What is PDR (Paintless Dent Repair)

PDR, also known as Paintless Dent Removal or Paintless Dent Repair is the process of removing small dents, door dings and creases from the body of a vehicle. The process involves using specialized tools to slowly massage and flex metal back into it's original shape and form from behind the dent. Many PDR pros call it an art... And I agree with them that it is an art. It's a simple process but it can take years to master!

There are many benefits to using PDR over a conventional body shop. I'll detail a few of them here...

1. First, PDR is much cheaper than what body shops charge for dent removal. In fact, in most cases it's far less than half what would be paid at a body shop. The cost savings alone is worth looking into PDR before taking a car to a conventional body shop. 
2. Second, and probably more importantly, PDR protects the resale value of a vehicle by maintaining the integrity of the original paint finish. After market paint jobs are easy to spot and can greatly reduce the trade in value of a car. But with PDR there is no need for paint or fillers! That's why it's called "paintless" dent repair. 
3. Third, without the need for toxic paint and chemicals being used makes the process better for the environment.

Now, the specialized tools for dent repair are inexpensive and you can purchase them from a number of places like AutoZone. But as mentioned, the paintless dent repair process is a bit tricky and an inexperienced person can easily damage the paint by trying to remove a dent without the knowledge and experience that professional PDR technicians have.

This blog is going to document my attempts to learn the art of PDR. I have a few old beat up cars that I'll be practicing on and I'll share my experience here. I'll post lots of videos and photos for the experts to critique. This should be fun for me and amusing for others too. So stay tuned...