If youve had hail storms in your area you already understand what PDR is and how insurers favor this method over regular body shop repairs. Most insurance Companies have PDR trained technicians and use specialized software to determine the damage and to get repairs done. They even have a multitude of PDR companies that follow insurers disaster divisions across the country to perform the service.
So why sublet this out when your company could easily benefit from it yourself?
The PDR concept being able to damage has been in our industry since the beginning. The twist, of course, is that theres no grinding of filling allowed. Many say this concept came to the United States 50 years ago; some say 20 years ago. But it wasnt until the early to 1980s that the craze started hitting the trade show routes. Many of us watched with the disbelief and then amazement as trainers demonstrated the methods and equipment of the trade. But few of us took them seriously because, Why worry, most of us have a lot to do.
Many one person companies sprung to specialize in PDR at dealerships and used car lots, and billboards began to surface to market directly to customers. But most of us were still too busy to care. Now, many multi-line service companies and franchises have solidified their positions in the marketplace. And they can provide these services to new car lots, body repair shops, insurers and customers as quickly and as conveniently as any of us can.
To give us a better understanding of PDR, most of us first should dispel some of the myths surrounding the service:
The first misconception is the key is the specialized hand equipment you purchase. The fact is it takes not only the proper equipment, but the knowledge of the proper methods, patience and a great amount of practice to be productive.
While the equipment are a vital part of the system, many body Paintless Dent Repair technicians dont possess the patience and/or finesse necessary to master PDR methods, and the equipment cant compensate for that. But for those who do have the patience and finesse the equipment go hand in hand with them.
The specialized PDR hand equipment is an evolutionary product of the body picks our industry used many years ago. Many young Paintless Dent Repair technicians would not even be aware of this ancient equipment unless they asked someone what they were because, today, most of them are being used incorrect as pry bars or drift chisels.
So what makes these equipment so specialized? PDR tool sets have defined application built into them. They have unique shapes diameters and lengths, and the tool sets are generally color coded to assist the Paintless Dent Repair technician in identifying the proper tool for the application. Besides starter sets for normal usage, there are specialized sets of plastic-tipped equipment that allow for added force to be applied (larger surface area) while diminishing the risk of splitting the paint and causing a tool mark. This plastic tipped equipment also prevents the scratching of the protective E-Coat on the back of the panel. And this equipment is only the beginning. Special sets for specialized applications are available to do what most though impossible. But all quality PDR equipment are made of high strength hardened steels with specialized handles for ease of use.
Paul Fountain is a certified Paintless Dent Technician and a web advisor for PDQTools.com. PDQ Tools.com 2007
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