Amazon PDR tools and success rate

[mr2mike]

Has anyone actually been successful in the PDR work using Amazon kits?
Tried a buddies kit and I basically made it worse.
Wondering if I give it another go with some more tools. The light and some better pushing tools?

[ThePenIsMightier]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

Has anyone actually been successful in the PDR work using Amazon kits?
Tried a buddies kit and I basically made it worse.
Wondering if I give it another go with some more tools. The light and some better pushing tools?

"It's not the sword, it's the swordsmanship."
I think there is zero chance that a regular person with no auto-body shop experience can buy some magic beans and suddenly perform PDR.

[dj_rice]

@TomcoPDR experience guru teach some skills

[msommers]

Tomco should open a PDR school.

[Swank]

I hope this is less of a thread hijack and more along the same lines. I'm curious if anyone has had luck with the Amazon windshield rock chip repair kits. I'm hoping that because the those repair tents in parking lots seem to be usually staffed by 19 year old college students suggests that those repairs require far less 'swordsmanship'.

[Kloubek]

I tried a DIY windshield kit years ago. I imagine technology has improved, but man was it useless.

Hey, I'm all for saving a bit of cash and doing things yourself, but are you really saving when a ding costs like... 20 bucks? Just get it done professionally, imo.

[ExtraSlow]

Every glass shop will do that service as a walk-in too.

[mr2mike]

PDR dents are more than $20 per, no?

[AndyL]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

Every glass shop will do that service as a walk-in too.

Work truck just had 2 "fixed" Pretty sure they're 100% worse than they were prior.

[ThePenIsMightier]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

PDR dents are more than $20 per, no?

Certainly! I think the first one is expensive and then it's like economies of scale to get more done. At least that's how the guy I used priced it. Something more like $80 for the first one and then closer to $40 each after that if you had >5.

[TomcoPDR]

Yeah. I’d say definitely go through professional training courses. The tools in itself just comes after; it’s like a mechanic using a set of snap on versus Princess auto. Both could still work but you still need to know tf u doing. That or just shop into a dent shop and get it fixed for a few bucks

https://denttools.ca/index.php/produ...ing-120-hours/

[TurboMedic]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

I tried a DIY windshield kit years ago. I imagine technology has improved, but man was it useless.

Hey, I'm all for saving a bit of cash and doing things yourself, but are you really saving when a ding costs like... 20 bucks? Just get it done professionally, imo.

I dunno, I've had good success with the windshield kits. I prefer to get them done right away to avoid getting things inside the crack so I find the kit works great. There's a learning curve, but its not that steep

[msommers]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

Yeah. I’d say definitely go through professional training courses. The tools in itself just comes after; it’s like a mechanic using a set of snap on versus Princess auto. Both could still work but you still need to know tf u doing. That or just shop into a dent shop and get it fixed for a few bucks

https://denttools.ca/index.php/produ...ing-120-hours/

Jesus Christ, a 3-week course is $22,000??! What the actual fuck

[dj_rice]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

Yeah. I’d say definitely go through professional training courses. The tools in itself just comes after; it’s like a mechanic using a set of snap on versus Princess auto. Both could still work but you still need to know tf u doing. That or just shop into a dent shop and get it fixed for a few bucks

https://denttools.ca/index.php/produ...ing-120-hours/

I just bought some tools from Princess Auto. Thinking of becoming a mechanic now. Who needs their car worked on?

[TomcoPDR]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

Jesus Christ, a 3-week course is $22,000??! What the actual fuck

Yeah man, I did a $10,000 one on on in 1998. And there’s still no guarantees you’ll grasp the concept or get good or become a pro. But no different than people sending kids to $30,000/season special sports camps. (Real example, know someone sending their daughter who’s legit soccer talented, where the coach had been a World Cup champ etc etc). Or private golf lessons, or some realtor training course; you gotta pay to learn AND your results will vary.

Here are more passionate trainers within industry, it’s great that we’re in the social media era, NOW there’re more podcasts, YT channels if one really want in and motivated, if you can filter through useful info that you’d still be able to understand it.

In the 90’s era Canadian companies usually won’t train another Canadian (adding more competition), so it’d be heading down south spending USD course fee plus ur hotel, rental car, etc. I hear stories from pro (hail Pdr) techs saying it was the best investment in themselves in their life…to dealership management saying it was the worse money scamming gimmick they’ve ever spent sending their top detail department employee to these courses, they come back, couldn’t do a single thing and the dealership/Bodyshop/rental agency main terminal car wash hub went back to just sourcing out their work to the pros as usual. With full sets of professional PDR tool sets in some shop storage room (usually right above the paint booths for smaller Bodyshops)

https://topgunpaintlessdentrepairtra...ginners-course

https://thedentdevils.com/paintless-...pair-training/



Why’d you tag me in this @dj_rice ?… but @mr2mike is good standing member. So back to trying to answer original Q best I can.

- knowing how to fix a dent aside, in answering og post

- I don’t think Amazon Pdr sets will be as good as Pdr tools you get from Pdr manufacturers (a lot of them are active or retired Pdr techs turn tool makers)

- fit and finishing on amazon sets are not going to be as refined: getting into the right spots, the correct flex/stiffness, ergonomics and comfort to the user

- what specific tools are you wondering to get from Amazon sets? (this is assuming they’ll be copy cat factories selling princess auto level crap, and nothing game changing Amazon created that hasn’t been broadcasted to Pdr social media sites I’m not aware of). As every individual rods has a different function, to every dent on a vehicle. Let alone depth, size, placement of the dent. You need a different Pdr tool.

This one hail Pdr broski I’m working with is rolling round with this. Probably spend $25,000 (USD, shipping fees, UPS/FEDEX brokerage charge thru each order)… if there’s Amazon branded stuff that can replicate similar to all these, I’d certainly give it a try too. At fraction of the cost ofc.

Ofc imo I think buddy is a little overboard with this (for hail Pdr at least imho. Cool if you operate at a local retail door ding shop fixing larger collision stuff or great for display like those Bodyman with those $50,000 Nascar licensed tool chest and roll into work with Dale Earnhardt Jr. jackets in their “wife’s” 2005 Honda CRV LX). I get anxiety everytime I gotta pass my work cart with his heavy ass drunken Komodo dragon wobbling zigzagging towards you, but yes yet everytime you past these beautifully setup Pdr/ Autobody carts, you do admire the time effort and $ spent and their tidiness, everytime I past him I get so mesmerized at all them pretty colour coded handles like a peacock fanning it’s feathers come mating season.




Here’s my hail cart setup for reference, I don’t have Pdr tools from Amazon. I’m sure there’re a few Amazon items: small flashlight (some Fucker at a Bodyshop STOLE my $150 tactical one, I thought was cool cuz u know write it off under business but can also be used for ur tactical courses. Never again, so probably Amazon $5 three pack flashlight). Amazon headband flashlight. The portable laptop battery pack to power my glue gun is from Amazon x2.






Lighting this might give you wider diy options since you’re just looking to fix the odd small door dings at home. Tons of YT research. You can probably use $15-20 LED strip lights, then covered in hazed plexiglass on the wall, or a diy rigged up 2x4 stand or something.


I’m on the Hail side of Pdr more than shop door ding. These are more of the costly more for hail Pdr lights (more mobile, lighter weight materials, wider lighting length door ding shops don’t need 48” width probably 30-36” will give u good viewing span)



These would be roughly $1500/each (usd conversion, shipping, custom fees)



One of my mostly used in hail was $3,000 landed. Because of the remote control actuator… it sounds weird but when you’re working from a distance (ie. you’re standing in back of a minivan, fixing hail dents upwards), being able to remotely move your lighting really saves you from the up and down moving around your light stand.






If you’re interested to do more of your own Pdr tool research, here are 2 industry conventions to check out. And major Pdr manufacturers will have kiosks there

https://pdrexpo.com/

https://mobiletechexpo.com/



Hope this advice helps a bit…. Or as suggested see if there’re dent shops you can pop by get it done for a few bucks. I’ve seen dent companies on group ons sometimes.

[mr2mike]

Wowza that guy has way too many tools imo for the PDR.
Yeah. Your kit looks great. I'm sure it's a lot of work to even teach yourself after buying the tools and practice on old parts.
I'll refrain and see a pro if I need it.
Thanks for the insights!

[Flexray]

Amazon/Princess auto/China tools have their place. They are good for disposable tools. In situations where tool breakage is a high possibility. I'm going to break a $50 rachet instead of a $300 snap on one. I won't buy cheap diagnostic or precision tools. You need to be able to trust the tools and the results that they give. PDR is definitely precision.
When I was a apprentice, you have to buy a lot of tools on a budget. I bought a lot from princess auto. My philosophy was, if I use it enough to wear it out or break it, it will be replaced with something of quality. A lot got replaced, some didn't. I have a 3/8 wobbly from princess auto that I have punished for like 15 years and it's still trucken. It has actually outlived a few snap on ones. But that is not the norm.
A $5 Amazon wrench and a $30 snap on wrench can both remove a seized line nut. But there is way less risk of rounding the nut off with the snap on one.

Training is in the same boat. Good educators know their value. I have learned things from free courses, but have learned much more from high dollar ones. The internet is a great place to learn, but you have to have a base knowledge of the topic so you can judge if someone is a idiot or not.

[The_Penguin]

Project Farm just did a comparison of various windshield kits:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fxxfZDOD1U

[TomcoPDR]

@dj_rice I’m forever tagging you in this

Ah what a timely thread though. My late fathers plastic formula he made for me still talked about in the pdr community, there’s push (steel rods) and pulling tools (plastic glueing); these little pull tabs is just ONE of many many many tools we need to perform our jobs.









This guy is pretty famous glammy in our industry with his well made videos. Go down the rabbit hole and see if a few of his vids spark your interest about the industry.

https://m.youtube.com/@denttime

[dj_rice]

Thats pretty dope your dad is an innovator in the game. Cool tidbit. I've seen TikToks of people using Hot glue gun sticks onto the dent and pulling out LOL