Paintless Dent repair on Aluminum panels

Lou K · 11-01-09, 09:25

Someone opened the door and hit the front quarter panel on my wife's car. The doors, front fenders, hood and trunk lid are aluminum. Will PDR be able to remove the door ding on her car. I have heard that it will not work on aluminum panels and I certainly do not want to have it filled and re-painted.

Thanks,

lland · 11-01-09, 10:45

I had PDR done on the aluminum fenders of my car and it turned out fine. Not big dents, though. My PDR tech didn't mention aluminum being any different. I'd imagine it would be more dependent on the actual dents than the material. You may want to mention that the parts are aluminum in case your guy wants to attack it any differently.

Good luck.

LL

Gianni D · 11-01-09, 10:45

I haven't heard anyone perform any PDR on aluminum.

I used to work in the automotive stamping business and the only way aluminum could be repaired was using a DA (prior to the paint process). Not even the best repairman could repair a dimple the size of a pencil head using the tools PDR people use.

hopefully there's someone here that can help you.

David Fermani · 11-01-09, 12:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gianni D

I haven't heard anyone perform any PDR on aluminum.

I used to work in the automotive stamping business and the only way aluminum could be repaired was using a DA (prior to the paint process). Not even the best repairman could repair a dimple the size of a pencil head using the tools PDR people use.

hopefully there's someone here that can help you.

Welcome to the 21st Century Gianni! Alloy panels are very PDRable. It's a mainstream repair process in the PDR world.

bufferbarry · 11-01-09, 12:25

Yes you are fine. A door ding in a fender is a very easy job. It can beremoved quickly.. If your looking to get this done, here are a few tips for ya! Don't just go with a recomended pdr guy. Get one with some time under his belt. Pdr guys are better was time goes. No one on the business just gets out there and does it! Its a learning process. Also make sure there is no drilling into a panel make sure they have correct access points. Also I stress this Make sure they are credible!

yakky · 11-01-09, 05:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by bufferbarry

Yes you are fine. A door ding in a fender is a very easy job. It can beremoved quickly.. If your looking to get this done, here are a few tips for ya! Don't just go with a recomended pdr guy. Get one with some time under his belt. Pdr guys are better was time goes. No one on the business just gets out there and does it! Its a learning process. Also make sure there is no drilling into a panel make sure they have correct access points. Also I stress this Make sure they are credible!

Very good tips. There are soooo many hacks out there. Do your homework and find someone that knows what they are doing.

David Fermani · 11-01-09, 05:44

Barry -Is there a different strategy to straightening alloy panels over steel? Heat, over correcting, tools, access....

unleashedfury · 11-01-09, 09:41

Depends where the dent is iat David.

On a door. Alot of times you can go between the glass/trim. Its super precision and super cautious. A friend of mine does PDR and he said it requires super patience without drilling in. But he says he does everything possible to avoid drilling into any metal. As cars are different he is too afraid to wack a wire or component inside a panel.

PDR can easily be done on alloys. The biggest factors these days are the type of dent. A large dent usually requires more correction that PDR. And a sharp kink like I took a screwdriver to your metal usually requires other means too.

I would shop around for PDR guys like Barry said. Get references and get info about the company/experience of the PDR tech. If your insurance is gonna cover it. By all means shop shop shop

Lou K · 11-02-09, 09:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by unleashedfury

Depends where the dent is iat David.

On a door. Alot of times you can go between the glass/trim. Its super precision and super cautious. A friend of mine does PDR and he said it requires super patience without drilling in. But he says he does everything possible to avoid drilling into any metal. As cars are different he is too afraid to wack a wire or component inside a panel.

PDR can easily be done on alloys. The biggest factors these days are the type of dent. A large dent usually requires more correction that PDR. And a sharp kink like I took a screwdriver to your metal usually requires other means too.

I would shop around for PDR guys like Barry said. Get references and get info about the company/experience of the PDR tech. If your insurance is gonna cover it. By all means shop shop shop

Thanks for everyone's advice and sugestions.

Gianni D · 11-02-09, 10:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by David Fermani

Welcome to the 21st Century Gianni! Alloy panels are very PDRable. It's a mainstream repair process in the PDR world.

Thanks for the update ... I always thought Aluminum panels were almost non-PDRable. I guess the factory I used to work at needs up-to-date training on these techniques. We used to scrap a LOT of panels with the smallest defects.