In July of 2009, parts of Colorado experienced the second costliest hail storm in Denver weather history. Areas like Arvada, Wheat Ridge and Lakewood were pounded with 1-2 inch size hail, accompanied by 60-70 mile per hour winds. Reports afterward stated that the storm caused at least $350 million in damage to houses and cars, and 19,500 auto claims were filed within the first few weeks. Needless to say, Colorado became a hotbed for PDR technicians in 2009, with an overwhelming amount of work on hail damaged cars to be done. Unlike seasons past where the hail season might last for only a couple months, these hail repairs were still coming up in the beginning of 2010.
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Even if it’s not typical to see a racecar come into your shop for dent repairs, it does stand to reason that these types of cars would offer work for a PDR technician. As they say, “Rubbin’ is racin’.” And unless the car slammed into the wall at 200 miles per hour, or ended up at the bottom of a 10-car pileup, then chances are that common dents or dings will occur quite a bit.
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It’s not uncommon to come across customers who consider their cars to be their baby, and you might have to take extra care to make sure their car comes out in perfect shape so they drive away happy. But on some occasions, you might have the chance to work on a car so rare and unique that you can understand how they could call it their baby. It will feel like every push or tap-down you make needs to be done with pinpoint accuracy, just to ensure 100% restoration and no signs of the previous damage.
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Glue-pulling is a fairly recent aspect of PDR that has quickly gained in popularity thanks to advancements in equipment and the quality of the glue. If done correctly, it can be used to remove dents in areas that tools can’t get to, such as the edges of panels or along roof rails. A glue gun is used to melt the glue, which is then applied to a tab that is placed directly onto the center of the dent. After the glue sets, it can then be manipulated with a specially designed tool that snaps the dent out. Often times the area is pulled high when the tool removes the tab, at which time the technician uses a plastic tap-down to restore the metal’s original form.
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Although the majority of PDR work is done on automobiles, there are occasions where customers have some very unique requests. When you think about it, anything with a metal body or panel can be subject to dings and dents. But as long as you can get a tool to it, you have the potential to remove those dents, just like any other job you might face.
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Working a dent in a bumper can go one of two ways – either it can be impossible to remove the dent with PDR, or it can be quite simple for a good technician. The PDR techniques work best on plastic bumpers with dented corners.
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1961 Cooper Type 53
Severe Hail Storm in Colorado
Unusual PDR Repairs
