A Double Dented Dilemma:
Here is one of The Dent Guy’s latest, a 2018 Jeep Compass customer had a little run-in on the left-front door. This dent goes into the triple folded steel along the edge of the door. There is a second dent in the left-rear door. There is an added degree of difficulty in this repair because the panels have been repainted. A repainted panel restricts a PDR tech from being able to glue pulling because the paint would peel-off. Dan is able to still provide great repair and gives some tech notes in the video.
PDR Tech Tip: Repainted Panels and Dent Repair
Both doors that have been damaged were repainted before. You’re able to tell by their orange peel texture in the paint as Dan explained in the video. A repainted panel adds a degree of difficulty to a repair. Why? Simply put, the paint would peel off if we were to glue pull to remove the dent or ding. So why would the paint peel on a repainted panel?
Why is a Manufacturer’s Paint Better for PDR & GPDR?
When a car manufacturer paints your vehicle, the paint is applied by very expensive robots that are programmed for precision. After the multiple layers of paint are applied, your car is then baked at roughly 400°F, and this cures the paint of the automobile’s shell. The paint process from applying coatings to the raw metal all the way to an extremely warm, baked finish helps create a durable bond that is second to none. Everything is then built off from this platform after the paint application.
FUN FACT: A vehicle’s bumpers are either painted in a separate area of the facility or an entirely different location.
How does a body shop differ from the auto manufacturer?
When creating repairs during a normal body shop process, there are a few different variables that affect the process by cycle times. This process can hinder the application of a factory finish. A contributor is the variation and level of experience of the technicians creating the applications. These can all affect how fast a vehicle enters and leaves the shop, most body shops are driven by these cycle times.
Bake cycles have been minimized to 15 minutes at 180°F, these times and temperatures can vary. When it comes to matching the manufactures chemical bonding process, the refinishing process in a shop is a mechanical bond; where the panel is sanded to create the proper surface for the paint to adhere. This is reminiscent of the old adage; “A chain is only as strong as its weakest link.”
By choosing to do paintless dent repair (PDR), a vehicle’s owner is saving money and time that would be spent in a conventional body shop.
