PDR or Collision Shop?

Definitely go the PDR route, not a collision/body shop. Get an estimate from a second PDR shop if possible, but avoiding paint work it always preferable.

A lot of body shops actually report to Carfax and AutoCheck now, not just insurance companies. That, or a sharp-eyed used car manager who spots the paint work, could cost you quite a bit when you trade or sell the car in the future.
 
So I went w/PDR and I'm very happy w/the results. Curious to see what everyone thinks?

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There is a very subtle wave and spots of discolor, but barely if at all noticeable.
 
First pic is sideways. The "subtle wave" is metal distortion and typical of a PDR repair of a bad dent. I had the same thing on a Miata which had a pretty nasty hit to the LF fender. I could see it if I approached the car from a certain direction. If you're satisfied with the trade-off, that's really all that matters.
 
paris1 said:
First pic is sideways. The "subtle wave" is metal distortion and typical of a PDR repair of a bad dent. I had the same thing on a Miata which had a pretty nasty hit to the LF fender. I could see it if I approached the car from a certain direction. If you're satisfied with the trade-off, that's really all that matters.
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Thanks, paris1 - odd...both pics are in landscape (on phone and computer). In any event, the subtle wave is livable as I'm likely the only person to see it - neither my wife or kids see it, and I don't want to sink more $$$ into repair. I'm sure it was the same way with your Miata. Perhaps my memory will fade in time and as the car ages (this is part where I am convincing myself to let it go).
 
nubbers said:
So I went w/PDR and I'm very happy w/the results. Curious to see what everyone thinks?

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View attachment 216647

There is a very subtle wave and spots of discolor, but barely if at all noticeable.
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I guess I don't understand the discolor part. Did your PDR guy apply heat or something else? Of course your dent is larger than any of my hail dents hence the result could be different. My repair doesn't show anything like yours. Other than one dent on the roof rail with broken paint which he couldn't do too much work on it, he showed me 2 imperfect spots on hood which I could hardly see anything. I guess for the amount you spent we should expect more? In anycase this PDR work has to be a better choice than go through a regular body work with a better result for short term and long term! (drinks)
 
yrwei52 said:
I guess I don't understand the discolor part. Did your PDR guy apply heat or something else? Of course your dent is larger than any of my hail dents hence the result could be different. My repair doesn't show anything like yours. Other than one dent on the roof rail with broken paint which he couldn't do too much work on it, he showed me 2 imperfect spots on hood which I could hardly see anything. I guess for the amount you spent we should expect more? In anycase this PDR work has to be a better choice than go through a regular body work with a better result for short term and long term! (drinks)
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The "discoloration" he refers to is no doubt light reflecting off the slightly distorted metal surface at different angles. It's a function of the PDR's inability to get the surface perfectly smooth and flat. And yes, there is heat applied in these repairs to make the paint less brittle, but it shouldn't be enough to affect he color.
 
paris1 is correct - heat was applied to ensure the paint remained flexible throughout the repair. The repair is smooth to the touch, but he explained that the slight discoloration is a result of the metal flexing as he brought the dent up and evened it back out. Again, it isn't 100% perfect and those of us who are particular about our cars will see it; someone walking by they car they are likely never to notice the subtle wave. He also polished and waxed the door, which makes it hardly noticeable. That said, I tend to think there is a bit of "muscle memory" - I know where the damage was and will always see it in my mind. I asked a colleague to point out where the dent was (didn't see it before the repair) and she was unable to tell the difference.

W/re: to cost and value for the service provided, I had three opinions on the dent before going with the more expensive option - the second PDR guy didn't instill confidence and wanted to drill a hole (um...no) and the third was from the collision shop I trust who a) recommended I pursue PDR before conventional repair, and b) took a look at the finished product, agreeing that it was as good as I could have hoped for given the depth of the dent. Net-net, I am happy and the repair is livable. Moreover, I have two good relationships now with reliable and trusted PDR and collision shops. I'll chalk it up to a win.
 
nubbers said:
paris1 is correct - heat was applied to ensure the paint remained flexible throughout the repair. The repair is smooth to the touch, but he explained that the slight discoloration is a result of the metal flexing as he brought the dent up and evened it back out. Again, it isn't 100% perfect and those of us who are particular about our cars will see it; someone walking by they car they are likely never to notice the subtle wave. He also polished and waxed the door, which makes it hardly noticeable. That said, I tend to think there is a bit of "muscle memory" - I know where the damage was and will always see it in my mind. I asked a colleague to point out where the dent was (didn't see it before the repair) and she was unable to tell the difference.

W/re: to cost and value for the service provided, I had three opinions on the dent before going with the more expensive option - the second PDR guy didn't instill confidence and wanted to drill a hole (um...no) and the third was from the collision shop I trust who a) recommended I pursue PDR before conventional repair, and b) took a look at the finished product, agreeing that it was as good as I could have hoped for given the depth of the dent. Net-net, I am happy and the repair is livable. Moreover, I have two good relationships now with reliable and trusted PDR and collision shops. I'll chalk it up to a win.
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And that, my friend, is worth more than the price of admission!
 
My car for the scratch goes to shop next monday. Hoping to see it done by Friday.
 
I have been living with my PDR repair for 10 days and I am finding it difficult to get past the wave/ripple. Again, my eye finds it faster than anyone else (if they do at all), but nonetheless I am discouraged by the fact that it is there.

I ordered some touch-up paint from the dealer last week and asked for an opinion. The parts manager recommended speaking with the PDR guy they used in the past to see if he could blend. I met with him (Steve) - he said that taking on the dent would have been 50/50 given the depth, and if he did, I wouldn't see the wave/ripple. Net-net is he didn't want mess with another tech's work for fear of it oil-canning.

There is nothing more to be done by way of PDR - I am back to a point of frustration and second-guessing both the sunk cost (you guys might have been right) and the potential for conventional repair. At least I have this forum to vent.
 
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nubbers said:
I have been living with my PDR repair for 10 days and I am finding it difficult to get past the wave/ripple. Again, my eye finds it faster than anyone else (if they do at all), but nonetheless I am discouraged by the fact that it is there.

I ordered some touch-up paint from the dealer last week and asked for an opinion. The parts manager recommended speaking with the PDR guy they used in the past to see if he could blend. I met with him (Steve) - he said that taking on the dent would have been 50/50 given the depth, and if he did, I wouldn't see the wave/ripple. Net-net is he didn't want mess with another tech's work for fear of it oil-canning.

There is nothing more to be done by way of PDR - I am back to a point of frustration and second-guessing both the sunk cost (you guys might have been right) and the potential for conventional repair. At least I have this forum to vent.
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I had forgotten that term, but that's what my guy said was happening with the repair on my Miata's fender when he decided he couldn't do any more with it. I made it as point, when washing or waxing after that, not to apply too much pressure to that area. Never had any problems with it.
 
nubbers said:
I have been living with my PDR repair for 10 days and I am finding it difficult to get past the wave/ripple. Again, my eye finds it faster than anyone else (if they do at all), but nonetheless I am discouraged by the fact that it is there.

I ordered some touch-up paint from the dealer last week and asked for an opinion. The parts manager recommended speaking with the PDR guy they used in the past to see if he could blend. I met with him (Steve) - he said that taking on the dent would have been 50/50 given the depth, and if he did, I wouldn't see the wave/ripple. Net-net is he didn't want mess with another tech's work for fear of it oil-canning.

There is nothing more to be done by way of PDR - I am back to a point of frustration and second-guessing both the sunk cost (you guys might have been right) and the potential for conventional repair. At least I have this forum to vent.
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I don't want to add fuel to your little frustration on your PDR repair but I did feel it's odd that Dan used the high-strength sheet metal as an excuse to double your price. I have good relationship with my Mazda sales manager and he introduced me to a PDR guy Chris whom they use. I thought if the dealer uses Chris for new-car dent repairs and he must be one of the better ones in our area. Turned out he's very good for my first hail repair happened last year. This year's hail damage our CX-5 suffered lots of more dents, I wasn't sure if he's willing to fix them with the insurance money that covers only after-market body panel replacement. I brought our CX-5 to Chris and asked his opinion. While I was there I saw his son was working on a deep dent on a hood caused by a baseball-sized hail. I felt the repair done is excellent as I couldn't see any hint of damage. Of course your eye-sight and standard could be different from mine and you might be able to see something. The most difficult part for the bigger dent, according to Chris, is how to prevent the "memory effect" or "oil-canning" as the dent may be too easy to pop back to the deformed shape. I did ask Chris about applying the heat or frigidness during the PDR process as I thought that is part of necessary step. To my surprise he said the proper PDR process will never use any heat or frigidness, but just need more time and patient!

What's done is done. I hope you can relax and try not to look at the area and forget about it. Time eventually will make you to get used to the imperfection and cure your disappointment. Think about it, the alternative of the PDR is body shop, which means you have bondo body filler for smoothness, and repainting for the whole area. The paint will never 100% match your factory paint, and after 10 years it could fade and look even worse!

At least our website seems to come back to normal after 2 days of slowness on performance! :)
 
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paris1 said:
I had forgotten that term, but that's what my guy said was happening with the repair on my Miata's fender when he decided he couldn't do any more with it. I made it as point, when washing or waxing after that, not to apply too much pressure to that area. Never had any problems with it.
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My guy said exactly the same - too much metal to do anything more. I figure to be gentler with detailing that area.
 
yrwei52 said:
At least our website seems to come back to normal after 2 days of slowness on performance! :)
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Ah-ha; someone else noticed this! I sent an email to the website contact this morning and now it seems OK. Squeaky wheel gets the grease!
 
paris1 said:
Ah-ha; someone else noticed this! I sent an email to the website contact this morning and now it seems OK. Squeaky wheel gets the grease!
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I noticed as well. I couldn't even get on until this morn since Friday. Was slow at first. Seems normal this go round. Was about to look for a new place to call home. Lol
 
I wouldn't have used Dan. I agree, Dan didn't sound like a total stand up guy to me either with that BS excuse, and he charges way,way,way too much (said this from the start). I hope everything gets worked out for you though, it sucks...
 
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I'm not upset w/Dan - I am however questioning my decision to fit in the repair while I was away on business travel as opposed to waiting until June for his next open appointment. It leaves me wondering if I afforded him the necessary time to repair and if I should push to bring it back in. Having said that, he doesn't strike me as the type to return a "mostly finished product" and he told me there was simply too much metal to shrink.

W/re: to applying heat, I didn't watch so I don't know how much/little/if at all he used it. The discoloration or ghosting sometimes happens on silver cars (or so I've read). There are no cracks in the paint, but there are a few small nicks. I'll keep it cleaned and waxed.

Hindsight is 20/20, right? I hate the park where the game was being played - too many activities and not enough parking. I could very well have gone w/the lesser expensive PDR repair and been in a similar spot. It just sucks seeing all of these gruesome dents come out to look like new and mine is left imperfect.

W/re: to collision work, one question - if the dent is pulled up, does it still require the same amount of bondo work and paint work?

Thanks...
 
NelsonLewis said:
I wouldn't have used Dan. I agree, Dan didn't sound like a total stand up guy to me either with that BS excuse, and he charges way,way,way too much (said this from the start). I hope everything gets worked out for you though, it sucks...
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I know - there was fair warning from the forum re: cost...I'm not crying in my milk over that. He didn't do anything to dissuade me from hiring him whereas the second opinion left me thinking he wouldn't care for my car the same way I do. The second opinion also wanted to drill a hole - Dan did everything not to unnecessarily drill. That's why I say I'm not upset w/him - just frustrated w/the circumstance.
 
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