Paintless Dent Repair – How it’s done.
(4 small jpegs down the side of the page, no captions: 1. External door dent; 2. Interior door panel with the tool sliding in ; 3. Reflector board on the painted side; 4. Repaired dent after shot.)
Step 1. Gain access to the dent from behind.
This usually means removing door panels, roof linings, tail light assemblies etc and
then finding a line of access that allows the pushing surface of the tool to put pressure on the dent.
Fortunately, Dr Dent (Chris Warwick) was a panel beater before he became a PDR specialist so he knows how cars are constructed and assembled. No matter how cramped the angle, he can work out how to get to the back of the dent.
He’s also an expert at reassembling the interior trim and fittings. (Many of those annoying rattles which begin after a body repair are caused by broken clips, loose screws and other debris left behind).
Step 2. Shrink the dent.
A dent actually distorts the metal skin of the car and the metal has to be coaxed back into its original shape.
The first step may be to glue a strap to the outside of the dent with a soluble adhesive and partially pull the dent out.
After that, the operator has to coax the metal back into place using the right pushing tool and just the right amount of pressure. Too much can result in a bulge, or a sharp crease that can never be removed.
Perfect PDR requires experience and a lot of patience. Especially as the operator has to use a reflector board and flourescent light to see into the dent on the outside, while working on the reverse side.
Step 3 A perfect external surface.
By pushing with precision, adjusting the position of the tool many, many times, and sometimes even gently hammering the painted side to flatten it, a skilled operator is able to remove all signs of the dent without damaging the factory paint.
This means that the car can one day be traded in or sold with no sign of any damage, respray or repair. It still has all its original paintwork.
PDR is as much an art as a skill and Chris Waewick, operating as Dr Dent, has a flair for gently coaxing metal back to its original shape, and draws on more than 25 years of PDR experience.
There are many paintless dent removers. There is only one called ‘The Perfectionist’.
