As a professional Paintless Dent Repair (PDR) technician, I am always up for a challenge. So when this Mercedes SUV came my way with a deep dent on the back hatch, I knew it was going to require all the techniques and equipment at my disposal.
What in the heck is an oil can?
But what made it even more challenging was the fact that the damage was an "oil can". In auto body lingo, this is when sheet metal becomes fatigued after being dented, popping in and out like a soda pop can or an oil can back in the day. This is not an ideal scenario as it will leave either a mound or a dent, but it will not remain flat.
The Car Body Heater Arc Machine, solving the oil can conundrum.
This Is Not Average Paintless Dent Repair
But I was not deterred. With the advancements in PDR equipment and techniques, I was able to take on this challenging repair. Utilizing all the techniques, all the equipment, and all the hard lessons learned over many years, I was able to perform an Advanced Paintless Dent Repair on this Mercedes SUV.
Using lateral tension, perpendicular tension, and heat induction by way of a car body heater arc machine, these advanced techniques allowed me to cleanly remove the damage to factory spec level.
Better Than Body Shop
The results were on par with traditional body and paint repair, only better because despite some existing minor scratches, we were able to preserve the original, factory paint and condition of the car for our customer. This is a big deal because by preserving their car’s original, factory paint and condition, our client was able to retain its resale/trade-in value. Additionally, the repair was completed at their location in hours, not weeks or months if it had been repaired at a traditional body shop.
In the attached video you can see great detail of the process in use on this particular damage, showcasing the dented metal actually moving back out to a factory spec level.
If you’re interested in learning more about the art and science of paintless dent removal, please be sure to sign up for the Dent Evo blog below or check back in to see new updates! And as always, thank you for taking the time to read this post.
✌️-Joe Garcia