Dent Repairs Don't Always Go As Planned

As they say, "you wins some and you loose some." Today I lost a battle to the big dent or big crown. I was working on a Lexus RX330 and the rear door was crushed in with a super deep crown.

I learned something today I want to pass onto you or anyone interested. It always is amazing to me that I can always continue to learn from my failures. The word "failure may seem a little harsh but some may call it a challenge or obstacle.

What happened was that I used glue tabs to release the pressure underneath the crown. Problem was, I released it too well... the paint cracked. I should have used a heat gun. Was it cold out? Nope. Quite warm and 78 degrees to be exact.

The cause was that I pulled the crown up so fast from right below, the paint inside the deep crown split. So moral of the story, it would have not cracked if I used heat first. I talked to other dent guys and they said it happened to them as well. So I don't feel too bad but I was still really disappointed it happened.

I wish I could say every dent I do comes out perfect or always successful. Truth is, they don't. It will continue to be like this because I like the challenge. But the good thing is that the odds are usually in my favor. I hope my challenges help lead you other pdr techs with easier ones.

'91 Harley Gas Tank Dent Repair

Well once in awhile I get customers who send me their gas tanks with dents in them. This one happens to be a Harley Davidson. In most cases, Harley Gas tanks seem to be always challenging.

This particular gas tank I used a heat gun and my favorite soft tip tools with my favorite knock down tool. I charged $350 for this repair and the job came out well as expected. I'm just glad it came out period to tell you the truth. For those who never did a had the fun opportunity removing a dent on a gas tank, then you might be in for a treat. It's all about preperation. I don't go anywhere without my heat gun. And yes, even though I am in sunny San Diego, I still have to heat my dents up.

Pardon my laziness for not filming lately in Hd and the profeasional editing but at lease I am able to share this with you now instead of next year. Cheers and take care.

-Myke Toledo

New Version Of PDR Price Guide - PDR Star

Well, I just completed PDR Star's (St. Louis / Arnold. Mo) new PDR (Paintless Dent Repair) price guide video. I wanted to give the new version some pop. But the real point of the PDR Price Guide is to inform the visitor or customer what to expect when it comes to pricing pdr.

Not everyone understands.. well to be honest, most people don't understand why dents are more difficult than others. In this case, the PDR Price Guide video helps educate the public. Also not to mention weed out the people who think pdr is super cheap. To be honest, pdr is cheap if you compare other methods like traditional body work. But that's why I created this video in the first place.

Huge Dent Repair for Next Week

Well folks this dent will not come out 100% but I am going to give it one hell of a shot. This is where I think pdr techs should push themselves and learn. Even when you can't accomplish a perfect repair, you will still get a lot out of it. It's all about learning and more learning. I always try new things because I don't want to wake up doing the same thing. Besides if you don't learn to change and grow, your skills become limited. I shot a video preview with my iPhone but will be shooting the real footage in HD.

Stay tuned for the outcome. I will be performing the dent repair on Monday morning and I will post photos how it went. Then later I am going to be showing the video on my Dent Time Ride Along episode.

Hail Repair Techs Wanted / Needed

If you happen to be a veteran hail repair technician and have very good work ethics and integrity, then get a hold of Eric Hummel from PDRStar.com He is looking for some motivated and hard working hail repair technicians.

Eric is a straight up and honest person who has been in the hail repair industry for many years. His background has came from one of the biggest hail repair teams in the world and now leads his own reputable "done right" hail repair team called PDR Star.

It's almost hail season and so if you are a veteran pdr tech with skills, contact Eric at EricHummel@pdrstar.com

PDR-Japan / Check Out Their Blog

My friend (Chad) out in Japan has some pretty cool things to check out on his blog. From paintless dent repair to what's happening in the auto industry in Japan.

PDR-Japan is quickly getting lots of views on the web and we can see why. Chad seems to always keep things interesting and shares ideas with us here in the states. I am still hoping I can get out there one day and help Chad out. Lots of potential in Japan this is the market where people actually and really care about their vehicles. Cars are so expensive and it's a priority car owners keep their vehicles in top shape.

Check out PDR-Japan's Blog Here.

SOS Dent Demonstrats Great PDR Skills

If you happen to be in the Los Angeles area and are in need of some high quality paintless dent repair, then check out SOS Dent. Their blog shows a very interesting repair on a Honda CRV.

David who is the owner of SOS Dent seems to be very successful since the recession had begun. He quickly realized that doing just small dents won't cut it. People now these days want to fix what is obvious, and obvious means big dents. Check out and read more about his dent repair from his main blog here. 

Tundra Dent Repair

I was working on this dent at about 3:30 in the afternoon. It took a little longer than expected because there was a brace structure half way against the dent. It still turned out fine but was more challenging than I would have liked. But then again that is pdr for you. Here are some iPhone video clips how the repair looked before and after. It's my run n gun video so please don't be disappointed because lately I have not busted out the good camera rigs.

This dent took about an hour and 15 minutes and I charged $275. Yes considering this took me less than an hour and a half, some people would get upset. Some of my customers questions the cost vs. the time it took me to repair a dent. I have to remind them politely that a dent repair like this really didn't take me an hour and half. It really took me 19 years. The truth is, would you rather have someone know what they are doing who is experienced and can do a repair in a timely manor or have a person who does not know what they are doing and take all day without the same outcome? I don't charge by the hour, instead, I charge in regards to the experience it will take me to remove the dent.

Sharp Body Line Dent Subaru STI

When it comes to paintless dent repair across a body line, prepare for a long and hard fight, a lot of patience and hopefully a good outcome.

This pdr repair took about 3 hours to remove and I charged $375. A lot less than a body shop and a lot more convenient too.

Unfortunately most consumers don't realize the involvement it takes and skill to actually have a paintless dent repair turn out so well. As many times I stated before, pdr is not like buying a gallon of milk at the store. A consumer needs to really do their homework before just choosing any pdr company to do their work. Of coarse one of the biggest mistakes consumers do when choosing a pdr company is they look for the cheapest price. BIG MISTAKE. Would you look for the cheapest doctor to work on your health? PDR techs are also like doctors. Some are average, some are bad and some are very, very good. It's all about consistency. An experienced pdr tech performs excepetional work constantly while new pdr techs or impatient pdr tecs hurry themselves and can't perform a clean repair.

Body lines are all about tapping down in the right crown zones and using the right tools with tips to push. I always try to stay eye level when I am working a dent and especially when recreating a body line. Switching sides often and cross checking keeps my dent repair balanced and even so in the end I have an exceptional outcome.

Below you see the photos of the before an after.

ML PDR Dent Repair part 2

Dent turned out well. Panel was painted before which made the repair more challenging by knocking down. Had to use thick rubber tap down tips to prevent tap down pits into the paint.

Location:Jacob Dekema Fwy,San Diego,United States

Mercedes ML aluminium Dent Repair

Well if any of you been lucky enough to work on a modern aluminum vehicle, then you know by now they are not easy to work on. This dent happens to be a crease.


I am going to use a sharp tool to push most of it out but keep the tip protected.





- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:San Diego

Bentley Deep Dent PDR Successful

Well just finished the Bentley. Came out great and was dented



right behind a brace. Lucky I was able to get decent leverage.



So on to another cool place called Only Yesterday. I will post some cool vehicles from there. I know the photo wasn't all that great but I was in a hurry to get the next job and didn't give myself a lot of time for sharing.

Removing Bentely Panels (pain in butt)

Removing a panel and glass from a Bentley takes a lot of skill and patience. As you see here, lots of involvement. So be prepared for a long day if you plan to pull a panel from a Bentley. I'm getting ready to remove a deep dent on the door (while I am waiting) The glass is just way too fragile to go down the door. I have already broken two windows before and with my years if experience and stubborn ego, I learned the hard way. So I am passing on my trial and errors to you guys. Don't think about trying to go down a door without pulling the panel.

I will post the progress as I go on.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Crease Dent Repair - Ride Along Video (Episode 2) Learning Paintless Ding Removal

What's up everyone, I just had a chance to edit this video for the Ride a Long (Episode 2). It's about a nice little crease that was hit on the front fender of a Yukon.

I am going to be featuring this repair in depth on a new dvd called "Glue Pull Practicals" that explains the glue system I chose to use, what tool tips I use and why and how and where to knock down. This repair took about 2 1/2 hours to remove with very little evidence the crease dent was ever there.

With paintless dent repair / removal, creases are considered one of the most challenging and hardest to master. Your pushes have to be so accurate that if you miss, expect to see a up and down zipper effect. Basically skip marks in the panel. Crease need lots of time to master and patience. There is no fast way to learn. It's all about technique, patience and the tools. Once performed about a thousand times, you start to get a little faster. No matter how good you become, speed won't matter to you.. the quality of the repair will.

So I hope you like and please comment. Thank you.

-Myke Toledo

Deep Paintles Dent Repair Training / New Training Articles

Hey everyone, I had a similar article up before about deep ding repairs but I wrote an article more in depth about my past trainee and his progress. I also spoke about more candid truth to paintless dent repair training. If you happen to be interested in paintless dent repair / removal training then this article will be for you. So check it out and hope you like it.

Learning paintless dent removal correctly not only involves time but a lot of patience. This article is about a trainee I trained early last year along with his partner Alex which I will talk about later in another article. This video you are about to watch or already did, is about a very complex deep ding / dent. When I teach someone how to learn the art of paintless dent removal, it's not about just pushing and tapping. There is a big philosophy to it and an important procedure.

Besides the philosophy and procedure (technique), there are the tools. Tools are a third of the solution or the problem for many who can't figure out how to finish. Understanding the capabilities of what your tools can really do, help you become a much better and efficient paintless dent repair technician. As you see in this video (continued article from link below), Fotis understands the the pdr technique, is patient and comprehends his tool usage well. With the combination of all three techniques being put to use, the results are amazing. Please keep in mind, Fotis in this video has had no prior experience or practiced before hand.

Please click on this link here to read the rest of this article and video. 

Networking with PDR Star in St. Louis, Missouri / Hail Damage Paintless Dent Repair / Removal

I recently been talking to Eric Hummel from PDR Star and am proudly taking on a project to help his company grow on the web community. Not only is it good for his web presence but a way to network with other paintless dent repair / removal - hail damage repair companies.

Networking is the future with paintless dent repair companies and always has been for any other type of business. Unfortunately most pdr companies are afraid to network with other companies because of multiple reasons. One of the strongest reasons I believe pdr techs don't network is because of an insecurity reason. Another common one is that they have an ego thinking they are too good to be associated with other pdr companies and they will never need them. Truth is, the bigger the paintless industry gets, the more you know, the more you grow. So if you find yourself locked in a cave and think you know it all.. that's when you get passed right up.

Ever wonder how such young experienced pdr techs are getting so much better so much faster? One big reason is because of all the information on the web. Oh and they are more likely to ask questions, try new things and network. These are very strong characteristics of any person in any business that wants to continue to grow and become better. That's why I credit my own success because I am always willing to learn from others no matter what their experience or background is.

PDR Star is a veteran hail repair company who not only wants to build a bigger web presence but associate themselves with as many credible pdr techs as possible. A simple example would be if you were in a dealership and all of a sudden your dealer gets hit with hail. What do you do? Who do you know? You don't just want some hacker hail company or broker coming in town and taking over most of your work because you don't any additional help or a back up plan? This is called the power of networking. It works both ways and one day, you'll need to use that ace you have in the back of your pocket.


So my long point is.. Don't let your ego or fear get in the way of growing your company. As long as you are willing to try new things and learn.. you'll come across new opportunities that benefit you far beyond what you thought possible.

I will post some of the progress I will be doing as well so stay tuned for updates with PDR Star. You can also visit their website at PDRStar.com or contact Eric direct at 1-888-85-DENTS