In Other News... The ToolDwagon needs TOOL ADVICE!
![](https://www.image-tmart.com/info_images/86013790-PDR-07.jpg)
Okay... this is an area where I have no experience. I have lots of experience with traditional body work, and I have an idea about how these should work... but zero practical knowledge. Does anybody here know anything about paintless dent repair tools? Do these little lever and hot-glue gadgets actually work? What first-time pitfalls top avoid?
I've done some paintless dent repair (PDR), but haven't used those glue-on pullers. My dents were fortunately reachable from behind. I've seen some have issues with adhesion and will need to glue the head on multiple times. Of course, the marketing material is showing a theoretical result. You'll still have to work on the metal around the dent to (1) get any ripples out, especially around the perimeter of the dent, and (2) prevent gas canning.
Working from behind the dent, I use whatever is an appropriate size/shape object for each stage of repair (though you can get all sorts of "proper" PDR tools for pushing out dents) and then stabilize and refine the area with a
tap down tool. PDR truly is an art and I don't have the level of experience required to quickly get good results. It's quite time consuming. Overworking the metal can be an issue too, though I haven't risked damaging the paint by heating the area to relieve the stress. I just get it "good enough" and am happy that I saved a bundle over full replacement and repaint.