paintless dent removal

DFB said:
This reminds me of a long-term customer I had once -

(For added context, this is 2020 during the height of the pandemic, and a normally active old man being forced to stay at home due to lockdowns, so he had a lot more time on his hands.)

This person, one of the richest men in the country, standing outside his brand-new mansion with the hand applied gold leaf on the pillars of the front entrance and ancient Greek goddess statues, told me that I charge him too much...............after working for him and his extended family for near 15 years. (I was not by the way, he got the same price everyone else did, below industry average too.) Well, I explained that you are not just paying for me to cut the grass, but also the horticultural knowledge that I have. His snarky reply was that "it's not rocket science!".

I found that statement hugely offensive, a complete disregard for all I had learned over a 20-year period. Horticulture is not something you learn about overnight, it takes decades to learn, mostly from hands on experience. It's not just digging holes and cutting grass. You basically become a plant doctor, knowing how identify and treat certain pests and diseases, becoming a plant nutritionist, know how plants function/biologist, learn how are where to prune, learning about soil and become a soil chemist, becoming proficient in plumbing and electronic watering systems, be a small engine mechanic to maintain equipment...................................... So, I might be just a dumb gardener, but there is more to it than he was crediting me for.

A few months later, I resigned after reaching the end of my tether. But guess who was ringing me to help diagnose the bug infestation on his rose bushes? Well, apparently, it's not rocket science, so you figure it out!

There are two things I learnt from all this -

1. NEVER question a person's worth, you have no idea what it takes to do one's job and the price asked for it.
2. NEVER compromise on what you think you are worth, otherwise, what the point?
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He is allowed to think you charged to much it’s his right to do so.

BUT…..

If he felt that way then he should have parted ways and found some one else.

You are absolutely right to feel the way you do and did the right thing.

I’m sure with his net worth at some point….. “someone was paying him to much”


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Eldorado2k said:
Just to clarify, and I know this goes against what some of you have clearly pointed out… But I simply don’t think a tiny dent or two the size of a 1/4 inch or less is worth paying a couple hundred dollars or more to have removed. Last time I checked I have at least 2 tiny divots on my otherwise perfect trunklid that must’ve been caused by the seeds/pits? That sometimes fall out of the tree on the nearby curb.

I don’t like the fact that they’re there, but at the same time I wouldn’t place having them corrected anywhere near a couple hundred bucks worth. It’s just not worth it to me + I can find much better value for a couple hundred dollars.
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Just like ALOT of people feel about polishing paint. No skill is needed and you wanna charge 75-100 dollars an hour?

Not directed at you but sometimes their is underlying skill that makes a job look easy. When in fact polishing paint is.

I was floored back in the day when someone wanted $100 for a proper wash, LSP and interior detail. Now that I know what goes into doing it right it was absolutely worth it at the time I just didn’t know it…


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Coatingsarecrack said:
He is allowed to think you charged to much it’s his right to do so.

BUT…..

If he felt that way then he should have parted ways and found some one else.

You are absolutely right to feel the way you do and did the right thing.

I’m sure with his net worth at some point….. “someone was paying him to much”


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From a couple of connections, I am positively certain that he got bit of a shock when quotes came in for my replacement. He was getting me way cheap, but yeah, apparently I was ripping him off.

And they have tried to get me back a few times, a situation that I flat out will not consider. I certainly don't miss the stress, the 9pm Sunday phone calls, the "while your here" requests..............
 
DFB said:
From a couple of connections, I am positively certain that he got bit of a shock when quotes came in for my replacement. He was getting me way cheap, but yeah, apparently I was ripping him off.

And they have tried to get me back a few times, a situation that I flat out will not consider. I certainly don't miss the stress, the 9pm Sunday phone calls, the "while your here" requests..............
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Now that he knows your worth I would tell him what kind of person he is. Offer to go back at double the price he was paying you and that he will not tell you what you will be doing you will be telling him. Any additional asks will come at an exorbitant rate if you decide to do it.

He will decline… probably call you some names. Then you can tell him your not overcharging for the work your doing but undercharging for working for a self absorbed A$$h0L€…


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Anyone here actually doing PDR or have some more info on that, thanks.\


.
 
Danube said:
Anyone here actually doing PDR or have some more info on that, thanks.\


.
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The company I work for paid for a 2 week PDR course I completed recently. My instructor was a guy named Lee Roth from Ding King training institute.

 
Danube, what questions/concerns do you have in regards to PDR?
 
SNP209 said:
Danube, what questions/concerns do you have in regards to PDR?
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I bought some basic tools (more to come) and I'm dying to start doing the PDR.

I watched many, many videos, watched a guy who worked on my daughter's car (that's when I got 'infected') and I have basic ideas as to how to do some of the dents (some not :D )


So I guess I need to give it a go .. intending to buy a hood or some panel from the wrecking yard and take it from there.

Wish me luck.
 
Danube said:
I bought some basic tools (more to come) and I'm dying to start doing the PDR.

I watched many, many videos, watched a guy who worked on my daughter's car (that's when I got 'infected') and I have basic ideas as to how to do some of the dents (some not :D )


So I guess I need to give it a go .. intending to buy a hood or some panel from the wrecking yard and take it from there.

Wish me luck.
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Awesome. Try to get some aluminum and steel panels to work on so you can get feel for how they differ.
 
PDR is absolutley a art. That sh!t is hard and the good pdr guys make it look so easy but it is insanely difficult.

Just reading the line board on a basic golf ball dent is a feet let alone some of this stuff these guys can get out on hard body lines....Ooofta
 
Same as watching a musician playing an instrument .. looks se easy.

Learning is s long process and I'm happy to goo that path ..!
 
Danube said:
Today I went to a guy who does paintless dent removal.

It was on various panels on my daughter's car, nothing major.

The guy used different tools and I closely monitored his work.

I felt like I could do the same if I have tools.

What are your experiences?

Any of you have any experience in paintless dent removal ?

Any suggestions, advises, opinions ?!

Thanks !


:wowwow:

:xyxthumbs:
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My 2018 GT350 got dented up when a shelf in my garage collapsed. I was determine to fix it myself, so I watched a bunch of videos, bought a kit from Amazon and started my repair! Well several frustrating hours later, the dents had increased by more than a few from me not knowing where the tip of the tool was. I called a dent guy who came out and less than an hour later removed the original 4 dents plus all the damage I had done - those folks are skilled craftsmen!!! It really is an art!!!
 
sfckelley said:
My 2018 GT350 got dented up when a shelf in my garage collapsed. I was determine to fix it myself, so I watched a bunch of videos, bought a kit from Amazon and started my repair! Well several frustrating hours later, the dents had increased by more than a few from me not knowing where the tip of the tool was. I called a dent guy who came out and less than an hour later removed the original 4 dents plus all the damage I had done - those folks are skilled craftsmen!!! It really is an art!!!
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It's as artistic as car detailing.

It's rather knowledge combined with lot's or practice, trial and error and all that went into us becoming good car detailers.

I know it's take a lot of time, but I find it 'connected' in a way with car detailing.

I wouldn't do it for living (as I don't do detailing) .. but as an old petrol head I'm tempted.

I'm ready to invest time and patience.

It'll pay off in the end I know.
 
DanaDetailingPros said:
I pieced together a kit that uses allot of hot glue and these plastic plungers that hook to the tools to pull the dents out. They all have been fairly good at getting out larger to medium dents.
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It appears to me now (after some experience) that glue pulling is the easier part.
Tapping on the highs requires a lot ...


:wowwow:
 
Danube said:
It appears to me now (after some experience) that glue pulling is the easier part.
Tapping on the highs requires a lot ...


:wowwow:
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Tapping down comes with lots of practice and muscle memory. Depending on the panel you're working on it can become very frustrating.

For example aluminum hoods flex a lot and when attempting to tap down highs your tap down bounces right back at you and you need to hit it even harder to move the metal. Steel is more rigid and requires less force to move the metal.

Are you using a PDR light?
 
I've had very good luck pulling small dents with the "glue" kits for $16 on Amazon.
 
SNP209 said:
Tapping down comes with lots of practice and muscle memory. Depending on the panel you're working on it can become very frustrating.

For example aluminum hoods flex a lot and when attempting to tap down highs your tap down bounces right back at you and you need to hit it even harder to move the metal. Steel is more rigid and requires less force to move the metal.

Are you using a PDR light?
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I certainly do.

The lines are so helpful, a tiniest dent is visible under the light.

For this particular dent (pictured) I thought I can do it from behind, but there is another layer of metal on the inside, so has to be glue pull.

As you know the surface has to be cleaned with alcohol so the hot glue sticks as it should. Also, to remove the glue, alcohol is needed again. My issue is that the car has ceramic coat, so alcohol is no, no I believe .. ?!?

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