So, do they basically get a tool under the metal (by drilling a hole or one already there) and then push/hammer the dent out? How exactly do they push the dent out (do their tools have a slide hammer device)?

I ask because I now have a dent due to a large rock in the front of the hood. Luckily, I can access the underside of the dent through a hole under the hood and was wondering how I could go about repairing this myself...

FS

 

research the PDR method.... that should work well in your case.

G'luck

 

Well, was hoping to be able to do it myself... I was curious of how they actually do it and with what tools. I will try to google some info on their methods...

FS

 

Small suction rubber thingi to pull dent and hammer around surrounding area. (What I read somewhere but don't take my word for it)

 

PDR guys use a really cool set of "spoons" - hardned steel rods with flat, curved thumb-like ends that they massage the dent with from behind the panel. A good set can be almost $2k.
The process is not something you will want to try on your own dents.
First they put a bright flourescent lamp in front of the work area and then they attach a yellow card to the body panel perpendicular to the dent with a suction cup or magnet.
Then, they work a spoon behind the dent through an access point like a door opening or from underneath and work the dent, carefully pressing it out from the back.
The really good guys can reshape and entire panel this way. Most of the typical PDR guys just do dings.

 

I've used PDR in my previous cars. They use a fast setting glue to set the dent puller piece. They normally do multiple tries to try to get the dent as flat as possible before they massage the dent from underneath. If they push out too much from underneath, they use a tool with a rubber sleeve to make the bulges flushed with the panel. After that, they will use a very fine water soaked sandpaper to make the surface smooth. Remember, the metal has been stressed and sandpapering the tiny imperfections makes it close to original. Most dents can be repaired within 45 minutes and comes up 98% to original. Basically - you can't tell unless you know what to look for. It is a meticulous task and the best operator is usually the one who will spend the time but not charge you extra.

As mentioned they use a flourescent light to check the progress.

I highly recommend PDR... don't try it yourself unless you know what you are doing. If my RX8 ever gets a ding... I'll book for the PDR ASAP.

 

They don't do the glue thing anymore in the USA.

 

So, as one who knows basically nothing about PDR, don't do it? I've read something about a "roller" that goes underneath the dent and massages it (probably like the spoon method you mentioned). I was just going to use a flat-head with a towel wrapped around it--now this sounds like a horrible idea...

On that note... Anyone know of a good PDR in Atlanta, GA?

FS

 

It is decidely NOT a DIY task - these guys spend many hours learning their craft and as noted, have thousands wrapped up in specialized tools. They work wonders.

The Dentbusters chain seems to be good - look for that brand on Google Local or in your yellow pages.

 

Yeah, I agree. You could really make the problem worse than what it was to begin with.

 

Dentbusters? Any other companies?

FS

 

I highly recommend "Dent Wizard" -- I used them here in SoCal, but they are nationwide and by coincidence the guy who did his magic on my brand-new 2005 Winning Blue happened to be from Atlanta where he had been trained. I had a door ding which happened at the dealership before I bought the car -- but which I hadn't noticed because I took delivery at night. I also had a really embarrassing dent in the top of my trunk lid. 'Seems I closed the trunk with my elbow after lifting two armloads of grocery bags out of the trunk, forgetting that the lid is aluminum. D'oh!

Anyway, Dent Wizard gained access to the underside of the trunk lid by removing the fuzzy inner liner. He actually knew the panel was aluminum, and had a special set of padded spoons for just that situation. For the door ding, he used wedges like those used by locksmiths and car thieves to open locked doors, to hold the rubber window seal away from the glass, then worked the spoon through the resulting gap -- no damage whatsoever to the rubber or the glass.

Both dents are completely gone. All this took about 30 minutes and cost $125. A real bargain.

 

I second the rec for DentWizard.
I've been using the one in Rockville religeously for years and their work is usually perfect. When it isn't, they do it again until it is.

 

Wow... So considering the hood is aluminum, my one dent would be at least say... 70 bucks?

FS

 

Yeah maybe . . . If there's a crease in the metal or a "fracture" in the paint, they can't do PDR. Consider that for a body shop to bang it out, fill it in, sand it, and paint it, you're looking at a few hundred. And then, the paint probably wouldn't match.

 

I've posted this in the Exterior thread, but with no responses: Know of any Langka competitors or substitutes? If not, I might just go ahead and get the Langka kit...

FS

 

I do auto body work on Mazda cars and my suggestion is don't do it yourself. The RX-8's hood is aluminum and that is much harder to work on then standard sheet metal. If you don't know what you're doing you can really make a big mess out of things. Aluminum can be hard to work if you do know what to do with it.

 

I'm thinking you don't want to learn how to do paintless dent repair on your own RX-8.

Hire out to Civic owners or something before you try it on yours.

 

Call your nearest dealership. Most dealerships have a guy that they trust to do their cars on the lot and can be paid to do customers. Mine was for 2 door dings, cost $40 bucks, didn't talk to the dealership but only the Master PDR guy. (other than calling to see what day they brought him in, which was wednesday morning between 7 and 10)