Who doesn’t like to talk about dents? Ok so maybe not everyone does but we sure do. We were featured on a live dent related live show last night on Youtube and Facebook. Here we talk with Ryan Shutt at RPS Dent Specialist
About The Show
Ryan, the host, has over 19 years in the paintless dent repair industry and has been hosting the Dent Digest show every Thursday live on Facebook and Youtube. We were invited on by Ryan to chat about our Dent Repair Industry. We discussed some newer tools, did a tool giveaway to those that participated in last weeks show suggestions. We also discussed some of our favorite or game changing tools. Our technician Jack Bucknell was on and mentioned some of his favorite tools where his Daniel Gromm 144 blending hammerwith theEndeavorCrown Jewel tips. This hammer also features theEdgy ToolsD-Cup Knockers tip. Jack then went to show his second tool would be his scan tool. He was showcasing the Autel MS906ts Scan tool. With this tool he is able to be compliant and follow the vehicle manufactures required scans that need to be performed on today’s vehicles. This is often an overlooked part of the paintless dent repair industry. Finishing off Jack’s selection for his tools was his camera. Shown is the Canon EOS R with the Canon RF 15-35mm L USM Lens. If you follow him or Sioux Falls Dent Repair on social media you will always see some type of new video and photo related content. Most of the newer videos will be released on the new camera and any live videos are shot on the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 plus.
Thanks again to Ryan for having us on his show we really appreciate the invite and it was really fun and packed full of info!
Be sure to follow us on all the social media platforms:
Back again for another paintless dent repair and here we are going to show you some of our big dent removal techniques on this Dodge Challenger Scat Pack edition. This vehicle was brought to us with some tree limb damage. Yes that is right, a tree company was unfortunately cutting down some tree branches above this car and during the process they fell all over this vehicle. This caused damage all over including the hood, fender, roof, roof rails, trunk lid but today we are focusing on just the quarter panel damage.
What Tools Did We Use?
We started off these repairs by gaining access to the backside by removing the interior trim panels in the trunk. From there we remove the tail light and work through the wiring access hole for the tail light. The first tool we used was actually an Ultra Dent Tools double bend tool with an interchangeable tip and extension. We start off a repair like this with a bigger ball style tip. From there we slowly downsize the tip size to get more precision pushes. Towards the end of the repair the damage actually started to slightly oil can, shown in the video. The panel is very flimsy and movable with just minor pushes with our fingers. We knew we had to tighten the metal up so we started by using some electronic tools.
Electronic Dent Removal?
In this repair towards the end of the repair like stated prior we had to resort to using some electronic style tools for this repair. What we are using is the steel hotbox machine from Betatag. This tool uses electromagnetic heat induction to heat up the panel. We heat up the panel with this tool to a safe temperature that will NOT damage the paint finish. From there we then spray the area with a cold spray. This method of quickly heating the metal and quickly cooling the panel is nothing new to metal workers. What this does is tighten up the molecules in the metal making it shrink. This shrinking action tightens up the metal so it does not remain flexible after the finished repair. Say for instance we DID NOT do this, the panel make at some time be pushed in from say someone leaning on the vehicle or a high pressure car wash for instance. More than likely with this minor stretched metal it will not stick inwords looking like a dent but it could happen so we must take special precautions to prevent this.
Finishing it up
In the end we were able to remove not only this damage but damage all over the vehicle from the tree limbs. We use only the paintless dent repair method for our repairs and no painting, body fillers or primers were used in these repairs. Be sure to Subscribe to our Youtube channel to see other repairs we performed on this vehicle coming soon.
We often get asked “What Kind of Dents Can Be Fixed?” Not every dent is the same and there are many variables when determining what can and cannot be fixed. Even down to each person may have their own standard for a repair.
Shallow Dents
These are typically the easiest to repair assuming we can get a tool to the backside to push the damage out. Even shallow dents in certain metals, lets say aluminum, high strength steel or stainless steel though create extra difficulties. Because these metals are stronger even though they may be physically thinner does not mean they are easy to remove dents from. Stronger metals make even a shallow impact point difficult to remove. This is especially true when we cannot push the damage out and have to use the glue pulling method.
A perfect example for this is kitchen appliances or washer and dryers. Most of todays appliances and the current trend is stainless steel. We have attempted to make repairs on these items and more often then not are NOT able to repair the damage to our satisfaction. That does not mean the customer is not extremely happy with the repair however. If a person can have a dent removed lets say 80 t o 90% that is fantastic for them. The reason being is their alternative for a repair might even be as extreme as replacing the appliance!
Deep Dents
There are many degrees of deep dents. What someone may consider deep we might consider not repairable. We even have a tool called a Dent Depth Gauge from Black Plague PDR to help measure the depth of dents to better estimate damage and know for sure prior to the repair how the damage will turn out. For our pricing structure we are talk tenths of millimeters for depth.
Our pricing guide prices out depths as so:
Shallow Depth <.25mm
Medium Depth: .26-.75mm
Deep Depth: .76+mm
We have repaired dents into the 2mm deep range, but also struggled repairing dents in the 1.0mm range. This is where access to the backside is extremely important. Not only for a dent repair tool but also specialized metal shrinking tools as well.
Here is our dent depth gauge being used to measure the depth of a dent (2mm+)
Glue Pull Dent Repair
When we cannot push damage out with a traditional tool we have to resort to the glue pulling method for repairs. Here we use specialized hot metal adhesives to glue a glue tab to the vehicles paint finish. Don’t worry this entire process is designed specifically for this and will not harm the vehicles factory finish. From there we let the glue try sometimes for only a few seconds. We then use specialized glue pulling devices to pull the damage out. From there we use a release agent to release the glue from the vehicle and it peels right off.
Traditional Methods
The best choice for us to repair dents is to be able to glue pull AND push damage out with a traditional tools. Even extreme damage we may start using the glue pull method to pull a bunch of the damage out. Once the damage has been pulled out we then can go in with a tool and do the final details to finish up a dent repair.
We always tell people 80% of the repair is ONLY 20% of the work. The last 20% of the repair IS 80% of the work. This is why you might see others do repairs and they look not quite finished, or much “better”. Say for instance you have a repair that takes a technician 4-5 hours. It might only take him a hour or so to “rough” the damage out or get it to 80%. The biggest battle is getting the minor waves, wiggles, low and high spots all flat.
Do you have questions about our dent removal process?
The 2020 Dent Olympics Training is the first seminar of its kind, this event was hosted by DentRepair.com
This is a Yearly Dent Repair Competition. It has been going on since the early 2000’s and is held yearly at the Mobile Tech Expo (MTE) and for the past few years has been in Orlando Florida sometime in January.
This event featured world know technician Žan Vidic. He has won multiple awards for multiple past competitions. He even went on to win not only the 2020 Dent Olympics but also the first ever Dent Olympics Tag Team event! What an honor it was to be taught by one of the best technicians in the world! Dave Streen was also presenting to give his theories for the repair, Dave is a 20 year technician and has worked all over the world repairing vehicles with Paintless Dent Repair. He also owns Edgytools.com
Both Žan and Dave competed in the IASRE Dent Repair Competition in Japan in 2019, we plan to attend this event with both of these technicians in 2020! JAPAN HERE WE COME!
The Training
This event started off with some class room discussion and theories. This was very basic and to get your head in the right mindset.
Time To Go To Work
We then started with a dent in this vehicle and had to repair it “our way” in 45 minutes with no help just like in the competition. This set a baseline for the technician to see where they were at and how they could improve.
We were then assessed on our damage repair. From there we had a round table type of discussion on everything about our specific repairs. Every technicians repair was evaluated. Everyone in the room learned something from everyone’s repair. It was a fantastic and very eye opening experience for everyone, INCLUDING the trainers!
After everyone was evaluated it was time to see Zan himself go to work. We all discussed about the process and watched a live dent repair done by the multiple championship winner himself! Everyone was mind blown at not only how fast he is but also his technique. I know everyone learned something by watching him work his methods!
Paintless Dent Removal- Dent Olympics Training
Round 2 FIGHT!
With this new knowledge we then all repaired one of the same dents again. This time we were put on the opposite side of the vehicle, just to change things up. The results were astonishing, the speed, precision, and final results speak for themselves. Now armed with this new knowledge, a different selection of tools used the results were amazing! We couldn’t believe the difference this class made to our repair styles and techniques.
Paintless Dent Repair – Dent Olympics Training
Sioux Falls Dent Repair – Training
Paintless Dent Removal- Dent Olympics Training
Sioux Falls Dent Repair – Training
Dent Repair – Sioux Falls Dent Repair
If you are a serious technician about Paintless Dent Repair, we would STRONGLY recommend you attend next years seminar.
You will not only learn a ton of new knowledge but you will also get to put those new skills and knowledge to the test INSTANTLY!
A huge thanks to DentRepair.com, Dave Streen and Zan Vidic for putting this seminar on! Also to Kevin Andrews for his additional help and training during the seminar.
Also a big thanks goes out to the TDN Group and Inventure Tools for letting us train at their facility!
Will my dented area rust after paintless dent repairs are performed?
We have been asked this question multiple times from customers of ours. First off, does the damaged area have any paint damage, broken paint, a scratch of some kinda or cracked paint? If the answer is NO to those questions that’s great news! That means your damage is a perfect candidate for Paintless Dent Repair and your damage will not have any paint issues and no rust issues down the road.
What if my damaged area DOES have some paint damage?
One thing to clear up is often damaged areas may have minor paint damage, anything from a smaller light scuff to maybe even cracked or a chip in the paint. Now the dented areas can often still be repaired and smoothed out BUT the paint damage may remain if its severe.
Can you fix my paint damage?
Depending on the severity of the damage, YES. If your paint damage consists of a minor scuff or scrape we will wet sand, buff and polish the area to remove the paint damage. This paint damage will not be noticable at all after our repairs are done and the paint will look as if nothing ever happend.
What if I have a crack, chip or deep scratch in my paint?
We can do things like apply some touch up paint to the paint damaged areas or do some wet standing, buffing and polishing to removed scuffs and scrapes, but if the paint damage can not be removed with buffing. The paint damage WILL remain. Some people are ok with having us do touch up paint, others are not, that is strictly up to you, the customer. Everyone’s needs are different for each repair and we are willing to work with you on your needs. The best way to describe how touch up paint will look after applied is it will look like a black button up shirt WITH a black button. The button(paint damage) will be visible, you will be able to see it to a certain degree and really looking for it. You yourself, know EXACTLY where it is, others like friends, family members or the general public may not pick out the damage unless it is specifically pointed out. This is the best case scenario, touch up paint is often best suited for solid colors, black and white being the best. Colors with a high metallic paint, pearl colors and specialized colors may not look the best when touch up paint is applied. We would be happy to discuss all of these items, your needs and our personal suggestions for your situation. We have even suggestion people with severe paint damage that we are NOT the best course of action for their damage, we can then happily get you fixed up with a recommended body shop in the area
Want to see what a repair looks like when the paint IS DAMAGED? Here is an example of a repair we did on a vehicle that had a minor crack in the paint prior to our repairs: CLICK HERE
What is corrosion protection?
Often times people do not know that there has to be some kind of protection sprayed onto the backside of there dented area after we repair it. If we have to use any types of dent repair tools we are taking sometimes sharp metal tipped tools and pushing on the backside of the dented area. This pushing can cause small scratches in the coatings on the back side of your damaged area. Now these are very minimal but something needs to be done to protect this area. After a repair is made with dent tools we apply a corrosion protection spray like a 3m Cavity Wax spray. This is a very runny liquid that will run into all of the areas it is sprayed in. This spray stays soft and gooey like honey for instance. This spray will not harden and crack like some other products on the market. Now with glue pulling for example no harm is caused to the backside of the panel because we are gluing glue tabs to the OUTSIDE of the panel and pulling the damage out, no pushing on the dent is done so there is no need for the application of cavity wax.
Here is a video of us explaining the use of 3M Cavity Wax spray when performing dent repairs.
Hopefully this clears up any questions you may have had about rust and paintless dent repair.
If you are still curious about the paintless dent repair process or maybe you have some more questions on our methods of preventing rusting, feel free to call, text or email us!
