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Paintless Dent Repair (PDR) is a craft. Once
mastered, this skill will allow an individual to earn a substantial income,
removing door dings and small dents from the finish of automobiles. Due to its
quick (10-20 minutes per repair) and inexpensive (no product cost) nature, PDR
has rapidly become the desired body shop alternative.
PDR replaces the need to take an automobile to a
body shop, leaving it for several days (sometimes longer!) and spending hundreds
of dollars getting a ding or dent repaired. Now, thanks to PDR, repairs can be
performed quicker, for less money, and conveniently at a customer’s home or
office. Paintless dent repair is revolutionizing the world of ding and dent
repair!
How Does Paintless Dent Repair Work?
To perform a paintless dent repair, a skilled
technician uses metal rods and picks to massage out minor dings and dents in the
finish of an automobile. To perform this, a technician will work on the dent
from the inside of the panel. In simpler terms, the ding or dent is
pushed out. Average repairs usually only take 10 – 20 minutes, from start to
finish.
Collision shops have become increasingly aware of
the benefits of paintless dent repair, also known as PDR. Many shop owners have
been outsourcing this business to mobile vendors, while others have purchased
tools and are performing the service themselves.
With the seemingly endless variety of vehicles
and a larger demand for skilled dent technicians, PDR training is constantly
facing new challenges.
Tools
Literally thousands of unique dent tools are available in the
market, and more are being created each day. They differ in their lengths,
diameter, tip, bends and composition. These various configurations are created
for access., type of dent and the technician's physical needs.
Lights and Boards
Identifying and reading dents is made
easier with the use of different reading lights, boards and poles. Although the
K-Boom light is the most universally used, some individuals reading boards or
special light filters. During the second day of training, a preference for a
particular dent reading system is developed by the student. His choice depends
on individual visual ability.
Techniques
When the actual dent repair begins,
unique techniques are used to remove different types of dents. This may be
applying pressure from the inside toward the outside or the outside toward the
inside. From these two approaches, several more sub techniques are applied.
Although the dent training manual and the PDR instructor follow the prescribed
training procedure, modifications are often made for the student to compensate
for one or more of his individual differences.
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| - Single Stage:
Includes (base). Ex. primer, flat non shiny finishes. |
| - Two Stage:
Includes (base, clear coat). Ex. smooth, shiny finishes. |
| - Three Stage:
Includes (base, mica, clear coat). Ex. pearl white, prism or color
changing paint. |
| - Clear Coat: A
clear, shiny coat of paint( ex. urethane or acrylic enamel) applied over
the base or color coat of paint on a vehicle. |
| - Overlap: The
labor associated with an operation that is common to the replacement of
two or more parts, paint cost is deducted for the overlap on adjacent
panels. |
| - Undercoating: A
tar like coating applied to protect underneath the vehicle. |
| - 2 TONE: A
vehicle that has 2 different shades of paint. |
| - Flex Material: A
urethane added to paint to allow for a flex or a bend in the paint
without cracking. |
REFINISH OPERATIONS
Single-Stage
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Included Operations |
Not Included Operations
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- Move Car
- Review Estimate/work order
- Get Paint Code
- Order Paint
- Get Paint
- Gather materials, equipment and tools
- Clean equipment and materials
- De-wax and De-grease
- Prepare to sand
- Dual action sand (for welded panels)
- Hand/wet sand
- Mix, apply and flash; primer (for adhesion and
sealing)
- Application of guide coat (for welded panels)
- Black Sand (for welded panels)
- Water wash and clean panel with solvent
- Blow dry clean panels
- Prepare to spray
- Clean Booth
- Protect exterior of vehicle from overspray
( e.g. all acceptable methods of bagging, masking etc.)
- Basic corrosion protection provided by paint
system/primer applied
- Mix, apply and flash; additives
- Tack wipe
- Mix color, spray test panel, compare to vehicle
- Initial tint, spray test panel, compare to
vehicle
- Apply and flash; color
- Inspect job and paint
- Clean Gun
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- Body work
- Spot putty
- Panel stripping
- Additional preparation or cleaning of new
unprimed panels
- Molding R&I
- Stripe R&I
- Parts R&I
- Painting of stripes
- Adhesive removal
- Mask inner, adjacent jambs
- Mask moldings
- Spray additional test panel
- Blending into adjacent panels
- De-nib and Polish
- Chipguard application
- Gravel guard
- Additional time for Two-stage or clear coat
- Additional time for Two-tone
- Additional time for Three-stage
- Custom finishes
- Tint primer or clear
- Undercoating
- Metal preparation and corrosion -protection
beyond those listed in "included operations"
- Final wash
- Hazardous waste removal
- Any special coatings applied to luggage
compartment
- Second or third bagging or masking of vehicle
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Two-Stage
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Included Operations
-
Gather additional materials
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Spray test panel/letdown panel
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Tack wipe (between color and clear if required)
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Mix, apply and flash; clear
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Clean gun
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Three-Stage
Included Operations
- Gather additional materials
- Spray test panel/let down panel
- Tack wipe (between color and pearlescent/mica
coat if required)
- Mix, apply and flash; pearlescent/mica coat
- Clean gun
- Tack wipe (between pearlescent/mica coat and
clear if required)
- Mix, apply and flash; clear
- Clean gun
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Two-Tone
Included Operations
- Tack wipe (between colors)
- Additional masking
- Mix second color
- Color Tint and check second color
- Apply and flash; second color
- Clean Gun
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Blending
Included Operations
- Complete preparation of blended panel
- Scuff or buff
- Application of color to blended panel
- Application of clear to entire blended panel in
Two and Three-Stage systems
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Chipguard
Included Operations
- Gather Chipguard materials
- Masking
- Application of Chipguard
- Clean-up
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*The above Refinish Operations are operations
from the ADP operating system*
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VIN (short for "Vehicle Identification Number") is a
seventeen-digit code that uniquely identifies a vehicle. Every car, truck,
motorcycle, trailer, etc. that is built is assigned a VIN and DMVs and insurance
companies use the VIN to keep track of which vehicle is which.
The VIN encodes specific information about a vehicle, including country of
manufacture, manufacturer, model, body style and even engine and other
information. This was standardized in the early '80s and all major manufacturers
follow the standard.
VIN:
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1 |
G |
2 |
J |
B |
1 |
2 |
4 |
0 |
1 |
7 |
3 |
1 |
4 |
6 |
6 |
7 |
THIS VIN DECODES A 2001 GENERAL MOTORS PONTIAC SUNFIRE
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DIGIT |
DESCRIPTION |
MEANING |
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1 |
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN |
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA |
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G |
MANUFACTURER |
PONT GENERAL MOTORS |
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2 |
DIVISION |
PONTIAC |
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JB |
LINE |
SUNFIRE |
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1 |
BODY STYLE |
2 DR COUPE |
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2 |
RESTRAINT SYSTEM |
MN BLTS W/DR & PASS AIR BAG-FRONTAL |
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4 |
ENGINE |
2.2L L4 MFI |
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0 |
CHECK DIGIT |
CHECK DIGIT MATCHES |
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1 |
YEAR |
2001 |
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7 |
PLANT |
LORDSTOWN, OG |
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314667 |
SERIAL NUMBER |
SEQUENCE IN RANGE |
* ALL VIN NUMBERS DIFFER. NO TWO VIN NUMBERS ARE THE SAME.
Where do I find a VIN?
A VIN is visible on the lower right hand (driver's side) corner of the dash
when looking through the front windshield. The VIN is also printed on
registrations, titles and proof of insurance cards. The VIN can also be found on
engines, fenders, deck lids, doors, pillars bumper covers and frames.
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