TomcoPDR
(Editted: November, 2007)
Beyond member's ride: Nissan 240



BEFORE:



AFTER:




PROCESS:

Generally speaking, this PDR process involves reaching from the back side of the dented panel with a PDR tool. In order to do that, there are couple of routes with this particular body panel: Drill an access hole in the side of the door jamb. Or, remove the interior trim panel.


Even though there's nothing wrong or "illegal" about drilling holes, it all depends on the situation and/or the technician doing the dent removal. Sometimes drilling an access hole IS THE ONLY WAY to remove a dent using Paintless Dent Repair. My personal theory is that if you can access a dent at the expense of some extra labour and time (of course customer's cost, and they should have the option to choose; downside of drill hole, or downside of removing interior trim panels; such as extra labour cost or risk or panel or clips/screws breaking)

So the owner of this car removed and reinstalled (after PDR repair) his own quarter panel interior trim for me; since I've warned him there's quite a bite of labour work. (i.e. had to remove rear seat)



Once the interior trim is out of the way, it's open access with a PDR tool for the repair.

Tom Co.

TomcoPDR
1992 Lexus GS400

Just a "simple"/ ideal dent

BEFORE:



AFTER:



PROCESS:

The interior trim panel was removed (and reinstalled after repair), as I don't believe in drilling holes on door jambs if I don't necessary have to. The owner was aware of the options, and of course choose to pay the extra "Re & Re" time.

Tom Co.

mo_money2supe
If I was to remove all the panels/seats/whatever myself, how much do you think it'll cost to remove some 100+ dents? :nut: Yeah, I know, there's a lot, but unfortunately, people who've parked next to me the past 14 years our family has owned this car didn't think it was a big deal to swing their doors hard into the car. :thumbsdow

euro_racer
nicce work Tom, cant wait for you to do my car, let me know when you can fit it in, thanks man

CRXguy
What is your rate?

I think I have about 20-30 small dents that need to be pulled.

Madspinner
Hi, yeah Im wondering about the same thing, I have a few dents too that need to be pulled. thanks

topher91
Tom your back! and "paid sponser" !! haha

Still need that work done. Let me know when I can swing by.

Thanks

Chris

hellraiser456
do you just do dents or can you do rust repair too?

AllGoNoShow
Mobile quotes?

TomcoPDR

Just dents, rust repair is more of a bodyshop issue.

BokCh0y
Tom excellent work:thumbsup:

i too need some dents pulled out. can u pm me some information please? Thanks.

TomcoPDR
(Editted: November, 2007)
Chrysler Pacifica... These types of damages are usually MORE costly using Paintless Dent Repair as compared with conventional bodyshop bondo or parts replacement, let alone the repair result will NOT be "100%" perfect, since there was a paint chip from the impact (any dent guy that sees differently, more than welcome to rationally express their OPINIONS)...

BEFORE and AFTER:








PROCESS:

The damage here is quite extensive for Paintless Dent Repair, and it really border lines to a body shop repair, I did it only as an improvement only bases. Also notice the creases and "buckles" on the ridge line.



A dent shop/technican NEEDS to know what they're doing before attempting to do stuff like this. Doesn't matter the amount of years or training a technician has in this business, either he/she can or can't do it.

Basically the metal on this damage is STRETCHED (in bodyshop terms), which is a bad thing for a PDR repair. But sometimes we all like to take things to the limits. :nut:

The pressure of these ridge lines and buckles needs to be "released" and the dent technican doing the repair needs to know WHERE to release and shift the extra metal.

Once those pressure holding points has been released, then you start moving the metal (dented part) back into it's original shape (or try to anyways)


When we use the term "access", we refer it to getting our dent tools behind a dent.

And in order to do that sometimes, requires removing certain parts of a vehicle. (such as removing the headlamp in this repair)


Which gives an "open access" space for a PDR tool to slide into...

Tom Co.

TomcoPDR

PMed

TomcoPDR
PMed

TomcoPDR
Beyond member's ride (privacy reasons, user not disclosed): 2000 BMW 323 coupe, this would be considered a CREASE (instead of a "dent"), on the lower part of the Right front door. And a couple of little door dings not really worth posting for amazement purpose.

BEFORE:




AFTER:



Sorry the after photo is a little lame (i.e. not the same angle as the before, cuz the car was sitting too low from factory, I had to put it on jacks during repair and the before was of the panel jacked up... then once I finished polishing and lowering the vehicle... that's when I realized the after photo will be at a different angle)

Tom Co

Weapon_R
I had TomcoPDR fix my sisters car (the above 323 coupe). There were approximately 7 dents in the automobile throughout. Most were parking lot sized, but the real problem was that 5" crease along the bottom part of the door. Those pics are deceiving, it looked far worse and could be seen from 100 feet away in the sun.

Overall, I am thoroughly impressed with the quality of work that he put into the vehicle. The process took several hours, and he had no problems with me standing over his shoulder while he explained every aspect about what he was doing.

I've been to other places before, and NO ONE has taken the time or put the effort into removing, shaping, cleaning, and polishing the area like Tomco did. He just wouldn't give up, even when I could no longer see any visible evidence of the dent under flourescent lighting.

His attention to detail is impressive. Best of all, the price was excellent and he did not drill through my panels to remove these dents like another shop once did to a previous car. Other places will tell you that drilling is the ONLY way, but there are alternatives and he will tell you about them, even if they cost more or take longer.

All in all, a perfect experience and a job that I cannot praise enough, simply because he went over and above what ANY PDR specialist would do :thumbsup:

TomcoPDR
Thanks man :D maybe with enough Beyond votes, I can sit on the board on AMVIC and make some changes to the way PDR techs are certified and licensed. Just kidding all you hacks out there; Tom Co's got enough problems of his own. :whipped:

But on a more serious note, any ladies wanna join my new PDR venture: Bikini Dent? Imagine hot summer day at a car wash, hot girls in bikinis bending over in arkward PDR positions fixing your door dents :dunno: (don't worry Tom Co will NOT be wearing speedos of any sort)

What about Imprez-A-Dent where a bunch of us drive around in old school GC8 (with a chopped up rear end of a GC8 as a trailer) fixing dents??? Oh, anyone interested in my GC8? http://forums.beyond.ca/st/167986/f...preza-2-dr-gc8/

And don't "you" dent guys out there steal my future business ventures either, you guys can have either: Dent Fairy, or Ding Bat Inc.

Tom Co.

TomcoPDR
Current project... Can't wait till it turns into a past project :nut: :nut: :nut:






Tom Co... :zzz:

harmlessv8
Like to get some work done on a black vibe gt if you can pm me some info as to get in touch with you that would be great
thanks

TomcoPDR

PMed

TomcoPDR
(Editted: November, 2007)

Alright, alright, it's 2:45 in the morning and TomCo is finally done pushing on metal (well, I was done around 2:00am, but it took a while to download the pics)...

Here are the final pics for a Beyond member's 2003 Mazda Protege.

WARNING: Huge photo collection.

Okay, so here are some pics of a right quarter panel damage on this 2003 Mazda Protege.









Normally, this should had made it to my "Damage limitations" list. This damage totally is on the bodyshop repair side. However, there were a couple of physical and mental factors that I took in when I took on this repair:
1) Probably just about the ego :banghead:
2) Just for the hell of it
3) Owner is a pretty good kid and understands the results using PDR with this type of damage
4) From a physical (damage) stand point, you can still improve on the damage using PDR, even if you use bodyshop method the only way to make this damage look factory perfect would be to replace the panel

Continues...

TomcoPDR
(removed)

TomcoPDR
(Editted: November, 2007)

FINISHED: Please realize the photos does NOT completely reflect on exact details of what the repair outcomes are, there are and will be minor blemish, MY customers are always informed in situations like this. (I'm not talking about any other competiting companies, recently I've been accused of making myself speaking on behalf of the whole trade and making myself look like I'm the only PDR tech in this country; which is laughable cuz we all know I'm not; what idiots) So these have all been editted to represent ME, MY SERVICES and MY WORK.







So happy :clap: :clap: to be finally done this repair... only a :nut: would take on a job like this... I guess that wacko's TomCo :( . Time to get some :zzz: now @ 3:20am

Oh and this is when I say to the owner... (in the words of Jesse James: Pay Up Sucker)
(just kidding... well I'm serious about the paying... but joking about the sucker thing, anyways you got a PM)

Tom Co.

euro_racer
thanks alot Tom...you do some amazing work :thumbsup:

ill come pick it up later on today after you get yourself some sleep :poosie:

....oh and i do have the money too lol

hussein
Wow, that is really amazing the last one there. :eek:

TomcoPDR
Thanks :thumbsup: I did that one cuz I needed it for my Beyond photo collection to PROVE A POINT.

If the owner let's ya, you really need to see this in person to believe it; I'm NOT going to deny that there's going to be MINOR flaw in this type of repair (in case some dent guy thinks I'm trying to trick people with the photos, cuz you hide more flaws with photos compared to in person)

But realisically only Euro_Racer (he's already revealed himself, so I'm mentioning his name), can comment how he feels about the repair.

Edit: Those creases (valley tips) on the top and bottom of the impact are really hard to repair (i.e. flatten out) since those are the pressure points holding the damage.

:burnout:

Tom Co.

>Percy<
Good job, Tom. You're the best as always. I will bring my CIVIC to you sometime next week. Cheers.

euro_racer
..yes, very happy over here, just didn't have the chance to see the glove :rofl:

harmlessv8
Thanks again for making my car look straight again :D I like to say that tom take"s his time to get it done right for you!! Again thanks
for working on my car
bill a.k.a-->harmlessv8

BoS_DC2
Hey, very nice work! I'll be hitting up Calgary in the summer and If it's possible, I may drop by or make an appointment. I'll send you a pm of what kinda damage I have so far.

TomcoPDR

Thanks, and PMed :D Wow, I'm getting clients from BC... I "hear" there're quite a bit of dent shops out there. :dunno:

TomcoPDR
Just finished another member's 1993 Mazda RX-7 :drool:





Whenever I can, I'm trying to use a photo stand so that I'm getting the exact some angle, height, etc... with the before and after... justtttt in case some "dent guy" wants to accuse me of moving the camera shot a few millmetre making the dent disappear.



The photo hid a lot of the smaller dents (but still very visible in person)... The yellow circled outline is a nice 3" crease, one of those create from closing a door.



Usually nobody would care about crap like this on our parent's 99' Taurus... but when you're driving a vehicle like this, the owner spotted every little minor detail. And with a car like this (the RX-7), the car itself is design in such a straight line, you do see everything.





Most of the "tiny" series of dents didn't even show up on the camera, but the work was there.

And sometimes it really isn't about the SIZE of a dent that we're fixing, but the fact that the owner of the vehicle could SEE every little dimple himself, and willing to pay me to get them repaired; this is why I keep humbly saying, the customer needs to do their research on the dent shop/company/tech. I made sure the owner was happy with the repair WITH the speical lighting, we drove it outside, inside without light, all angles... (and nope, most shops don't HAVE to do that for you, and I'm not saying "YOU" should force them to either; it's just me getting carried away making people like my work, yea, insecurity issues I know. :whipped: )

sneek
PM'd

TomcoPDR

Replied

CrazyF0ol
hey wat u guys charge for pulling out little dents, i think i have about 10 of them

TomcoPDR

Pmed

sneek


:( Price on 3 shopping cart dents?:guns: :guns: :guns:

TomcoPDR

PMed

TomcoPDR
(Editted: November, 2007)

Repair log: Monday April 23, 2007, 2:15am

Finally got 90% of my current project done (keep on watching the game, such an intense loss though :goflames: )

Really neat ride from this Beyond member, and yes, I'm not afraid to admit I have never done one of these before. Reminds me of the VW Corrado, but 4wd.




Had some hail damages on it, below are photos of a hail damaged hood panel



Since hail damage on side panels (doors, fenders) are pretty much just the same as regular plain jane "door dents", I thought I'd take some photos of the roof.

So the headliner had to be removed during the repair (owner did it himself to save some $$$, I personally have no problem of this as most Beyond members are "car people"; just that you'll be responsible for any broken clips, missing screws, etc...)

Most of the little ones either didn't show up with in the photo, or I just took them out and saved the "bigger" ones for the photo shot.



In cases like hail damage, the cosmestic structure of the panel has multiple stress points on it (all the dents)... And EACH AND EVERY SINGLE dent needs to be repaired correctly before moving onto the next one, this ensures the STRAIGHT flourscent line that you see running across in the after photos.

Tom Co.

ATLAS_A4
The photo's look great Tom. I'm glad you're not charging me overtime for working till 2AM!!! Can't wait to see the car in person tonight. See you between 6:30 and 7:00.

Dave

TomcoPDR
(Editted: November, 2007)

Beyonder's 2000 Audi S4, couple of small dents on the trunk (no photos), and this is the edge of a trunk, the lip being pushed in.

Damages like these aren't really meant for PDR to have perfect factory like results, but you can certainly make improvements from the damage situation. The owner was informed of this before he committed.

Recently (time of editting these articles) I've been accused of misleading the public by making everyone THINK I'm the only PDR technician in the country, and that I'm trying to scare everyone into thinking only certain people can do this type of work. Come on, we all know I'm not the only one doing this, so hence I really have nothing to say in return to those desperate attempts of their fail success in quality, but they do make valid points about me SOUNDING like I know it all (which I humbly agree, I do NOT) so I'm changing everything I've written to be more humble and more about MY WORK, MY SERVICES.







There will be little flaws and imperfections with this repair. I am NOT trying to hide it in anyways whatsoever... but it's just the point of sometimes with PDR, you can make IMPROVEMENTS to a body damaged area miminalizing the owner's repair down time and money. In my opinion, the ultimate perfect repair for this damage is replace and repaint a brand new factory trunk, so PDR does NOT by any means REPLACE the solution of bodyshops in some cases.

Tom Co.

hussein

Ok, if this joke is about what I think it is... This is the official paragraph that will make you the next PDR guy I use. :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

TomcoPDR

Yep, you guessed it... I keep up on my Beyond current events; even when I traveled out of town for work, that's what the laptop's for; not for invoicing/estimate printouts, but Beyond updates. I've been a member before "TomcoPDR"...

euro_racer
you can allways trust Tom will do great work and he will go out of his way to get it done right and with customers full satisfaction :thumbsup: (x2)

hussein

Listen man, it's ok to just say you are addicted. :rofl:

No worries, I am in denial too.:D

TomcoPDR

woow man, let's not go THAT far... I was just thinking of getting the name out and partnering up with some baller fatcat like Alex. M, get him to finance a couple of nation wide locations, hire bunch of kids at minimum wage and sit back enjoy the ride. :burnout:

^^^ The above depicted business model is only a fragment of my messed up imagination; any similarity to actual events is mere coincondence. :rolleyes: (don't worry, if I did had some $$$, I'd honestly buy a car wash and go ahead with my Bikini Dent idea, totally won't turn my back on the industry like it did to me by training a bunch of random Tom, Dick and Harry)

Edit: Oops, I mean Mike, Dick and Harry... sorry don't usually read what I type...

Edit 2: And the "Bikini Dent" idea is NOT me in a speedo... hot ladies in Bikini's fixing dents on your car after a hot wax car wash.

s_havinga
How would I go about getting a quote? I got some pretty mean dents in my prelude. Where is your shop? let me know

TomcoPDR

PMed

R-Audi
Thanks again Tom! You do great work. (My S4 pictured above..)

TomcoPDR
(Editted: November, 2007)

Beyonder's 2004 Subura Impreza STi :drool: Love that sound.

A "CREASE" dent in the trunk's bodyline, this type of dent is not your text book "dime-size, push in the centre and it'll pop out" type of dents.

There are three areas WITHIN the dent that needs attention:
(1) The upper panel part (the biggest dented area in this case)
(2) The bodyline ridge on THIS vehicle
(3) The dent below the bodyline ridge (lower panel part)







Tom Co.

Zenshi
Thomas does wicked work.
I watched him do work on my vehicle, and it was grade A+ quality. If you have the time, when you get your vehicles done, hang out with him and watch the magic go!! (not really magic, but it sure seems like it!!)

I'd refer all my friends to him in a heart beat for PDR! :D

bteeuwen240
hey tom, i got a hard one for you, you got pm.

TomcoPDR

PMed, about not recieving your first PM for some reason.

TomcoPDR
Beyonder's Civic DX I think, right quarter panel. (couple of smaller ones on other panels, not really worth taking photos)






And thanks for anyone who has pending appointments with me and bearing with the schedule shifts and book-in waits... I'm just one guy. :devil:

Tom Co.

>Percy<
Good job, Tom. You are the best, same as new ..... ;)

-Percy

TomcoPDR
Beyond member Zoom-Zoom 3



Left front door, below the belt moulding, on the ridge line too.





For this repair, I choose (and agreed to charges with owner) to removed the interior door panel instead of DRILLING an access hole since it wasn't necessary. If during the removal process any of the bodyclips break you can always purchase and replace them with brand new clips or screws, etc. However, with drilling holes into the metal, that's permanent.







Continues...

TomcoPDR
Same vehicle from above, different section.

Right side pillar rail.






Later.

Tom Co.

BananaFob
That was my Mazda3, Tom does awesome work!

ZeroGravity
Original plan was to meet with Thomas today for just a quote. He ended up fixing up all the dents I know of (and some I didn't originally see).

He continued to work on one of the dents for a good amount of time even after I no longer see it under his flourescent light setup.

Great guy, great work. :thumbsup:

TomcoPDR

Hee hee, thanks again for coming in the rain. Nice car (I won't say what it is for your privacy)

:thumbsup:

TomcoPDR
(Editted: November, 2007)

Doing some work at an out-of-town dealership, on their used inventory 2005 Toyota Celica.

Not something that could turn out factory-like perfect, but since it's on a used unsold vehicle, the advantage using PDR would be saving in time (30 - 45 minutes for this repair) and lower in cost compared with bodywork and repainting the panel.



I guess you could consider the following 2 photos "cheat" or "trick" shots. It's purposely taken without the PDR flourscent light and camera purposely aimmed at an angle to make the repair or dent removal look "factory", but it honestly isn't.






The camera hides the repair a little better than it actual is, but with damages like these you're going to see some minor waves and blemishes, the paint surface is still smooth and even nonetheless.

Tom Co.

TomcoPDR
(Editted: December, 2007)

:zzz: :zzz: :zzz: sometime after midnight here...

A tastefully modded EK




Really deep door dent CREASE on the right front door. This was a dent removal that the owner said another "dent guy" didn't wanted to do (probably somewhere along the lines of telling the customer it can't be fixed decently with PDR). I told him not to tell me who it was, I'm not the only person in this trade so every company should be allow to do anything they want in this non-regulated industry.







With deep creases like this, there could be TINY traces of "dimple"... it doesn't show it on the after shots as the camera doesn't show that much details within the paint surface. But I am NOT trying to hide anything here.

Continues...

TomcoPDR
Same Black 2dr. Civic as above...

Right fender CREASE... this again, border lines bodyshop/ panel replacement... but it was understood as an improvement situation on an older vehicle. (2000)






And as a result of THIS crease, the metal pushed its way to budge another ridge in another spot within the panel.




Continues...

TomcoPDR
(Editted: December, 2007)

The hardest part to this dent removal (TO ME) was the curve along the wheel well, I had to follow the contours correctly otherwise the reflection to your eye sight will be all out of whack (i.e. the panel looking all funny/ wavy)








Damages like this will most likely result in minor flaws. Yes, the camera absorbed a lot of the lighting to hide some of the "dimples" on these creases. (but stuff like loonie size door dents, or hail damages, the repair SHOULD be flawless when done properly)

The main reason as to why I still keep on fixing these "oh, it'll still have minor flaws afterwards", is that I'm trying to uphold the integrity of my industry. It's not everyday that we get perfect dime, quarter size door dents, and those who weren't trained properly will attempt to repair stuff like this (just to turn another buck), making a huge mess (including cracking paint, uneven surface, obivous poor workmanship)... So when the public/ customer sees poor result from them, that reflects badly on Paintless Dent Removal as a whole...

On another subject (not ranting), after spending the entire evening on this vehicle... I kinda realized how hard high school kids have it nowadays, I mean, back in my days you drive up in this EK2 with them 16's spinnin' and you're ballin' (+1 for a ballerette owner). Now it's like they got to be in E46 or something. And remember back in the days anyone with 17's aLLz dA pLAyerZ aNd tHUgz and even the school resource officer thinks their ridin' dirty. Now, before you can drop any vehicle like it's hot you gotta be at least be on 20's.

Tom Co.

bignerd
Just picked up our car from Tom Co....

Have to say his dent repairs are by far the best bang for the buck and repair we have ever spent $$$ on for any car, ever.

I am 110% satisfied, and he is correct there are minute, tiny flaws still visible if you pull out the light and get your face in there, however they are so minor I don't even think they count! I am completely thrilled with the transformation of our fender.

Thumbs up for Tom also, he is incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about bending and molding metal, very professional and honest to boot! Be sure to allow yourself some extra time if you get a quote as he is fun to chat with also.

Thanks Tom :clap:

MB4
thanks Tom for the ding repair, he even point out another ding i didnt know of! compare to other peoples my dings are so easy job for Tom

thanks again

TomcoPDR

Thanks again for the support. :devil:


:confused: :confused: :confused: :confused: :confused:
:nut: :nut: :nut: :nut: :nut:

TomcoPDR
(Editted: December, 2007)

In today's episode of Paintless-My-Ride, we have a Beyond member's 2004 F-150 pick up. The top cab rail was CRUSHED while loading lumber.

This type of body damage does NOT "borderline" Paintless dent removal method, it IS BODYSHOP, period.

- Customer informed I really didn't want to fix this using Paintless method.
- Customer insists because it's a construction/ business expense write-off vehicle (work truck), he'll be happy with any result I can provide; with the understanding the result will look like crap, but knowing anything is better than leaving it.
- Customer informed of MY estimate I needed for my time, and accepted it. (which was quite high $$$$)






So the headliner had to be removed (and reinstalled) during the PDR process for this damage's location. And customer was informed if I wasn't able to physically move the metal/damage around, he'll still be charged with headliner remove+reinstall fees.


Continues...

TomcoPDR
(Editted: December, 2007) Finally, here are the after pictures. I figured I've earned my creditibility to cheat once in a while where I don't use those flourscent lights for this repair, hey, it's only fair because most of the BEFORE pics are in plain sunlight; I mean, I could had been more of a drama queen than I usually am and put that light on, that'll bounce way more reflection out of this damage.

And again, this is NOT perfect, the camera hides a LOT of flaws... and if you look at this in person, you WILL SEE WAVES. I am not trying to hide anything, making sure everybody knows this, this includes letting other PDR industry techncians/companies know this is NOT close to factory original; but I am using PDR to improve on the body damage as per customer's request and payment (and understanding of result). I'm just walking the walk (from other people talking the talk for me), so this has nothing to do with other PDR techs/companies, or what other companies accuse me of "bad mouthing"... As far as I'm concern those other PDR companies accusing me of bad mouthing them (by doing extreme stuff like this), they're more than welcome to fix these damages; I get tons of requests for these to refer you to.









Just a crazy damage using PDR, in fact I actually took one for the team for the PDR industry... fixing this stuff to showcase PDR possiblities.

At one point during the repair, I'm not even joking, I really thought I lost it... somehow I turned Akon's perfectly awesome grind song and started talking to the damage... "I see you dented n distorted up on that roof, I know you see me lookin' at you and you already know, I wanna fix you... fix you, you already know..." :banghead: Yea, that's what this trade does to ya... at least I had Boyz II Men "I'll make love to you" on another folder.

Anyways, to the owner... you've officially been PAINTLESSed :bigpimp:



Tomzibit Co.

TomcoPDR
.

dropdat
I was the owner of that truck shown above (yes i know im an idiot for damaging it that bad). and this was a task for a body shop and not a pdr guy but tom took care of me really well. first off i told him it was an emergency and needed to be done asap and he was able to start on it for me within 24 hours. then he charged me a rock bottom price compared to a body shop and told me if it would only be maybe 65% restored, but then when i got there it looked like new. not only that when i came to take a look at it mid project i noticed there were a couple random scratches on the truck and being the nice guy he is, tom took care of them for me for free. I HIGHLY recomend tom to anyone needing dent repair the service was great, the end job was great and the price was great too. thanks alot tom!

Zenshi
Tom you little bast@rd! keep up the good work man =) dont have anymore dents on the subaru yet though ;)

DepTrotter
pm'd + emailed would like to get something done asap

please thanks

TomcoPDR

Replied

FiveFreshFish
Check PM. Thanks.

TomcoPDR

Replied, I love that Avator :love:

TomcoPDR
(Editted: December, 2007)Change of pace, thought I'd post some current event related work, all the hail storms happening, comes Hail Damage on automotives.

A newer Toyota Sienna mini van...









The camera hides ALOT of the dents than there actually are. A lot of people email me with digital photo estimates saying that their loonie size dents "don't show up"... well, you can clearly SEE the hail damage on the roof of this van.



The headliner nowadays are so freakin' lot of work to remove/reinstall with all the DVD player, A/C vents, cupholders, oxygen masks, lifejackets, etc... AND because this vehicle was so severly damaged, in order to perform DECENT Paintless Dent Removal on the roof, WE had to remove the liftgate in order to access the dents properly.



Alright, enjoy the videos... like I've stated before, it's really hard to capture the depth and severity of dents in a camera just cause it absorbs everything. The video is moving up and down, like you should with your eyes or your head. Either use the PDR light, or find some straight lines or straight edges within the shop, the building, garage door frame when you're looking at YOUR own vehicle.

TomcoPDR
Videos:

TomcoPDR
Back part of the roof is taking shape, notice I'm PURPOSELY using the straight lines from the building to show the straightness of the repaired section.











Tom Co.

TomcoPDR
(Editted: December, 2007)

Hi all, back for more repair photos... What's that? A new vehicle? Nope, same mini van ^^^ different day.

Hmmmm, let's see what I did today at work, managed to get the liftgate hail damage out and a little 2 foot section of the left quarter panel pillar rail.











Not that there're any "official" repair methods, but TO ME, there was no way I could had repaired the hatch/liftgate reasonably with PDR while it's still on the vehicle.







So any of you minor door ding guys wanna PM again explaining how Paintless Dent Repair HAIL DAMAGE is such quick easy money??? :banghead: :banghead: :banghead:

This repair's costing me (and the other tech) 3-4 day's worth of hotel, food, gas to get out here in the first place, work time (despite what these PDR training school tells you, we're doing 12-14 hrs/day). But you know what, since everybody in this trade has business cards that says: "Door dents, Minor Dings, Hail Damage" this makes everybody's work equal :thumbsup:

So pretty much with the above hail damage dent removal, you see that certain parts of the vehicle are removed in order to properly perform PDR. (the hood was removed too to be fixed)

In hail damage, the severity are wide range. Small dents, large dents. high volume, low volume. Deep, shallow.

Notice again in all the above videos of this van, I tried my best to move the camera up and down, rotate round, and with different STRAIGHT LINES and lighting as much as possible, this is done INDOORS and not parking the vehicle with the sun shinning directly into the un-finished dent/ flaws.

A "proper" (<--- there's no definition of that) PDR repair should have nothing to hide. But what governs the fine line between quality or shotty PDR work??? Without getting into a rant, absolutely nothing. YOU are your own last line of defense, YOU are the one that concludes job satisfaction.

Tom Co.

TomcoPDR
(Editted: December, 2007) Agrrrrrh, day 3, finally finished that van ^^^^ (above 2 posts)




Tom Co.

TomcoPDR
Helppppppppppppppppp me..... I'm working all alone cause the guys with kids went back home for back to school.

Any dent guys in Calgary I haven't pissed off, wanna come chill with me for a couple days? Please :D So I can go fix some of those pot of gold gravy stuff that I keep hearing aobut, yea, where are those easy hail storms that all these 2 week PDR training schools all talk about???





Like come on, where are all these easy money pea size dents I was promised when I first got into this trade? These are all toonie size, at least. (I already took out the smaller ones; saved the best for last, lol)

And yea, I know about the BASEBALL size damages out there, the ones where a dent guy can crank up and even crack the paint and a bodyshop would just refinish and repaint it. (PDR guy does the body dent work)... but these are PDR finishing :( and these are DEEP (the camera hides a lot).

Am I just hanging around the wrong crowd? Where are all the Beyond dent guys, I know you guys are hiding..... come on hook a brother up with some easy work.

Wish I could afford one of these.



Definitely nothing for the local used car lot door ding guys to be jealous about with hail chasing PDR guys... what a freakin' lifestyle. (and one of the three cars belong to the MOTEL owner's)... weeeee what an atmostphere.

TomcoPDR
Just assuring the other dent guys that I'm not hiding and fixing the easy hail storms. Seeing that I'm considered the rookie compared to the crew I work for, just in case any rumours starts about me being a "filler tech"...

Anyways trying to be short, simple and INFORMATIVE... these photos are of a hail damage vehicle which requires a PDR finishing (meaning PDR is the final product, it's not PDR pushing it up and a bodyshop primer and repaint), all of the damages out here has at least a couple hard hits. (not the WORST, I know, but not the yummy-yummy light ones some of the other "dent guys" are sitting on neither)







This thing was so deep, it went balls deep (term used professionally), it's holding a golf ball with the hood panel tilted. Was so tempted to take the irons out and tee off the hood.



The dent's so deep, it's penetrated into the backside.





Not the worst hail dents out there for people who's been doing this for a while, but definitely not something that a 2 week's PDR course can solve (prove me wrong if you dent schools disagree), shouldn't be tempted by "all dent guys", many things can go wrong with this type of damage.

Tom Co.

Zenshi
Tom my friend, you are working too hard. You need to give yourself a break and relax a bit! :)

TomcoPDR

I can't man, we're trying to finish up these small towns so I can get back to Calgary and help out the ppl that's been waiting for me. Rent a shop if there're lots of work left, and if there's a lot, a lot, get the whole crew out once they're done their stuff.

I just drove 40km one way to a "bigger town" (that's Calgary deep South to deep North) to get my laundry done cause the town I'm in doesn't hav a laundromat (motel only does their own sheets). It's like living at Heritage Park here.

These damages take forever, sucks that the Paintless gravy train hardly stops in Thomasville anymore.

TomcoPDR
Hail damage on a used 1st Gen. Chevrolet Avalanche hood panel, that :barf: pumpkin colour :barf:

Looks like some other "dent guy" has already had their hands on this before. That's the problem with our industry, and to avoid the dealership thinking I didn't fix this USED VEHICLE hail damage properly, I ended touching up this previous "professional dent work" (looks like it got pressed on, and some dent guy just randomly pushed up at different spots, too lazy to finish their repair; bringing the entire dent up uniform)



Again, decent size dents.



Just getting bored, thought I'd post something. :D

Tom Co.

TomcoPDR
One of those damages not really suitable with Paintless removal, BUT the owner understood this would only be an improvement over the exisiting damage (and as per estimated cost)

The results in these damages will NOT be decent, it'll have waves and uneven surfaces; I do NOT want other people in the PDR industry accusing me of twisting the truth. (long story)

The only way to make these panels factory perfect, is to replace them.



^^^ That is NOT EVEN CLOSE to factory finish, I just straightened the ridge, crease and bulge out the best I could using PDR method.







^^^ LET ME MAKE THIS CLEAR, these are NOT ideal for PDR dent removals, I only use PDR method to improve on the damage situation.

Anyways, thanks for everyone's support this past year that I've been here. During this Christmas month I'll be making some changes to the way I present my information in the past.

I've been called out for misleading the public about PDR, some of the "old timers" are saying I make myself sound like and quote "only game in the country" :rofl: and that I use the "scare tactics" to make people think this trade can only be performed by certain people.

That is so far from the truth, when I first got into this trade there was NOTHING and NOBODY willing to offer information nor help for both customers or people getting in the industry. So I stepped up offering my opinions (since this trade isn't regulated, anybody can say ANYTHING, so what makes their opinions over mine?:poosie: )

However, they do offer some valid points about me sounding like I'm speaking on behalf of the entire trade (which if it comes off that way, I apologize and I'll take some time to go back through every single post to make sure comments and opinions are mostly pertaining to MYSELF, MY SERVICES and MY REPAIRS, I hope they're allowing me to do that???)

So again, there are many many many PDR dent shops here in our province, many opinions, many options, many prices, many service attitudes, many techniques and process fixing dents, many qualities. I DO NOT WANT TO HOG BUSINESS so everyone in this country will come to me :rolleyes: , bring your vehicles to whoever you want.

I am just ONE technician offering my experience in an automotive related forum (when nobody in this trade ever had), ONE man, with ONE alter-ego..........

rage2
haha I can't believe u got that out so nice. Pretty amazing shit!

ScCab
awesome job....wife is very happy!

Thanks again

TomcoPDR
Not something that would turn out factory perfect or showroom condition, and to PDR or bodyshop people, I've already told the owner these body damages should NOT be PDR. Problem with me is that when I say no twice, and you ask me the 3rd time it turns into a yes somehow; why can't the chicks I hook up with think like that?

Basically PDR wasn't really meant to deal with severities like these to produce original 100% factory looking results (other PDR ppl welcome to prove me wrong; end result seen in person of course)... but anyways, the owner insisted he just wanted the damage looking better, I gave the estimate --> without contest, with no guarantees of outcome or specifically NOT PERFECT results, but so here we are.

1996 Mecedes Benz E320

Left fender








Pretty much the only body damage on this vehicle that's worth any shots of PDR potential/value-for-dollar for both customer and PDR tech/shop.

continues...

TomcoPDR
^^^ from above, left fender wheel-well, and left front door:












Yep, basically it's a little "off" since the paint chipped during the collision/damage, and the edge or lip between the fender and door was pressed in.

TomcoPDR
^^^ Above vehicle, left quarter panel:







^^^ Paint in corner already chipped off and rusted.

TomcoPDR
^^^ Above vehicle, left quarter panel:








Anyways, despite my inevitable alienation and accusations from industry peers for public demonstration. (they accuse me making it sound like I'm the only one doing this in the entire country :dunno: and that I scare people that this trade should only be done by trained skillful individuals)...

But here's an example where I have no problems describing the fact that there'll be flaws and limits to every technicians, I am not satisfy with some of these (customer was). Looks nothing close to factory. But the only reason why those flaws can be seen is that fact that I remain to put that damn "light" on MY repairs; I've got nothing to hide, I've tried my best, and these damages I've already stated shouldn't be PDR. (customer asked for just an improvement knowing ME, and agreed to pay the estimate, and a little peer pressure for taking this on)

So if all else fails, here are my "industry standard" AFTER photos :D



Hailman

TomcoPDR
2007 Toyota Camry Hybrid







This one was a toughy with that triangle ridge line being pushed in (more angles and reflections to interpret). Spent longer than I expected, but luckily this Beyond member was a good sport and kept me company during this close to half-day ordeal.

Yep, there'll be some minor flaws and blemish (again, I'm not trying to wreck the industry)... but just educating customers with reasonable expectations with THESE TYPES of damages using PDR. The customer got his vehicle back within the same day though, just an alternative (NOT REPLACEMENT) to replacing the entire fender panel, or bodyfiller and repaint.

And if anyone sees them "CLAW" scratch and chip marks along the wheel well, that's from the impact not from PDR process. :D

Hailman

TomcoPDR
'86 Porsche Carrera



Couple of ripple dents (most likely) from shutting the trunk.




Sorry, I know the after pics aren't exactly aligned from the before (had to move my light angles a lot during repair)

Tom Co.

TomcoPDR
:clap: :clap: :clap: Finally a dent removal for me. :D

New 2008 Saturn Astra

Think it was 1999 since I've worked on one of these ideal PDR minor dings. This is the type of ding PDR benefits, and most would advertise using this example. PDR could range $75-$150 (not standardized), cost depends on shop, drilling or interior trim remove/reinstall, how the estimator feels that day, etc... Where as bodyshop would probably (best guess) be around $300+ for stripping old paint on entire panel, body filler, primer, sand, paint and clear coat/blend adjescent panels. ~$100/$300 = 33% of "conventional repair methods" (that's what you'll see advertised a lot of time)

I (IMO) think it gives off the wrong impression, just because COME ON, most the time nobody cares about minor dings like this (a nickel covered the entire ding; my personal vehicles have bigger dents). In the real world, dents that most PDR shops would experience would be much larger and more differicult than this.

This is the type of scenario I got in shit for, for saying: "look out, sometimes we drill holes in PDR" Then another dent guy called me out saying I bad mouth other companies (who drill holes), that I'm a stupid noob scaring people about holes being drilled, not knowing how to use tools to reach without considering drilling/panel removal, blah blah... But really, pulling back the interior trim panel (1 screw, + panel retainers) was faster FOR ME than to insert correct drill bit (hoping hole made would reach dent and not blocked by something), find the right touch up paint or sealant, put plastic plug in hole (and hope customer doesn't know what it is on their brand new car)






Tom Co.

98brg2d
Thanks Tom,

Awesome job on my new car^.

After we talked about you fixing dents on your cars I forgot to mention that I haven't had a dent in over four years so even though it was a small dent it was important to me to get it fixed, especially since it is my first new car and it is only a month old.

I really recommend Tom to anybody, my fix was one of the easier ones (dent wise, may be not panel removal wise though) that he has shown but it was really important to me that there not be a hole drilled in my brand new car.

I think this was Tom's first Saturn (correct me if I'm wrong) and definitely his first Astra (probably most people haven't seen one on the roads yet, much less taken the interior apart) and he did a great job.

Andrew

TomcoPDR

First Saturn side panel dent ever :D ... roofs and hoods (pending model) are still metal = still PDR-able when hail damaged.

TomcoPDR
2003 Honda Accord Coupe

When I was younger and people first drove around with these stickers, I was like WTF site's that???


And yep, I'm just as tired of this industry as you are to reading these same old "dents" :zzz: but nothing else I can write about...

This was hail damaged, basically almost all the time the headliner has to be "dropped" (removed then reinstalled = Re & Re), for people who aren't used to working on cars, yep, it's as pain in the butt as you'd think, every screw and/or whatever's attached has to be removed.



Quick clip of a dent on hood being removed, pushing from the underside. And to other dent-people, one hand holding camera, trying to push dent with the other while lookin' through the camera with 1 eye and the hood panel with the other; so giveme a break on the video's accuracy.




What it looks like underside, just a basic "hand tool" and you push up with the tip of the tool on exact spots in and around the dent.


Hailman

TomcoPDR
2004 Toyota 4Runner

Had the customer hold the camera for video, haha.

Before:


During PDR process, dent being pushed up (to other PDR people, it's not "finished" to our industry eyes yet, didn't want video to run forever; public get bored after a while)




This one I only charged him (and quality understood to be) for a "Push For Paint" or "Prep For Paint" process using PDR. Because the paint's chipped on the ridge, so the owner will be using a spot-repair paint facility, but the dent damage still had to be leveled (not showroom finish) so the spot-repair paint guy can put light spread of putty/bodyfiller and then only paint that spot, and polish to blend with the rest of the panel. Or if he brings it to a bodyshop now (to repaint entire tailgate), it'll only be paint related charge (plus my PDR charge), but no body work "bang-out" charges... with these damages sometimes PDR-then-paint is cheaper, sometimes doing whole thing with bodyshop is cheaper... varies case to case.

So to other PDR ppl, you WILL see something, but this was a QUICK push out, and for the price-to-quality at the owner's requirement.





Hailman