[VIC] EOI: Forum paintless dent removal guy

[Philthy]

Would Melbourne people be interested in having a local, cheap dent removalist?

I'm a PDR guy at a smash repair shop, but am looking into getting another set of tools and setting myself up at home as well to get a head start on branching out on my own. It's a few grand's worth of equipment to get started though, so I want to see what sort of interest there is before splashing out.

I haven't been in the trade that long so would offer results-based prices, although 95% of dents come out invisible to the naked eye.
The other downside is that since I do work full time, I would only be available weekends, and some weeknights, and most hail damaged cars are still taking me 3-4 working days to repair. Small carpark dents etc can be done while-you-wait.

I'm based in Springvale and would rather work from home, but the gear will pack up into the car so there is the option of coming to you.

And admin/mods, feel free to delete if this is considered advertising or breaking the forum rules, but please PM me as well as I am happy to work out a sponsership/donation arrangement if I manage to get this off the ground

Feel free to ask general PDR questions as well if you like

 

[Bravotwozero]

I've been thinking of posting the same thing but in regards to detailing. Hopefully the mods give you a break and you get it off the ground. Good luck mate!

 

[Philthy]

I've been thinking of posting the same thing but in regards to detailing. Hopefully the mods give you a break and you get it off the ground. Good luck mate!

I spent a bit of time detailing before getting into dent removal (albeit detailing in it's lowest form), and you guys are very under-appreciated. I reckon a dent removal/touch-up/detailing business would make a lot of cash if done right

 

[Bravotwozero]

I've learnt/learning most of what I know from Damian Angelucci who owns Final Inspection Auto Boutique. You're right though, the good ones aren't appreciated but sadly there are plenty of average ones out there as well. When I say average I mean crap! lol

I got to watch the guys doing the PDR while I was working at a Nissan dealership. Pretty interesting to watch.

 

[greenacc]

Some PDR questions for you guys, I was about to start a thread and ask ....
I seem to have some minor ( what i call minor ) hail dents in my VE. That are so small that you can't see them from some angles , but are more obvious from other angles. They are in the boot lid, roof and bonnet, probably 15-20 in total. The worst ones are around 2mm deep. How difficult or easy is it to get these out and what would it cost for the average PDR guy to do it ?

 

[Philthy]

Some PDR questions for you guys, I was about to start a thread and ask ....
I seem to have some minor ( what i call minor ) hail dents in my VE. That are so small that you can't see them from some angles , but are more obvious from other angles. They are in the boot lid, roof and bonnet, probably 15-20 in total. The worst ones are around 2mm deep. How difficult or easy is it to get these out and what would it cost for the average PDR guy to do it ?

The ones in the roof are most likely very easy and would only take an experienced dent guy an hour or 2 to repair, although the roof lining will have to come out first. Boot lids have a couple tricky spots in them, but again most small dents are very easily removed. I can't picture the underside of a VE bootlid from memory for any major problems
Your problem will be the bonnet. The underside of a VE bonnet is almost totally enclosed, making them almost impossible for most PDR techniques. If you found a dent repairer willing to give it a go they would probably have to use a glue puller, which is slower and often gives imperfect results. I have seen them pull clear off older cars when not used prooperly (should be fine on a VE)
The only experience I have had with VE bonnets ended up with a new one going on, simply because it would have taken so long to fix.

Cost wise, PDR guys will charge differently for hail depending how many dents are in each panel, but I imagine you would be looking at around $300-500 for the dents, plus maybe $100 for trim removal, and of course if they decide they can't do the bonnet then you will be up for paint etc as well. That said, I haven't seen a hail quote form since doing the training.

Finally, I can almost gurantee that the repairer will be able to spot at least twice as many dents as you, some not much bigger than the peel in the paint, but most won't take more than 5 mins to fix

 

[greenacc]

Sounds OK to me, boot and bonnet are replaceable anyway, just have to find them at the right price and colour!

 

[Birtsmart]

PDR Tools

Hi there - I've been involved in the business on and of since 1996 and as you probably know there are a lot of dent tool suppliers and its sometimes difficult to find the right set of QUALITY tools at an fordable price - in the end one company I worked for found a guy called Fred Quackenbush at paintless dent removal tools & training by Dent Magic Tools Inc. PDR tool manufacturer | Dent Magic Tools a PDR tool manufacturer in USA . FRED is a really nice genuine friendly guy and I can honestly say he's an expert in the business and never lets anyone down. Fred designs and makes the tools himself and trains people from all over , and does a lot of dent work in his shop, he'll also custom make tools for any kind of dent or way of working you have, its not a huge corporation but a cozy family concern but with Fred the expert at the heart of the business but they do supply overseas – it hard to find a personalized service these days and in this business like many others you can end up with duff products and waste your money – I recommend anyone buying tools to check Fred out first - he not looking for mega bucks from anyone and is always happy to help if you buy or not - he really loves what he does - PDR is a great business to be in and is an art as well as a science and I really respect anyone who gets good at PDR its not easy to learn for everyone and you HAVE GOT TO GET THE RIGHT TOOLS. Just thought I’d mention this in case anyone following your thread is not sure what to buy or where to get started or anyone experienced like yourself that may not know Fred - he is a really useful contact.

Would Melbourne people be interested in having a local, cheap dent removalist?

I'm a PDR guy at a smash repair shop, but am looking into getting another set of tools and setting myself up at home as well to get a head start on branching out on my own. It's a few grand's worth of equipment to get started though, so I want to see what sort of interest there is before splashing out.

I haven't been in the trade that long so would offer results-based prices, although 95% of dents come out invisible to the naked eye.
The other downside is that since I do work full time, I would only be available weekends, and some weeknights, and most hail damaged cars are still taking me 3-4 working days to repair. Small carpark dents etc can be done while-you-wait.

I'm based in Springvale and would rather work from home, but the gear will pack up into the car so there is the option of coming to you.

And admin/mods, feel free to delete if this is considered advertising or breaking the forum rules, but please PM me as well as I am happy to work out a sponsership/donation arrangement if I manage to get this off the ground

Feel free to ask general PDR questions as well if you like

 

[Philthy]

I didn't get much of a say in the tools I use, since they were paid for by work. The basic kit is based on one of these Paintless Dent Removal Tools - Tool Kits - PDR Tools Australia with a few extras added and bits changed around. I'll be getting one of the same for home since that is what I learnt with and am used to now.
I agree about the need for quality tools though. I've seen some pretty shitty ones that can make fairly straightforward jobs difficult, not to mention the pain in your hands and arms after working with shitty handles all day. I've never seen a well made tool break when used correctly either, unlike some backyard ones.

Once I have the main kit sorted out, I'll be sure to keep Fred in mind for the specialty tools and accessories. Do you know if he can include 240v glue guns in his kits?

 

[Troy711]

Damn, if you were in Canberra I'd have you around this weekend fixing the multitude of dents in my Stato.