Things to consider when coming up with a paintless dent repair estimated price

A ruff draft of how The Dent Devils comes up with estimated times & pricing?
Several things to consider when coming up with a price but not limited to the following; location (what is it going to take to properly / least abusive way to access the backside of the damage and how good will it be) , depth ( is the dent stretched), size, budget & how perfect of a repair is the customer is looking for.
Most PDR companies choose to drill access holes in the door jamb areas of your car. (Which if this is a leased car can be considered structural damage at turn back!) My way is to first look for factory access holes. Sometimes these are not available or can be in the wrong places for proper leverage or size compared to the damage or maybe I have to use a twist tool instead of straight pushing. If your dent is stretched I need straight pushes to shrink the excess metal. If not the dent will have to much metal and be left high and or oil can (will pop in and out). So the next step is taking off trim panels, belt molding around door glass, side molding, fender liners, tail lights, headlights, rear seats, panels in trunk area, headliners, side windows, doors, tailgates, sunroof............
Why is aluminum more expensive to repair than metal? Without going into great details....it is less forgiving than metal. Aluminum work hardens very easy if over worked or worked like metal, it's springiness is one of the things that gives its strength and cannot be shrank like metal so repair times are drastically increased by 50% in most cases.
When working body lines / contour lines / style lines it has to be considered if the damage is in a ridged or flexible area?
Ridged metal is harder to push so it requires larger tools which requires more open access & more difficult to glue pull if it can be at all. Flexible metal areas are easier to push so smaller tools are required to push the metal which in turn requires less access.
Larger dents; the better the access the larger the tool and tips that can be used to repair the damage so the faster and cleaner the repair can be accomplished.
Leverage;
Needs to be controlled, sloppy leverage can lead to tool tips slipping which increases repair time and increases the chances of cracked paint.
Edge of the panel dents are usually none accessible or very limited with regular Paintless Dent Repair tools. So access has to be created by trimming areas , glue pulling or shaved tools only. ( very few techs can repair things in area’s like rear quarter panel wheel lips)

Old Paintless Dent Repairs;
Someone else has already messed with the dent (this is not advisable because what starts as a soft crown now becomes a nasty kinked area)
Soft Crown (think of this as what looks like a rolling wave)

Kinked crown (this looks like a folder piece of paper, take lots of skill to remove and time)
Soft crease; Most of the time has very little stretched metal but always has some.
Stretched crease; (very time consuming as tip location is difficult, lot of time shrinking the stretched area in the center of the damage, also heat is needed to lessen the chances of splitting cracking the paint)
Color;
Slivers , gold , white ( these colors need to be pushed softer and slower or the metallic will flip flop when the sun reflects off them and also crack easer but the good thing is they do not have to be as straight but it is harder to see what you are doing to repair them so it is a “catch 22”)
3 stage / Tri Coat White Pearl and other 3 stages / Tri Coat paints; need more care to repair as they will crack if repaired cold, if the tech tries to rush the repair aggressively. Sometimes even though the paint did not crack on impact it could still crack upon the first push or later on in the repair proccess, Also run a higher risk of paint delaminating when glue pulling is the only repaired method.
Darker metallics and solid colors;
(need to be repaired straighter but are easier to see when repairing and do not show micro cracks like light colors and metallic's but care must still be taken or you can see your tap marks and if you over push)
High line verses low end cars; high end cars are easier to repair as the metal has better memory and the paint is more flexible
Factory Paint or Repainted;
Factory paint is most of the time more flexible than repainted cars and will withstand glue pulling most of the time.
Repainted cars have a higher risk of the paint cracking or delaminating if glue pulling is the option needed to repair your damage.
Lighting;
What a repair tech cannot see they cannot fix or is more difficult. Lighter colors are harder to see than darker colors. Lighter colors can be imposable to see the tool tip in direct sunlight, glare or moving reflections across the area to be repaired such as shadows or customers walking in-between the repair.

Here are a few average prices ranges to properly take off the following items of a car for proper access;
Rear Taillights; each $20 to $100
(Some have to have the trunk rear trim and side panels and the rear bumper taken off to access hidden bolts and screws)
Headlights ; each $20 to $125
(Sometimes front bumper and other pieces must be taken off to access hidden mounting bolts)
Does not include headlight alignment but most times is not needed unless headlight was out of adjustment to begin with*
Door panels; $25 to $125 ( some doors have hidden mounting hardware and clips so they take more time to R&I plus once the panels are off things like speakers and other trim must be still R&I'd to achieve access )
Side mirror; $25 to $75
Door Belt moldings; $20 to $50 each
Remove & Install;
Doors; $50 to $200
(Does not include interior panel)

Hood; $50 to $125
Hood underside protection pad $25 (plus clips if needed)
Trunk; $50 to $100
Underside trim; $35
Headliners complete with or without air bags
$100 to $500
Sunroof; additional $50 to $300
Windshield, rear glass, quarter glass or Door glass (laminated / safety /);
$100 to $300 each

Why start a Dent Removal business?

Why start a Dent Removal business?
A) Do you have enough money or are you living paycheck to paycheck?
B) Do you have enough saved to retire early?
C) Do you really enjoy what you do?
If you answered no to any of the above questions, then maybe it’s time to think about Paintless Dent Removal as your future career with unlimited possibilities!
Paintless Dent Removal is a business that works around your schedule, enjoyable and relatively easy to do. All you need is expert personal one – on – one training from The Dent Devils Paintless Dent Repair Training Center owner Eddie Martin in as little as a few weeks and practice. (The more PDR Training the less practice you will need before you are ready to go out on your own.)
The customers you service will be so happy to have their vehicle(s) in new condition again. They have saved a substantial amount of money by having you take out their dents instead of going to the conventional auto body / collision repair shops. This type of repair can be completed in the same day which saves your customers from having their vehicle in the shop for an extended period of time ( Days to weeks). And, all insurance companies approve and pay for this type of service. Your customers will even tip you for your service.
Not bad, eh?
It’s called Paintless Dent Removal or PDR for short. With personalized training from an expert Master Technician with years of extensive experience and a bit of practice, you can look forward to a very rewarding career in removing minor dents and dings from beautiful automobiles. Even better, there are no health risks to you like paint fumes or bondo dust. There is much respect in the Paintless Dent Removal community for techs with skills.
Techs with exceptional skills are looked highly upon by quality PDR Techs. At annual conventions like the Mobile Tech Expo, contests held to test techs and judge them based on repair skills.
A typical PDR Technician can work 30-60 hours per week, with practically no health or safety concerns. When taught proper body mechanics when doing repairs . It’s not uncommon to exceed 6 figures a year without exceptional effort in the right market after getting advanced paintless dent repair training, recommended tools and a well made marketing plan.
If you put some of that income away in reasonable investments and saving strategies, a retirement is still possible.
Interested? Call Eddie Martin, owner / trainer of The Dent Devils today at (619) 726-6767. Be sure to visit our website at the dent devils pdr training and check out all our testimonials from past trainees and satisfied customers.

Let’s Go Green San Diego. At The Dent Devils, Paintless Dent Repair Shop

Let’s Go Green San Diego. At The Dent Devils, Paintless Dent Repair is not just a better method of repairing small dents and door dings and minor collision repairs on your car... it's also better for the environment and your pocket book!
There's a reason collision repair shops and bumper repairs are subject to environmental rules and regulations. Chemicals, paint strippers, degreasers, and fillers are used in conventional auto body shops. The area then has to be repainted, which usually requires at least an enclosed area to contain the resulting fumes and particles. But many times, employees, customers and neighboring buildings are affected by excess fumes and particles which are hazardous to your health, especially by illegal mobile painters.
Did you know that conventional auto body and collision repair shops generate more waste in a single day than The Dent Devils Paintless Repair Shop can produce in say 5 years? Some of this waste is also extremely hazardous, like empty paint and solvent containers, used paint thinners and cleaning solvents, and spray booth filters. In addition, a significant amount of non-hazardous waste generated. For example, the entire tape and paper wrap that is used to protect the parts of the car that are not being painted are extra waste or if they are utilizing a spray mask this is washed down the storm drains along with the dried over spray particles
A body shop can also uses a very large amount of energy in its day-to-day operation running air compressors, power tools heaters to dry paint . At The Dent Devils Paintless Repair Shop in San Diego, Eddie uses electricity only to power a direct light source. The rest of the work is just hard labor and finesse. After the repair the car does not even need to be washed off from metal particles that cause rust on your paint surface. This is in comparison to a mobile tech that will be glad to tell you all about the amount of gas he goes through in a month driving around doing repairs and giving estimates!
Eddie Martin, owner of The Dent Devils Paintless Repair Shop, generates almost zero waste, none of it hazardous! Not only does he deliver the best quality work for all your dent repair needs, the cost is exceptionally reasonable compared to other conventional repair shops. Just check out all his testimonials at The Dent Devils website and on yelp. He simply artistically massages the metal back into the original position and your car looks beautiful again in minutes not weeks. This is better for the environment and for our kid’s future also. It really is a greener alternative you and your insurance company should take the opportunity of more often!
Are you a candidate for Paintless Dent Repair? Come by today for a free evaluation. The Dent Devils is located at 5644 Kearny Mesa Road Suite J San Diego California 92111 <~Google Map