1. Sorry to say it, but if you are a Paintless Dent Repair Newbie, this article is a bit in your face, but
if you appreciate the truth, read onward. If NOT, click out and see u laters.
Paintless Dent Repair is edgy. And thankfully so. If it was simple, the cost would drop and a
simple repair would be $15 instead of $200…so glad it is tough to master..keeps the lazy techs
out, looking into other get rich opps instead of PDR.
So, I examine this….Common shortcomings of PDR Newbies.
1. Underestimations. This term is wide, intentionally. Underestimation of the EFFORT and
BREADTH are primarily what I am referring to, but there are additional ones.
2. A) The money.. Most peoples have NO clue what a good PDR Tech can generate.
When I personally do PDR, I usually pull over $3k a day. And I’m NOT talking about hail
damages. When doing hail repairs, I get upset if I’m not bringing at least $3500 when
pushing 1000’s of dents in a workday.
3. B) The PDR competition. Most people in PDR are simply bad. And lucky for them really,
it usually doesn’t slow them down..until a better tech rolls into town (see our dent repair
school for details J )
4. C) The PDR Market. I get emails from new techs interested in PDR, and others who
may have gone through a different/substandard school, looking for PDR markets where
they can get ahold of real PDR. Let me say this truly: Auto Dealers are just 1 market
opportunity. There are TONS more. I will leave it at that for this article…
5. Technical PDR requirements. 20/20 vision. Your eyes better be 20-20 or corrected to
that level or PDR is not an option. It is a VISUAL process, so if you CAN’T SEE, you
won’t DO it.
6. TIME for practice. This one is commonly overlooked. Dealers send us PDR in house
trainees all the time for schooling. Then, when the student returns and asks for time to
practice and develop their skills and speed, the management says, “sure, but for now,
get back to your normal job and we will get you practice time later”. Well, later never
comes, and the dealer tech often doesn’t get the time or attention he needs to continue
his skills, and the in-house program goes sideways. What does this mean to you, as a
newb? PDR Requires TIME. ANYTHING that you do, and want to do well, will require
TIME. Give PDR Time, and you will get RESULTS. And by results, I mean MONEY.
7. Rushing. PDR Newbs rush their work, and the results often suffer, Slow work means fast
results for newbs. Take your time.
8. Bad tool selection. For some idea, I see techs in the field using the wrong type of tool
tip for specific damage. Remember, we are re-creating texture, so use a tip that will best
achieve that. And tape and caps on tools are a Professional-techs best friends.
9. Massive pressure. So many newbies like to employ massive pressure to locate their tool
tip. Hint- DON’T! If you can’t see your tip easily, take a page out of our training book- go
get an aluminum hood and try it out for size..I won’t spoil the fun, but you will do better
than you did with the steel item…try it.
10. Improper tap down technique. DingWizard teaches newbs to use a “Master tool” which is
a large dolly type of tool to push down the entire dent. Eventually they show you how to
do it like the rest of us, with a tap down pencil or punch. Take your time, and if possible,
tap down by pushing, not using a hammer. You can modulate the pressure better when
pushing.
11. Improper reading technique. Many newbies try and jump to a board after learning on a
lite. Stay with the lite for a while..it keeps the learning consistent and theres no reason to
go to a board until you are very proficient with a lite.
12. That’s all for now! There are more Paintless Dent Repair newb pitfalls I can assure you,
but work on these to get started!
