Auto body technicians need repetition with a mentor
10 posts in the last 90 days, all from r/Autobody.
“Tech school..most won’t risk a newbie apprenticeship..only because if there’s an issue down the road on a beginning job you do that comes back,now cost me $$”
“These PDR guys literally spend a solid year or 2 practicing on junkyard parts. It is not easy to do, and you as someone who doesn’t know what they’re doing with likely make it look worse (over correcting the dents so they become outies) It’s a skilled trade. You will absolutely…”
“Lol. I mean as a PDR tech myself, do you think we just watched a video or someone told us how and just all of a sudden started fixing dents? That's not how bodywork or pdr works. If you watch a few videos and try please report back pictures. Because you will mangle that and then…”
Several posts discuss the importance of mentorship and repetition for auto body technicians, particularly those specializing in paintless dent repair (PDR). Experienced techs can earn significant income, but require consistent practice and guidance from skilled mentors to avoid damaging panels and develop expertise. The cost of PDR services is also high.
SOURCES (14)
“These PDR guys literally spend a solid year or 2 practicing on junkyard parts. It is not easy to do, and you as someone who doesn’t know what they’re doing with likely make it look worse (over correcting the dents so they become outies) It’s…”
“Lol. I mean as a PDR tech myself, do you think we just watched a video or someone told us how and just all of a sudden started fixing dents? That's not how bodywork or pdr works. If you watch a few videos and try please report back pictures. Because you will mangle that and then need it painted. This isn't a DIY dent. You'll make it look worse.”
“Some people have the gift and the patience, I’ve been doing collision work over 40 years and have never taken any lessons,I’ve watched YouTube videos but without any in person lessons I end up having to paint it anyway”
“Pdr isn't hard? Lol. I've seen many pdr techs in action. Only a few could remove a dent that I couldn't notice. Maybe to be " good enough" isn't hard but to do great work must be because not many can. And tbh that's what I expect. That bigger dent by the edge has to be near an intrusion beam I would think. Maybe just a weaker reinforcement.”
“It's been a dream of mine to learn the auto body repair and refinishing trade. I'm 42 years old and thinking of going to Daytona State College for their Automotive Collision Repair & Refinishing vocational certificate. Then going to work in a shop full-time for a year and then work part-time afterwards. The school would be free, and I would still have a monthly income during school and afterwards. Should I pursue the dream or just go down the trial-and-error method inside my at-home”
“Every shop I’ve ever worked at had a relationship with a PDR guy and would sublet specific damage to them. I’ve even had PDR done once on two juicy dents in an aluminum hood and was very pleased, it turned out perfect.”
“Tech school..most won’t risk a newbie apprenticeship..only because if there’s an issue down the road on a beginning job you do that comes back,now cost me $$”
“Glad to hear! I’ve met multiple PDR pros who “can’t get it 100%” but the average person would never be able to tell there was work done”
“Each tech has 2-3 bays, 2 teardown techs with 1 bay each. detail bay fits about 8-10 cars. Couldn’t tell you the square footage.”
“You need someone who knows how to work metal. Metal stretches when damaged. Contact a good PDR guy, that’s their bread and butter.”
“That’s not auto collision. It’s paintless dent repair. Some guy with picks stretching hail dents out of roofs.”
“I'm not in the industry but I can tell you that I had hail damage repaired by a PDR guy. The cost was about $5k CAD and it took 3 days to get the car back. There is tons of money to be made in that specialization. Even a basic dent that takes 30 minutes to sort out can cost several hundreds of dollars, so I wouldn't be surprised if a skilled tech with consistent work can take in that much.”
“Really skilled PDR guys can make a grand or two in a day pretty easily. You need to be extremely skilled and develop a reputation as such, but the earning potential is there.”
“Repetition, I’m not a pdr tech myself but I was a manager in car reconditioning and had to manage a team of PDR techs. The best ones were the ones who had repetition with a mentor. I’ve seen some that go to school like Ding King and still damage panels even after a year of practicing. Best way to get really good is, you find someone who is good and be his helper.”