WHAT IS PDR?
Is PDR the right choice to repair your dented vehicle?
HOW IT WORKS
Did you know that most automotive body panels have a "memory" of their initial shape and contour? A panel that has been dented in a certain way, up to certain stress levels, actually "wants" to spring back to its undamaged shape. This characteristic, called "elasticity", is what makes paintless dent repair possible.
PDR technicians use a wide variety of special-tools, to get beneath a dent and guide it out. No two dents are the same, which is why PDR takes a careful eye and a lot of practice, but the process goes something like this --
1. GAIN ACCESS TO THE UNDERSIDE
OF THE DENTED PANEL .
2. POSITION AND ADJUST LED LIGHTING TO READ CONTOURS AND ORANGE PEEL IN FACTORY APPLIED FINISH .
3. SELECT THE APPROPRIATE DENT REMOVAL TOOL,
4. CAREFULLY APPLY MEASURED PRESSURE TO THE MIDDLE OF THE DENT
5. INSPECT PANEL CONTOUR VISUALLY WITH THE AID OF CUSTOMISED LED LIGHTING, TO ASSES THE MOVEMENT OF THE METAL / TO MAKE SHURE PAINT IS KEPT INTACT & TOO AND TO ASSESS/ REASSESS SHAPE
The two last steps are the tricky ones. When a technician applies pressure to reverse a dent, he must be certain not to damage the paint or clear coat, and not to cause the dent to become a convex distortion on the panel surface. The amount of pressure depends on the type of metal (steel, high strength steel or aluminum), the size of the dent, the location of the dent in relation to natural panel strength ridges, and other factors. It takes years to develop the perfect touch!
A PDR technician uses several assessment methods to ensure the panel is restored back to near factory-new tolerance. Light panels, LED lighting , line matrix boards, and even outdoor reflections to read the panels progress
With the right tools and experience, a skilled PDR technician can guide a panel back to within 0.020" of original shape!
Today's automotive paint is extremely flexible, and will take a significant deformation before it stretches or cracks. Paintless dent repair is more cost effective for repairing dents that do not break the clearcoat or finish,
This is simply because the amount of labor required is much lower. There are no filling, patching, sanding, priming, or painting steps. Once a technician has access to the underside of a body panel, most dents on that panel can be fixed.
More advanced techniques in paintless dent repair involve careful application of heat to soften a finish, hot box / power induction As well as adhesive glue and specialised tabs to raise and facilitate the removal of dents that are in awkward places. At Got dents Australia we use all these approaches, based on a careful assessment of each vehicle and the damage it contains.
The limitations of PDR / What we can’t fix
Please watch this informative video from our good friend Mr Paul Whithorn Jr. from Dent repair USA
Please watch this informative video from our good friend Mr Paul Whithorn Jr. from Dent repair USA