Lately we had an idea to do a video series for our viewers and potential people who are considering paintless dent repair training. We thought it would be helpful to let the public see how pdr really is behind the scenes.
I try to talk about the job before I arrive, give some tips and justify certain techniques and prices. Each episode will be definitely different and unique. Mainly hard and complex dents and also exotic vehicles as well.
This particular pdr job was very complex because how stretched the dent was. Location was not fun either. There was an inner structure that allowed very little tool access. We obviously used the glue pull technique to remove half the dent and crease. The hard part was recreating the curve of the fender. Although it looks pretty decent, there was still a slight flatness. I always want to shot for 100% but in some and rare cases, there are incidents where there can be limitations. Unfortunately there are cases like this type of dent repairs. More important is that I always try. A customer always appreciates the effort and in most cases their expectations were surpassed.
Learning about different types of dents and access is an ongoing path. You never stop getting challenges. Unless you choose to. Anyhow, enjoy the video and we should have some new ones soon. Thanks!
Myke Toledo www.denttime.com and www.dentrepairsandiego.com
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Monday, November 2, 2009
How Long Does It Take to Learn PDR?
How Long Does Paintless Dent Removal / Repair (PDR) Take To Learn?
The answer is.. your whole career. I'm not kidding either. Now I know that sounds contradicting since I train paintless dent removal on a professional level. Training someone how to learn pdr takes weeks to understand the technique but on the other hand, learning how to master pdr takes years.
I personally train most techs four weeks because there is a great deal to understand and this helps absorb good habits. It is almost certain you will NOT grasp pdr in a 1 week pdr training course (5 days). Now I'm not saying it's impossible but your learning curve doesn't begin to really develop until AFTER the first week alone.
However, patience is the key. If you don't have patience, you should not put yourself through a ton of frustration. You may not have heard this enough or not at all but learning pdr is very challenging to say the least. As much as pdr appears easy.. it's not. I've been told time and time again from my trainees, that learning pdr was the hardest thing they had experienced in life. Patience is always the factor when it comes to learning how to read the line/fog board reflection, tool pin pointing and eye-hand coordination.
Now going back to the question. You never stop learning as long as you are ALWAYS willing to learn. Huh, you ask? Let me explain. Vehicles change, sheet metal changes, tools change and life in general changes. During those changes, so should you by combining experience, technique and pushing yourself to just try. This is what we exactly preach throughout the pdr training course. It's important a well rounded pdr tech learns to change and adapt as time goes on.
Here at Dent Time we make a conscious effort to give our pdr trainees the most challenging experience possible. This helps develop the learning curve beyond the average training school. It is our policy we train our students individually to ensure a complete and well rounded pdr course.
For more info, please visit DentTime.com or DentRepairSanDiego.com
The answer is.. your whole career. I'm not kidding either. Now I know that sounds contradicting since I train paintless dent removal on a professional level. Training someone how to learn pdr takes weeks to understand the technique but on the other hand, learning how to master pdr takes years.
I personally train most techs four weeks because there is a great deal to understand and this helps absorb good habits. It is almost certain you will NOT grasp pdr in a 1 week pdr training course (5 days). Now I'm not saying it's impossible but your learning curve doesn't begin to really develop until AFTER the first week alone.
However, patience is the key. If you don't have patience, you should not put yourself through a ton of frustration. You may not have heard this enough or not at all but learning pdr is very challenging to say the least. As much as pdr appears easy.. it's not. I've been told time and time again from my trainees, that learning pdr was the hardest thing they had experienced in life. Patience is always the factor when it comes to learning how to read the line/fog board reflection, tool pin pointing and eye-hand coordination.
Now going back to the question. You never stop learning as long as you are ALWAYS willing to learn. Huh, you ask? Let me explain. Vehicles change, sheet metal changes, tools change and life in general changes. During those changes, so should you by combining experience, technique and pushing yourself to just try. This is what we exactly preach throughout the pdr training course. It's important a well rounded pdr tech learns to change and adapt as time goes on.
Here at Dent Time we make a conscious effort to give our pdr trainees the most challenging experience possible. This helps develop the learning curve beyond the average training school. It is our policy we train our students individually to ensure a complete and well rounded pdr course.
For more info, please visit DentTime.com or DentRepairSanDiego.com
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