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.