PDR Sucess Story

db2

New member
I know I know something similar has been posted, Can I use swifter towels to wipe down leather seats and dash and door pannels. I know not to use them on the instument pannel or wood trim , But what do you guys think about using them on the leather seats and dash? Love the way the dust clings to the swifter towel instead of sending it in the air.
 
i know i am not explaining it right but....i like the damp mf's.....they get the dust and clean it at the same time....i dont like the swifers...on my seats i mean...cause they dont "clean' i the way im looking for...jst get the dust off with that static cling type of mechanism.....so i mean...how dusty can a seat be....i just get worried about all the body oils that seats have...way more than the dash...and i dont ever let them go more than a wk without a wipe down....mostly i wipe the steering wheel with a damp mf at the end of everyday i use the car...so the oils dont build up.......i hope it doesnt sound like i dont like these things...i do..i have 2 boxes....but not for the seats.....now did i totally not answer the question...or did i just confuse the topic more......either way....thats what im here for:p ;) :D
 
I find the Swiffer fabric to be a bit too rough and fuzzy/linty for use any textured leather. But it never hurts to experiment so try it and tell us what you about it!





~bw
 
BW you just turned 1000! Congratulations old man!



BW

eat my brake dust!



Registered: May 2001

Location: Southern California Horsepower: 377

Posts: 1000



BTW I agree with FLONI, a damp MF will clean very well and leave you assured it removed more than the dust . . . dust doesn't hurt stuff quite as much as the other things that could potentially be there. I still have to find out where my air vent intake is to put a dust filter over it!!! We shall see!
 
I decided to try out the Pledge Grab-it's orange thinking it would give the car a nice citrus smell. .... NOT! It smells a bit like fermenting fruit! But the Grab-it's work amazing. The only trouble is avoiding an accident as I'm continually trying to get that last bit of dust out of the vent covers and steering column :D



Just get the regular scented variety.



The Body Shop carries this neat little scented plastic disks that are pretty mild. I just drop a few throughout the car and it works pretty well.



Paco
 
So my son and his friend are having a catch in front of my house Sunday AM while I am having breakfeast with my wife. The boys come in an tell me that the ball hit my neighbors car and made a dent (just to the right of the door handle on the rear driver side door). We go out to look at it and its a dent the size of your fist and about 1/2 deep in the middle. My neighbors are away so we leave a note in the mailbox and explain what happened and that we will of course fix it.

I see the paint is all intact so Monday I called my dealership where I service my car and ask for a PDR reccommendation. I get the name of a PDR person and he comes to fix it at my neighbors house Tuesday. I was at work so I did not see the process. When I got home I went to look it over with the brinkman (its dark) and it is amazing. Pannel is straight and true. Other than some scuffing left from the ball which I can easily get off there is no sign of any dent. I tried to get before and after photo's but becasue its a black car, it did not show up well and the focus was hunting for a lock up point.

I was told that all in all it took less than 1/2 hour start to finish. I was told the pannel was heated with a heat gun, pry bar tools inserted in the window slot and the dent was popped out and them slight hammering from the outside, different bar again from the inside, any done.

Figured I would share this in case anyone needed this service or wanted or learn how to do it and offer it as a service. Much cheaper than bodyshop work ($ 150.00 plus tax), no rental car charges and it keeps the factory paint which is always better at resale.

This guy is a NYC fireman and does this on his days off. Super nice guy, excellent work performed. Wonder if any of the detailers here would consider adding this service to their arsenal. Seems like a great add on. Imagine calling the owner of a car in your detail bay (or at time of estimate) and say, "I can remove that door ding while I have the car for $ XXX.XX additional if you wuld like?" If this is any indication of the profit margins $ 150.00 per 1/2 hr = $ 300/hr labor rate. I am not sure what the tools cost or what training involves but it seem to have enough of a margin to explore. This could also fill in the winter months. Most of his clients are car dealers and body shops. He does home work like mine on a referal basis becasue he prefers to go to a dealer or bodyshop and do multiple jobs in a day at a single location. I guess you could also call local car clubs and knock out several cars in a single stop.

Anyway. Thought I would share my exerience and pass along a though that might help someone here. I know I have been helped alot by this community at TID!

Have a good Turkey day!

Jeff
 
Hey Jeff,

I agree, adding PDR to your detailing services would bring in big time cash. It is always better to be a one stop shop.

As for your trying to capture the before and afters, if the camera can't capture a focus point, try putting your finger on the area you want to photograph, and the camera can focus on your finger. I learned this from MP on another forum.
 
I have a couple of PDR guy's business cards on hand, and also a very good clear bra installer's cards. Also have a very good wheel repair guy's cards, and he gets alot of referrals from me.

Yes, they are good to have, even better if you could do this yourself, but it requires going to a school, and then practice, practice, practice... :)

Have just recently broke down and ordered a full set of trim removal tools to have on hand for my own vehicles and my Client's vehicles too if needed.

Totally believe in the PDR process and have used it many times on multiple vehicles. A lot of these guys will want to see a high resolution pic if possible before they come out, and can often quote a price just from the picture, if they are really good.
These guys around here have all the work they will ever want and then some, so you need to have a back up guy too..

Dan F
 
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