A Complete Guide to Starting a Paintless Dent Repair Business

By Randy Lockdall

A Complete Guide to Starting Your Own Paintless Dent Repair Business
Paintless dent repair or removal (PDR) is an advancing art of removing dents, dings, hail damage, even large dents from automobiles, SUVs, trucks, motorcycles, and appliances. Occasionally, an individual will be able to pop out or remove 80 percent of a very large dent; however, a real PDR technician will not be satisfied until the dent is removed as close to 100 percent as possible. This process of removing the small dents, crease dents, and large dents while saving the finish is called paintless dent removal.
The second edition of this book will help the reader learn more about paintless dent repair, the newest innovations and trends, tips to help you learn the craft and how to avoid the pitfalls of the business. Its part of a plan for you, a friend, or a family member to start a PDR business. Whether youre a body shop owner, car dealer, detailer, or a novice wanting to know more about the business of PDR, this book will help guide the way. Along with new ideas and new products, you will read about how to connect with people who are making their mark in the industry.
This book is an investment that will help you make good choices and avoid many of the pitfalls of operating and owning a paintless dent removal business.
You will learn:
the basic process, including how to see your tool behind the metal;
how to get the best technical tools at the lowest cost;
how to get the new business and learn the trade on the job;
how to learn the tricks and disperse the myths;
how to develop a business plan for yourself for long-term profitability; and
how to travel worldwide and make a good money in the process.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Mar 30, 2016
• ISBN: 9781504982078

Randy Lockdall

Randall Lockdall has been doing paintless dent removal for over twenty years and has personally worked on over twenty thousand vehicles. A paintless dent removal master craftsmen, a veteran with an MBA who is interested in helping others succeed in this growing craft, Randy is married and has two sons.

Book preview

A COMPLETE GUIDE TO

STARTING A

PAINTLESS DENT REPAIR

BUSINESS

Randy Lockdall

AuthorHouse™

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.authorhouse.com

Phone: [phone]

©

2016 Randy Lockdall. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,

or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 03/29/2016

ISBN: 978-1-5049-8206-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5049-8207-8 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016904884

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

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PAINTLESS DENT REPAIR

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction

Overview

Paintless Dent Repair Basics

The Visual Process

Lighting

Tools

Getting the Right Tools

Glue Pullers and Systems

Motorcycles

The Process

Crease Dents

The Most Common Ding

The Perfect Storm

Things to Remember

Concluding Remarks

Business Plan

FOREWORD

Since my last book was published over five years ago, there has been an explosion of new products and information that is now available for prospective PDR techs. The learning curve has made a steep incline that in years past required technicians to go to another country, poach other techs at a Hailstorm, or get tied up in contracts that ultimately made life as a PDR tech more difficult. While training, standards and accreditations in the industry are still being developed and debated the task at hand; the ability to remove dents from cars, trucks, vans and sports utility vehicles has made the business ever more relevant with endless possibilities.

INTRODUCTION

Growing up in Northern Indiana and being employed in the Insurance industry for many years, I was very familiar with body shops and conventional body work. The processes and methods of bodywork had been of little interest to me at that time, as I cared mostly about the costs for insurance premiums and accidents. A friend called me in regards to a piece of real estate, and as the conversation shifted towards the subject of the Art of Paintless Dent Repair (PDR) came up. He was building a company and needed someone to replace a PDR technician who had received all the training, but decided to leave and go out on his own, taking much of his PDR route business with him. For the next three and a half years, I patiently worked and improved my skills, hoping my employer would be able to keep his promises and rid himself of his employee-turned-competitor. This was never to happen, but my path had been changed forever, and I found myself in the battle for market share in this new type of body work called Paintless Dent Repair.

For the last twenty-one years, I have been self-employed removing minor dents and dings from automobiles primarily in the Indianapolis area. However, the business has taken me as far away as Australia, and allowed me to meet technicians from the U.S., Canada, and all over Europe.

What I have learned through experience and research is that almost anyone can learn the art of Paintless Dent Removal. Paintless Dent Repair is a trade with varying degrees of skill, and that putting together a PDR business requires knowledge and determination about the world of automobiles, marketing, and sales. Unique opportunities exist with large and small PDR companies, as well as for individual technicians who want to be sole proprietors. Interestingly, even technicians who have chosen other venues for their primary occupation have continued to add considerable value to the value to the Art of Paintless Dent Repair. Whether they become teachers, inventors, estimators, speakers, or take on other types of auto repair, they want to stay relevant and continue to pursue the business of PDR as a financially prosperous venue.

This book is intended to give insight into The Art of Paintless Dent Repair to those PDR technicians and companies who want to improve their business, or those individuals who are considering it as part of a new career. Relying on survey’s, interviews with experienced technicians in the field, as well as my own personal experiences and research, I write this book to give an insight into the Art of Paintless Dent Removal. If work is not documented, it comes from my personal experience. I hope this book will guide you in your effort to learn more about this ever-changing field.

Why you should read this book first

Paintless Dent Repair is a process that requires a variety of tools, as well as technical skills, physical skills and marketing skills. In the present day there are numerous vendors, businesses, entrepreneurs and individuals who see the value of the skill and that there is money to be made from rendering services for it. It’s quite possible to spend thousands and thousands of dollars without ever really breaking into the business. This book is not as much of a How to as it is an introduction for the novice individual, body shop or student making a career change who may be considering getting into Paintless Dent Repair. The primary objective for most people will be to find a career they enjoy and to receive adequate compensation. My intentions are not to overstate the financial success, but to give insight into the Art and to prepare to make good decisions, avoid mistakes, and become a confident, talented Paintless Dent Technician, or PDR business owner for years to come.

OVERVIEW

A successful Paintless Dent Removal business person endeavors to master all the aspects of the trade. These aspects include:

Technical Theory – The process of removing dents without damaging the paint.

Technical Tools – The tools, innovations and other equipment that work best to maximize profits

Business Theory – How to profit from services performed

Technical Techniques – How do you use the tools effectively and efficiently?

Business Process and Plan – From how do you land a customer, to how you should price your work and how to you present a business plan to get financing.

The book addresses several of the above aspects, although not always in this order. As they are all interrelated certain issues are addressed repeatedly, from different angles and at the same time.

It is as properly an art as painting, navigation, or architecture. If a man would become a painter, navigator, or architect, it is not enough that he is advised to be one, that he is convinced by the arguments of his advisor that it would be for his advantage to be one, and that he resolves to be one; but he must also be taught the principles of the art, be shewn all the methods of working, and how to acquire the habits of using properly all the instruments. And thus regularly and gradually he arrives by practice at some perfection in the art.

Ben Franklin "Art of Virtue"

PAINTLESS DENT REPAIR BASICS

There are many tools available from numerous suppliers to perform Paintless Dent Removal. The visual process necessary to accomplish it is the same for all PDR technicians. In years past, most PDR techs used a two bulb system, while others use only one. In recent years most technicians use LED lights that have been specifically manufactured for Paintless Dent Repair. A few technicians may seldom use lights, but choose to work with reflection boards. Nonetheless the technician is using the reflected light as a point of reference.

Note the picture below: of the beam of light from a fluorescent tube light going across a hood.

Pic%20%231%20Beam%20of%20light%20from%20flourescent.tif

Note the picture below: of the beam of light from an LED light.

Pic%20%232%20beam%20of%20light%20across%20hood%20from%20led%20light.tif

The hood or roof with no dent shows the reflected bulb as a straight line. The hood with a dent shows the beam of light skewed to the shape of the dent. The process is simple enough, which is to bring the reflected light with the shape of a dent back to the natural shape of the light, of a reflected light as a straight line across a hood with no dents or imperfections. Note the tap down, or pecker and the panel remover tool in the picture. It is common for a PDR technician to keep a tap down, knockdown hammer, or blending hammer with them at all times while working dents from vehicles. There are a number of available blending hammers (many available will be presented later) which most technicians will find it necessary try out before making one a personal staple.

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Choosing your first light is an important decision. If you are limited by your budget and do not want to immediately purchase specialty lights for hail you may purchase a small portable light for mobility, then it is best to purchase an everyday multipurpose light that is durable, yet allows you to be the most productive for most any kind of dent removal situation you encounter. A 36 inch LED, curved light or a fluorescent with fade background and a mobile stand, can provide a light that will work reasonably well. Typically, one fluorescent soft bulb light with a stand will run $350-500, while a three strip LED with stand would run $700 to $1000. New lights come out every year with new features and improvements, but the basic concepts stay the same. If you want to spend less to begin practicing and performing PDR then use a portable light with suction cup or even a line board. However, I find that some newly trained technicians, who pay five to fifteen thousand dollars for training, might start out with a light that is inadequate and really limits their ability to perform the required tasks as quickly and easily as techs who have better lighting systems.

New portable