Some jerk... dented the rear quarter panel on the passenger side of my MINI. I took it to the PDR guy and he said that he felt confident that he could remove it and make it look like new, but that he would have to drill two holes into the door jamb to remove the ding. He would seal these with silicone plugs.

I trust that if he says he can get the ding out, then he can, but my concern is with the drilling of holes and with his unfamiliarity with the MINI. Mine is the only one he's ever worked on. Is there anything inside that quarter panel, like a side impact beam or the like that would prohibit his access to the ding?

Also, with the drilling of the holes... will those holes rust? I notice that my car already has two similar holes on the driver's side door above and below the latch mechanism that have been filled in with silicone plugs.

Here's a pic of the damage. The pic makes it look deeper than it actually is because I had to kick the flash up to full to get a shot of the damage at all, it's not into the paint. The ding she had on her bonnet last summer was deeper than this one and he was able to push it out perfectly. Thank God for silver paint... the color does make this ding a lot harder to see, but as a result, it's harder to photograph damage. There is some very light surface scratching on the clear coat that he said a detail shop could buff right out for me.

Any thoughts? Should I be calling the dealership and asking them to pop this out instead?



Thanks.

 

Me... I'd get a second opinion from another PDR technician.

From my training on auto claims and PDR, the main benefit of PDR is that it doesn't impair the structural integrity of the body of the car. In other words, PDR doesn't impair the rust protection of the primer/paint/clearcoat.

But if he's going to drill holes, even if they are in the door jamb, he's losing the benefit of PDR. He's making two spots where moisture and other contaminants can reach the body of the vehicle.

I wouldn't allow him to do that unless I'm very sure there's no better alternative.

 

I believe drilling a hole is fairly common if they can't access the panel from any other area. For instance with a door panel they could remove the inside interior trim and get through that way.

I use to think they did it the way the info commercial showed -big suction cup. But from what I've seen they have a bar they massage it out with.

Would it be possible to reach the dings if you were to go in through the rear speaker?

 

I had a dent in the same spot. Guy came out, drilled a hole in door jam, massaged out the dent, plugged the hole and I haven't had any issues with it for over 2 years.

 

that's how PDR works

you must get behind the dent

here's a tool set
http://www.eastwoodco.com/shopping/p...roductID=17491

knowing where to drill the hole is part of the expertise...if worried about rust after the job, pull the plugs and slather a little POR-15 in there and replace the plugs.

If you take it to the dealer - they'll call the PDR guy .... I took mine to the dealer for routine service when it had a similar ding and they called to let me know the PDR guy was there and could fix it if I wanted. I did and the outcome was perfect - not cheap, but well done. This might vary by dealer of course.

 

well... it would beat repair by conventional methods, that's for sure.

I would still ask him if it's not possible to access the area behind the panel without drilling. And if you want to make sure, do call another pro PDR guy to make sure.

Glad to hear from cartar that he's had no issues with this method. Should give you some level of comfort, at least.

 

Thanks guys. I got a recommendation for another PDR guy in my area and am gonna give them a call in the AM. I was gonna call him this afternoon, but my errand running took longer than expected.

The guy I used last time did not feel confident about taking my interior panels apart because he had never done it on a MINI before. He said he'd much rather see the dealership do that part of the work for him and since my dealership is a six hour drive... I'm gonna try to find a local guy that feels they can do it without wrecking my interior paneling, and if not, I'll call the dealership and set up an appointment with them. Viola's due for her warranty inspection and an oil change anyway.

Thanks for all your responses!

 

I had a small dent removed from the rear quarter panel on my 08'. It took the PDR guy all of 5 minutes to partially remove the interior panel enough to get behind it. No need to drill.

 

NO NO NO. To pop out a dent they do not have to drill and if everyone tells you that they have to drill then don't have it done. You can remove interior parts to get to and pop it out. But don't let anyone drill on the body that is asking for problems down the road (rust, leaking, and down right looking like crap) Best of luck and look for a 2nd opinion.

 

I had a dent repaired in the rear quarter panel and the guy wanted to drill holes in the door. I took off the rear interior panels for him and he was able to access the dent without drilling any holes. You may need to remove a speaker to provide better access.

I think it is quicker and easier for them to drill holes because it is a pain to remove panels, especially if they are not sure where all the clips are located. Also, there is a good chance they will break a clip and that becomes a real pain for the dent repair guy to replace.

 

RG, hope it all works out.

Really sorry that happened to ya!!

 

Finally, someone with a brain. There is no way I'd allow a PDR guy to drill a hole in my door jamb. I'm in the bodyshop business for God's sake and I'm letting some idiot drill a freakin' hole in my door jamb.

The odds of it rusting are slim and none... and if you're real concerned, you can brush touch the edge of the drilled hole with some touchup paint before applying the plug.

I just don't want a damn hole in my door jamb.

It'll take all but 5 minutes to remove the interior trim panel and he should be able to access the dent.

My .02 worth....

Mark

 

I had a ding on the driver's rear quarter panel. First PDR guy I talked to said he would have to drill to get at it. Second PDR guy (the guy I went with) was able to access it by removing some interior panels.

Don't drill, baby, don't drill.

 

i dont know about you guys, but from all the PDR work ive seen before, they all look horrible. sure the dent it out, but if you do a good detail job on the car, you can see all teh massaging done to teh metal. so in the end, it looks almost like a bondo job.

 

Dunce,

I've been in the bodyshop business for over 25 years. I can ASSURE you that if you can see any major "telltale" signs that a dent has been worked on, the PDR guy sucks.

Even the best guys will sometimes leave minor dings but they are easily wetsandable and buffable.

There are tons of PDR guys out there but there are VERY FEW I consider good. Both of my shops use only 1 guy that I trust.

If you have any spots that show, any bodyshop can wetsand it for you.

Hope that helps,

Mark

 

Thanks for your support guys, I'll call around to some more shops until I find a guy that balks at the idea of drilling. My hubby was not keen on it being drilled either and I finally decided that if he wasn't comfortable with it, I wasn't going to do it.

Mark, since the ding is right up next to the edge of that panel, do you still think it would be possible to access it by removing the rear interior panel? It does look like it's right behind the speaker...

Also... do you have to take the seats out in order to remove that panel? I haven't tried yet, but I do have a torx set and could remove the panel myself... I just don't want to have to remove the seats if I have a choice about it and all the instructions I've found on removing that panel say to remove the rear seats first.

Thanks!

 

When you say right next to the edge.... you mean the qtr/door edge, right?

If so, yes, obviously I haven't seen it but I'd say most probable from your description. Like many of the others have suggested, try a few different PDR guys until you find one that you're comfortable with.

Asking a few questions around some bodyshops and high end dealerships may help point you in the right direction. Usually, outstanding guys are in demand and you'll hear one name over and over.

Good luck, let us know what happens.

Mark

 

Yes, that's what I meant. I'll call the porsche and merc dealers in the morning and see who they use. Thanks!