.  Use free advertising media i.e. Gumtree to advertise your services. This can be highly beneficial in obtaining business.  Be smart; don’t take on work you are not 100 % confident with.  Customer satisfaction is key to the success of your business.  Explain to your customer what you can do for them, if you believe you can get the dent to a point where is it 80% complete, tell them, more often than not they will take this option as it is for more cost effective and there vehicle will have minimal downtime.

How to Charge For P.D.R?

Generally you charge per panel-a rate of R500.00 is standard. This is expectable for a panel with between 1 and 3 small dings/dents. Should there be a large dent, or a hail damaged car, use your discretion to quote the customer. Discounted rates are offered to dealerships/rental companies, or any company which can offer continuous work.