There are a lot of YouTube videos out there that I personally think are a bit misleading or perhaps just a misrepresentation of the paintless dent repair industry.
Now, you may have seen some of these videos before where it appears like a dent has been fully removed with something like a toilet plunger, household glue, perhaps, dry ice or even just pouring water out of a kettle.
The problem is, with these videos, they can be misleading to our customers. So when our customers are searching for dent repair services for damage they have on their vehicle, they can find some of these videos. To the untrained eye, it appears the dent has been fully removed, but knowing how to fully assess the damage is so important to be able to know how to fully repair it.
Let’s Take A Closer Look
So in this particular example, it looked like I removed the main impact point very quickly and that the dent fully popped out, but as we take a closer look, you can see there is definitely still some underlying damage.
In the example from the video, I've got some low spots running across the body line of the repair but also some surrounding tension also known as ‘crowns’.
Firstly, it's important to be able to identify and assess the damage itself but also know the correct tools and techniques to be able to repair it. Whilst I removed the initial dent very quickly, I then spent the next 30 minutes tapping around some of those tension points, reapplying my glue pull setup to get that panel completely flat again.
Never Underestimate Paintless Dent Repair
Now, the reason this can be misleading to our customers is they may underestimate the whole paintless dent repair process itself. So, as I say, to the untrained eye, it may appear the damage has fully popped out. But when you know what you're looking for and you can see these telltale signs of some of the underlying damage, if it's not addressed properly then that initial impact can be weaker.
For example, if that same part of the vehicle got hit again, it's going to pop in easier or even sometimes, just applying some pressure, say when you're cleaning the car, there's a good chance that dents, if not done correctly, it's just going to pop straight back in again.
As I say, it’s important to understand how to assess the damage and know the correct tools and techniques to repair the damage. Also, a PDR technician must know how to relay that information to your customer, educating them on the paintless dent repair process.
Online PDR Training With Ongoing Support
If you're looking to learn a little bit more about paintless dent repair, you can check out our online PDR training platform learnpdronline.com.
We don't just teach how to repair dents, we also teach that side of the business, as well as how to get started, how to build your very own PDR business, estimating/pricing up your repairs and understanding your customer to be able to give them the best customer experience. These will help set you up for success in the PDR world.
Start Your Training With Your FREE Videos
Check out our free five-part video series to get started or just contact me directly at tom@learnpdronline.com with your individual needs and I'll come back to you and see exactly how I can help you get started in your PDR career.