Hot take: Paintless dent repair isn't always the answer like everyone claims

I know everyone on here swears by PDR for everything but I saw the before and after on a 2019 Silverado hood last week at my shop in Nashville. Customer had a hail damage claim, shop pushed PDR hard. 6 months later the clear coat started peeling around every single pulled dent. The tech overworked the metal and stretched it too thin. I get that PDR saves money like 75% less than body work but sometimes traditional filler and paint is the better call long term. Anyone else have PDR jobs come back with issues down the road?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_sam9d ago

Wait, shouldn't clear coat peeling be more of a prep or paint issue, not a PDR problem?

evan_jenkins9d ago

18 gauge steel on those GM hoods is already thin from the factory, around 0.047 inches. Once a tech working a low spot vibrates that metal back and forth 40 or 50 times, the molecules get fatigued and the factory e-coat underneath cracks. Clear coat doesn't just peel off for no reason, it loses its grip when the metal underneath has micro fractures from overworking. I've seen it happen on late model Fords too where the panel was pushed and pulled so much the metal actually got wavy in direct sunlight. PDR guys love to say their work lasts forever but they don't talk about the hidden stress fractures that show up a year later when humidity gets in. Sometimes cutting out the damaged metal and welding in a new section is the only way to keep the paint locked on long term.