We had a chance to chat with Gene Fetty with KECO Body Repair Products and learn about one of their newest products at the 2019 Mobile Tech Expo in Las Vegas!
This is called The Ergo Power Grip. This tool simply attaches to your adjustable handle tools and allows you to multiply your pushing power.
You can use it with a twisting motion, often used when repairing door dents and dings. The handle is completely adjustable allowing you to use it in many configurations.
You can also use to push from the sides of vehicles, this would be very common in panels such as the quarter panels or fenders in certain angles. You can even use it to multiply your pushing power through a wiring harness hole like shown in the video with Crystal at Push Metal Gear.
Also when repairing flat panels, say a hood for instance you can instantly multiply your pushing force. This puts less stress on your body and allows you to make even more precise pushes more comfortably.
We had a chance to talk with Dave Streen with Edgy Tools at the Mobile Tech Expo. We talk about some of his latest tools and how to go about using them.
If you have not seen or used these before they are all must haves for any professional dent repair technician.
First off he highlights his revolutionary No Roll Knockdown. Like the name suggests, it won’t roll. You can simply lay it on any surface and unlike other traditional knockdowns it will not roll away. Lay it on a hood, roof, any top panel, even on glass and it will not roll away. Combine that with essentially 4 KNOCKDOWNS IN ONE! Each tip starts off as a polished metal tip on each end. Follow this up by installing his caps on them and you can customize your tips to your liking. Do you want to switch your style of knockdown? Simply remove the cap and install another style cap or leave the mirror polished tip. Simple, fast and effective.
For Knockdown tips his most popular is the Pirate Peg Leg. This is one of our personal favorites we even picked up an extra tip to have around the shop just in case. This tip has been featured in multiple dent competitions and even resulting with this tool helping techs WIN these world recognized competitions. Shortly after this interview the technician who was mentioned took home the 2nd place trophy for the first ever PDR Dent Trials.
Next Dave discuses with us his blending hammer head style tips. The Polished Knob and The Knockers blending hammer tips. I have no idea the kind of witch craft that went specifically into The Knockers tip but it is revolutionary and was heavily talked about by all of the top guys at the 2019 PDR College Advanced Skills Seminar. Not only does Dave love this tips but so do his techs!
The newest thing to be highlighted by Edgy Tools was the release of their very own glue tabs. These glue tabs may look like many others but just like golf balls, they all look the same but all perform different. Be sure to try these new tabs out!
The finger ding ring was the next to be talked about. No longer are you chasing around your knockdown because its always on your finger. This is specifically highlighted as being great when working on box sides of trucks. You’re laying on the ground working away and no longer are you having to shift and get out of your position to find your knockdown on the ground, its simply on your finger ready to go.
Next he highlights his tire tower. This is the Tool you didn’t know you needed! If you have been doing dent repair for any amount of time there always comes a point in time where you decide to use your hand as a leverage point and not only that but you specifically pry off of your hand with it resting between your tool and a tire. This is quick to get you a very mediocre push and put extreme stress on not only your hand but also create issues with your tool not having a solid point to leverage off of.
You no longer need to do this, with the invention of the revolutionary tire tower and its newly released handle created by Danial Gromm (The motorcycle PDR King) your hand and body will rest easy knowing you are getting a better push on dents without any stress on your body, after all your hands are your key to doing paintless dent repair, why would you jeopardize their health with poor pushing also resulting in a poor repair.
For more information on any of these tools and many more tools sold by Edgy Tools visit their website: https://www.edgytools.com
The 2019 Jeep Wrangler features some big changes from the existing models.
First off it has for the first time ever has aluminum doors, a plastic cowl, aluminum windshield post and aluminum hood. Now while these may not seem like big issues for the new Jeep Wrangler but it does create new challenges.
The added use of multiple aluminum panels makes repairing dents much more difficult. Many folks think that aluminum is very weak and easily dented. This is probably from the common thought of a pop or soda can being so easy to simply squeeze and crush. The aluminum on vehicles is much thicker and ranges in strengths. A study done by NAPDRT, short for the National Association of Paintless Dent Repair Technicians and multiple Insurance Companies found that aluminum easily takes double the amount of force to dent as appose to traditional Mild Steel. Repairing the same damage takes over twice as much force as well as a different selection of tools to push specifically on aluminum.
JEEP Wrangler Hail Damage
The plastic cowl is the biggest noted change. These vehicles specifically use to suffer from a very notorious “Jeep” dent. See an example of a Jeep Cowl Dent we repaired: CLICK HERE
With this panel now being plastic they will no longer be dented like the previous models!
The Jeep Wrangler challenges to dent repair technicians is nothing new, these types of metal changes and moving to plastic will only continue. With standards in the automotive industry raising the bar in safety as well as fuel efficiency, aluminum and plastic will only continue to grow in its usage in the automotive industry.
What is the Jeep Cowl Dent and what causes it to be so common?
It’s common to see a Jeep Wrangler driving around with the doors off. We get it, it’s a freeing feeling in the hot summer weather and would be a blast to experience. The problem is when the doors go to be reinstalled. The door opening limiting strap would not get reconnected when people would reinstall the doors. This strap prevents the door from opening up too far.
The door would then be opened and swing TOO far open and door mirror would be pushed into the cowl panel. This caused the notorious Jeep dent in their cowl panels.
See a Jeep cowl dent we repaired here:
If you unfortunately forget the limiting strap and happen to have this type of dent give us a call to give you a free damage assessment!
There are many types of hybrid and electrical vehicles on the road today. Here we will walk you through the different types of vehicles and what makes the different.
Why is it important to know about these systems and what makes up these systems? Be sure to check out our page here about the safety procedures and training we have gone though to be IMI Level 2 Certified to power down these systems. Learn More Here!
Types of Electric Vehicles
Extended Range Electric Vehicle (EREV)
These vehicles have a smaller style internal combustion engine and an electrical generator. Unlike a hybrid where the small engine works to move the vehicle, on this type of vehicle the small internal combustion engine is used just to provide electricity to the generator and is NOT used to move the vehicle in any way.
This is the most common of electric vehicle. They have not only a gas engine but also an electric motor. These are the types of vehicles that “shut off” when stopped then quickly start back up when taking off, these style hybrids are called “micro-hybrids.”
These types of vehicles get their batteries charged from an external source like an outlet at your home or work.
They are similar to conventional hybrids in that they have both an internal combustion engine and an electric motor. What sets these vehicles apart from a hybrid though is unlike conventional hybrids, PHEVs can substitute electricity from the grid for gasoline. This allows them to not need any gasoline to run.
It’s no doubt today that we are seeing more electric and hybrid vehicles on the road today and they are in need of dent repairs. These vehicles will continue to gain popularity and will continue to become more efficient. They will continue to extend your driving experience while using less fuel and some being full electric requiring NO fuel!
When doing paintless dent repair on these types of vehicles, there are more safety precautions that need to be taken. These vehicles have High Voltage DC Power systems running through them which can be of great danger if not handled safely.
How Do You Work With These Systems?
When working on these electric vehicles you need to know where the high voltage systems are located. We have access to programs that layout these systems and locations on vehicles. Something as simple as a dent in a fender, in the past, was as simple as gaining access through the fender liner or in through the engine bay.
Now there can be High Voltage cables running through even a fender and also in the engine bay. These components need to be identified and at times these high voltage systems need to be disabled to perform repairs.
We here at Sioux Falls Dent Repair have taken advanced courses on these types of systems AND have the proper safety equipment to properly work on and power down these High Voltage Systems.
We are the ONLY shop in the state of South Dakota that is certified by the IMI for Hybrid and Electric Vehicle Level 2 Power Down Procedures.
Dealing with these systems is about safety. The safety of the technician, the safety for you, the vehicle owner and your family. Also for the safety of the vehicle itself and any anyone else that comes into contact with the vehicle.
These High Voltage systems can cause serious injury or death if not handled with the proper precautions. Don’t trust just anyone to repair your vehicle, be sure to make sure anyone that works on your vehicle equipped with any of these systems has the proper knowledge to do so.
If you have any questions on any of these systems or have damage in your own vehicle give us a call today!
