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!

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 to 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.

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.

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.

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.

- 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.

- 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.