When Paintless Dent Removal Goes Wrong! PDR Fail

[@jimruthem6587]

One of the best demonstrations I've seen. I'm 81 and beginning PDR as a hobby. It takes hours to get right but is very rewarding when the dent is truly gone. Thanks for putting this content on U tube. I'm not going into business just proving that you can teach an old dog new tricks.

[@LearnPDROnline]

Thanks for your comment Jim, I love that you are getting into PDR now at 81, I often have students ask me if they are too old to learn, the day you stop trying to learn new things is when you are too old, I'm glad my videos help!

[@gtbigdog3507]

I’m 62 and trying to learn it I figure it may be a good thing to know after I retire during a few extra bucks

[@scissrface2182]

Im 23 getting into autobody and trying to get ahead of the game

[@LearnPDROnline]

@@gtbigdog3507 You are not alone I have quite a few former students that wanted to learn a new hobby that could also bring in an income in retirement, its a great skill to learn and is a good challenge!

[@LearnPDROnline]

Great getting into it young, lots to learn and plenty of directions to go in for the future!

[@jonathannagela2130]

the things you pdr guys do look like magic

[@LearnPDROnline]

Ha ha thank you!

[@colinpierce2585]

Great video, very well explained… iv watched a few videos on PDR and this I far the best. Keep up the good work

[@LearnPDROnline]

Thanks Colin, I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[@tomc.4860]

Unfortunately, what we don't see is how badly it was damaged before it was partially repaired. I had a very large dent in the side of my car and I repaired it. The large dent could be seen for a quarter mile away but after I repaired it you had to look very closely to see the ripples. I think the repair was well worth it.

[@Dnasty1]

I take it you are the customer?

[@roblewis6498]

OMG... Just unbeliavble what can be done withthe expertise and tools

[@LearnPDROnline]

Thanks Rob, Yes this one was a bit of a mess, but after a few hours repair work I was able to get it to a satisfactory standard for my customer!

[@michaelcabz]

You are an artist.

[@LearnPDROnline]

Thank you! 🙏

[@Msleelee9487]

i might look into training i have popped a few dents out but didn't have these tools i love cars and hate dents

[@LearnPDROnline]

Yes, the right tools and some training can make all the difference, so when you're ready to learn, send me a message and Il share some info with you on tools and training!

[@iiRoKSoldieRii]

Great info, awesome job. A little late, but liked and subscribed!

[@LearnPDROnline]

Thank you 👍

[@billramsey800]

Nice save Tom have a great new year 😎👍

[@LearnPDROnline]

Thanks Bill, I have friends out in Australia at the moment and I'm getting pretty jealous of their photos of blue skies and sunshine. Currently sitting in my garage/studio and I'm freezing ha ha. Hope the build is coming on well and wishing you and your family a great 2023

[@VictorVillacis-fn4do]

Muchas gracias, excelente lección

[@LearnPDROnline]

¡Gracias por tu comentario! ¡Muy apreciado!

[@dentremover01]

Merry Christmas Tom and family….. Well done on a super clear explanation, using the line board too…..Looking forward to working with you on some projects in 2023

[@LearnPDROnline]

Thanks Martin and Merry Christmas to you too! Yes 2023 will see some new collaborations and ventures for us both, roll on MTE :)

[@johnspurrier0001]

How hard do you actually tap with your mallet? I simply cannot come to giving it any sort of tap.

[@LearnPDROnline]

You make think this a silly response but I hit it as hard as I need to. Sometimes metal moves easily and I can use gentle taps to move it other times when the metal is under a lot of tension I will use a lot more force to move the metal. Different knockdown materials also change how hard I will hit it ie plastic knockdown vs a metal one,

[@richcooper6989]

Not knocking as it does look a really nice job, at the finish shots u see almost orange peel is that just a massive amount of micro highs and lows that will never come out? And is this a standard for all repairs?

[@LearnPDROnline]

Hi thanks for your comment and question, the standard is to get each dent 100% clean where possible but in this scenario the panel had already been stretched when the customer attempted to have ago himself so my job here was to try and save the panel. I did advise it was unlikely to be 100% and he was happy with PDR over the alternative option of a bodyshop. To answer your other question yes there are lots of tiny micro highs and lows which is the result of shrinking the metal manually to avoid the panel popping in and out. The finish shot here is just before I gave the panel a light flat and polish which further reduces the appearance but another alternative would be to use something like an induction tool to shrink the metal. I do not use one of these myself though. Hope that helps answer your questions

[@hoojchoons2258]

Great job! How long does it take to train for something like this? I'm 50 and now out of work, really fancy this! I'm a perfectionist so I may not make much money though!! Cheers

[@LearnPDROnline]

Thank you. Each student has a different learning curve depending on how much time they have to put into their practice, hand eye co-ordination and current experience, generally you can learn to do simple small dents within 3 -6 months but the more advanced damage can take years to truly master. I have plenty of students learning this skill later in life and going into retirement as a part time business! I am happy to help and advise you further if you do decide to get started with PDR

[@camilo9611]

I have something same did job on A pillar,may could you tell me if it is repairable with pdr when there is no acces from inside?

[@LearnPDROnline]

Hi Camilo, when there is no access to the area behind such as an A pillar then you may be limited to 'Glue Pull' only. It depends on the severity of the damage and your skill level with the tools available but you would likely have to work from the outside only.

[@hermankroon7803]

Hello tom, i assume you prefer the board from the light?

[@LearnPDROnline]

I mostly work outside so for me a reflector board is often clearer/brighter than a light, I do switch to using my led board inside, but yes my preference is the reflector board!

[@joaquinlanzetti2499]

Perfect bro ! great job, tanks for your info and capacitation,,gracias, saludos desde Argentina

[@LearnPDROnline]

Thank you, much appreciated 👍

[@wyattoneable]

Now that I've had a few days to work on my own vehicle I'm back to watch this again because this is exactly what my panel looks like now (ha ha) Us DIY guys can keep you busy!

[@LearnPDROnline]

Yep it makes a big difference knowing how to start a dent because how you start will often dictate how you'll finish 👍

[@jimhimesjr]

Same here. My wife thought it looked good (it’s her vehicle), she said oh wow you got the dent out and I thought it looks awful lol. Just gonna take my time and work at it. Not a good enough car to spend big money making it look perfect but nice enough where I’d like to make the dent look a little better.

[@dentdingking4878]

Love it Tom!

[@LearnPDROnline]

Thanks Lee, hope you're well buddy!

[@wyattoneable]

I sure enjoy the videos. I hope your Christmas holiday is going well.

[@LearnPDROnline]

Thanks Wyatt, I'm glad you're enjoying them and hope you've had a great Christmas, all the best for 2023!

[@ajmac996]

Well Tom another tidy job from you,can you always fix the oil canning

[@LearnPDROnline]

Thanks Anthony, not always Oil canning is one of the things I struggle with the most asit really depends on the depth of the damage. If its pretty stretched often there is a very slight ripple or bulge in the panel when looking along the side views. I dont have a power pdr or hot box but they're other options to help shrink the metal.

[@Hammondt88]

Good work Tom :) Happy new year buddy

[@LearnPDROnline]

Thanks Tom and Happy New Year to you too! You'll be pleased to know I've actually been hitting the gym at last so will keep it up for 2023. All the best mate!

[@rubenbalderrama3922]

What do I do if I pulled the metal too far out creating a huge mound?

[@LearnPDROnline]

Hey Ruben, the best fix is to gently work the mound back down again with accurate tap down work. If the high spot is sharp youll need a sharp tap down if its soft then use a soft tap down. Depends how big it is but I usually start in the middle, the highest spot.

[@rubenbalderrama3922]

@@LearnPDROnline do you use metal tap downs or plastic for this mound?

[@sprother_pdr]

Nice job

[@LearnPDROnline]

Thank you! :)

[@AtticAZ]

Damn!! Killer job!! How do you go about getting them micro lows out, with no access from behind? Open them up, by blending and glue pull with a small tab. I have the small root beer tabs.

[@LearnPDROnline]

Thanks! Yes if I can not access the area behind, open them up and try to pull up the centre and repeat this process until its out. With this repair I did have access so I di both.

[@AtticAZ]

@@LearnPDROnline nice. Thanks. I got the top half mint. The lower is close. The body line on rear panel above the wheel in a 2017 Mustang is tough to get back. But I’m close there too. Couldn’t do it without your Vids. 🙏🏼

[@weejohnbb]

How long did this repair take and how long would you estimate the repair to have taken if you were the first to touch it?

[@LearnPDROnline]

That's a really good question. I think the repair took at least 3 hours to fix. Its difficult to say how quickly I could have repaired it if I was the first as I didn't see the original damage, however I would estimate two things, 1st I spent about an hour trying to rectify the high spots my customer had created so this time could have been saved but also it made it difficult for me to get a clean finish, I believe if I were the first to it, I would have repaired it cleaner, meaning a better finished result and also less time spent on finishing so a little more time saved there too.

[@AirborneMediaScotland]

This does my head in customers trying to fix damage then come in expecting us to fix their bodge up ,I have a transit 1/4 tomorrow that a customer thought he’d try fix himself but didn’t know the bottom hinge on the quarter is still forward holding in the quarter ,so now it’s all stretched and he’s been hitting it with a pointed hammer

[@LearnPDROnline]

Ouch! hitting it with a pointed hammer.... You'll have your work cut out for sure. Yes its tricky finding the balance between showing customers the benefits of PDR without making it look easier than it is Thanks John

[@JasonValencia]

Then why all the PDR DIY videos? I’m here because I kinda feel like I did botch it (enough at least to start getting quotes) but should I expect to get ridiculed by the PDR experts and get sent to a body shop because I ruined my one-time only chance? I don’t get it.

[@JasonValencia]

@@LearnPDROnline Tom you’re great! My comment was for the other guy ☝️

[@chuckjankoviak9829]

How does one acquire the hockey stick tool? What tool company?

[@LearnPDROnline]

bletools.com/collections/door-side The company is BLE Tools check them out

[@iwontbebeat7111]

Wow that's a mess !! ... I wouldn't challenge it even . LoL 😂 Especially, Oil Can part . Without hot box I do t know how one can fix it.

[@LearnPDROnline]

Yeah it was definitely a mess but it came out well, a hot box would have helped to shrink the metal in the later stages, without one I had to make small accurate pushes in the right locations surrounding the dent to help create stability in the panel!

[@lpatierno84]

Wish I could find someone this good to fix the hood of my majesta. Just had a branch fall and mush it real good😢

[@LearnPDROnline]

Ah that's a shame, sorry to hear that. Its worth looking around there are a lot of good PDR techs around!

[@bulldogkarma]

What's the best indicator to identify a high spot. Some dents are hard to identify.

[@LearnPDROnline]

I use lines to read damage so for me I check the reflection of my lines and when it appears the lines are pinched together or any areas where the lines appear closer to each other than they should be then this indicates the panel is high in that area, Thanks

[@bulldogkarma]

@@LearnPDROnline thanks, sometimes I see that and I can't tell if that's high or low. Can you also elaborate why You focus on correcting the high points before the lowest points of the dent?

[@LearnPDROnline]

@@bulldogkarma No problem, sometimes when a repair has multiple highs and lows its tricky to see with the line board, the best method is to move the line board around and try it further back until you clearly see the damage. I usually tap down all the highs I can see from one angle to allow me to have a clearer view of the damage, you can either remove all the lows to see the highs or remove all the highs to see the lows, I like to tap down the highs myself as that often reduces some of the 'fake lows' ie areas either side of a high spot that can often look like minor lows

[@mouslarb6976]

Good job bro

[@LearnPDROnline]

Thanks Mous 👍🏻

[@craigsmith4419]

Easy save for a good tech.

[@LearnPDROnline]

Thanks 👍

[@edwinmedina4338]

See I stopped before it got that bad 😅. I got about 50 60% at best but was fighting with highs and lows on a 2014 Toyota Rav4 rear quarter area.

[@LearnPDROnline]

😅 Yeah this one was a bit messy but all ok in the end. Usually these types of reworks require a lot more tapping down than anything else 👍

[@prebaned]

Pretty good.

[@LearnPDROnline]

Thank you 🙏

[@sheerwillsurvival2064]

I did the same thing to my daughters car it’s a new wrinkle finish. Could only use glue pulling and tapping. But man tapping is tough ☹️

[@LearnPDROnline]

Yes tapping is a huge part if the process, I often spend longer on the tapping side than I do pushing or pulling!

[@bird6691]

i just make sure I park my zebra away from the dented side

[@LearnPDROnline]

Ha ha, love this

[@planetina1145]

Like a dealer magic guy who says, nah we aint trading in your shit, ya should clunk it, buy a brand new 2025 Camry.

[@Zaur_bezkraska-pdr]

no colleague no. edging pull edging half-circular edging and sheet the very thing is that the stretched edging and plane are invisible to the eye.) and then the plane

[@LearnPDROnline]

I don't understand, planes? edging? half-circular?

[@FutureProofNothing]

It's not finished though, You can see line breaking at the end of the video

[@LearnPDROnline]

I took the repair as far as I was willing to, to meet my customers budget and expectations, if they had not already stretched the metal with a failed PDR attempt before I attended, it would have been possible to remove completely but once stretched the panel can only be bought back so much with manual manipulation, next step would be to shrink the panel with induction system or potentially repair and repaint in a bodyshop. 👍

[@Swenser]

One thing that makes me think I'm dreaming is that every ding and dent I've ever had has left paint work scratched up. How the damn you get smacked hard and paint survives. What planet does that happen?

[@LearnPDROnline]

Yes it is surprising some of the damage we see where the paint is undamaged! Occasionally there are small surface scuffs that can just be polished off but I do see a lot of enquiries where the paint is damaged too, I refer them to a local bodyshop 👍

[@rodthomas3050]

You left out what would have been the most interesting part . I wanted to see how you shrink stretched metal?😢

[@LearnPDROnline]

There are a couple of methods for shrinking metal which we go through in our training, this video was mainly to highlight what can happen when someone with no experience or training tries to repair dent damage and some of the repairs we come across out on the road where people have had a go themselves. You can learn everything you need about PDR at www.learnpdronline.com 👍

[@refugioramirez4599]

A sharp tipped tool would have shrunk the metal better. No blending.

[@LearnPDROnline]

Thanks for sharing your opinion 👍

[@condhy]

His actually did u a favor

[@LearnPDROnline]

In what way? Do you mean because he had already started the repair? I'm intrigued...

[@a96ozsteak]

just me or are 90% of European cars hatchbacks?

[@LearnPDROnline]

We do have a lot but still plenty of estates, saloons, convertibles and vans too! 😀

[@Orbitaakter]

Lewis Anna Jackson Sandra Martin Gary

[@Aikaramba12]

Why didn’t you show the shrinking part… dislike

[@LearnPDROnline]

This video is not about shrinking metal which is why I titled it 'When PDR goes Wrong'. The repair took around 4 hours to rectify so its not easy to show every single aspect of every repair in a free KZbin video. We have our dedicated training site for this purpose, to allow us to go into the real detail of what's involved in every single repair and the tools and techniques involved.