Opinions Matter

c/auto-body-repairers

-2

dylan_thompson•1d ago

That 5 minute trick with a heat gun I was skipping

I used to hammer out dents on quarter panels for an hour. Then last Tuesday my coworker Jeff walks over with a heat gun. He hit the dent for maybe 2 minutes before working it. Panel came out smooth in under 10 minutes. I had been making cold metal fight me for years. Has anyone else got a simple step they kept skipping that saves real time?

10

daniel214•1d ago

Spent 4 hours chasing a wiring gremlin on a 2018 F-150 yesterday

Turned out to be a bad ground strap behind the tail light that looked fine until I bent it. Anyone else run into those phantom electrical issues that waste half a shift?

28

young.spencer•2d ago

TIL you can fix orange peel texture with a heat gun

Was spraying a Honda Civic hood last week. Got that nasty orange peel look. Buddy told me to hit it with a heat gun from 6 inches away. Just quick passes. Let it cool. Came out glass smooth. No wet sanding. No buffing. Has anyone else tried this for quick texture fixes?

5

the_susan•2d ago

I finally stopped using filler on deep dents last week

Had a 2017 Ford F-150 come into my shop in Omaha with a nasty crease on the rear quarter panel. I spent 3 years religiously using body filler on stuff like that because all the old timers swore by it. After watching a YouTube video from a guy in Texas who uses a stud welder and slide hammer for deep pulls, I tried it out and it saved me 2 hours of sanding. Anyone else ditch filler for metal work on deep damage?

4

logan632•3d ago

Overheard a customer say they 'fixed' their own dent with a plunger

I was at the shop last Tuesday and this guy walks in bragging how he pulled a quarter panel dent with a toilet plunger and hot water. He said it looked great until he got on the highway and the whole thing popped back out like a pimple. Have any of you dealt with a DIY repair that made the damage way worse before it came to you?

6

ellis.rose•4d ago

Vent: Client fought me on painting the door jambs and now the whole job looks half-assed

Had a guy bring in a 2018 F-150 last month. Wanted just the driver door painted after a parking lot scrape. I told him the jambs would stick out like a sore thumb if we didn't blend them. He said no, just paint the door face. I tried explaining once, he got snippy, so I shut up and did what he paid for. Now he's back complaining the color match is off. No shit. The door looks new next to dirty old jambs. Has anyone else just walked away from a job because the customer wouldn't listen?

30

alex_taylor10•5d ago

That time a customer's complaint fixed my paint matching approach

Had a guy about six months ago come back furious because his driver's door didn't match the rest of his silver F-150. I was sure I blended it right, but he pointed it out under the lot lights at dusk. He said 'you need to check your colors under different light, not just the booth.' That stung, but he was right. Now I always do a quick walk-around under natural light, fluorescent, and even my phone's flashlight before calling a job done. Anyone else get handed a reality check from a customer that actually improved their work?

20

matthewgonzalez•7d ago

Watched a customer try to explain "the dent just appeared" to my coworker Mike...

Stopped by that new chain shop on 5th street last Tuesday and watched a guy spend 15 minutes trying to convince the estimator that a 4 inch door ding was "from a shopping cart." Mike just nodded the whole time with this straight face while I nearly lost it behind a toolbox. Anyone else get these wild explanations for damage that clearly came from a parking lot hit and run?

17

margaret234•7d ago

Tried a paintless dent remover kit vs a pro and learned a lesson...

I had this little ding on my truck door from a shopping cart at the Fred Meyer lot last month. Figured I'd save some cash and bought a $40 paintless dent repair kit from the auto parts store. Spent a whole Saturday watching videos and poking at it with those little rods... made it worse honestly, ended up with a crease and a weird lump. Took it to a guy named Carlos down on 14th street who does this for a living, he had it out in 20 minutes with a set of lights and a carbon fiber tool. Cost me $90 but the door looks perfect now, like nothing ever happened. His shop was full of fancy stuff but he said most of it is just knowing where to push and how much pressure. Has anyone else tried those DIY kits and just ended up paying twice in the end?

2

wadeyoung•8d ago

Hit 500 hours of paint work without realizing it

I was cleaning out my workbench last Friday and found my old job log from when I first started. I had this habit of jotting down every paint job I did, just to track my progress. Turns out I passed 500 hours of actual paint time last month and never even noticed. That number caught me off guard because back when I was learning, I struggled just to get through a single panel without messing up. Now I can do a full door in under 2 hours with fewer runs and orange peel than I used to. It's not a huge milestone in the grand scheme, but it made me feel like I'm actually getting somewhere in this trade. Has anyone else ever hit a random number like that and had it surprise you?

6

torres.leo•24d ago

I compared two-part epoxy from a tube vs. a gun kit for a bumper repair and the difference was night and day

Had a cracked bumper cover on a 2018 Accord last month and tried the cheap tube stuff first because it was only 8 bucks at the parts store. It never fully hardened and the crack showed back up after 3 days. Swapped to the 3M gun kit with the mixing nozzle and that repair is still holding solid after a month of driving. Anyone else find the gun kits worth the extra hassle even for small jobs?

5

alicec86•26d ago

Dropped $400 on a nicer paint gun and it actually paid off in one week

Been using a cheap HVLP gun from Harbor Freight for like 2 years. Finally upgraded to a Devilbiss Finishline. First job with it was a metallic silver Accord and the difference was night and day. Less overspray, way better coverage, and I cut my clearcoat time in half. Wish I had done this sooner. Anyone else put off buying gear then regret it?

17

emmam67•26d ago

Hot take: You are probably over-sanding your primer jobs

I spent two hours on a Honda Civic last week trying to fix orange peel that wouldnt go away, then realized I was sanding the primer too smooth before paint. Does anyone else run into adhesion issues when the primer gets too slick?

4

wendy_bell83•29d ago

Walked into a shop in Detroit last Saturday and saw something wild

I stopped by a little collision center near 8 Mile to pick up a bumper cover I ordered. While I was waiting, I noticed they had four cars lined up with the exact same quarter panel damage. All late model Ford sedans, all crunched in the same spot above the rear wheel. The owner told me they see this pattern like clockwork from a certain pothole-riddled street near the old plant. Anyone else run into weird repeat damage patterns like that in your area?

20

elizabeth_bailey26•1mo ago

Warning: That new paint booth at the supplier demo was a complete lie

I went to the SEMA show back in November and saw a booth from a big paint supplier claiming their new clear coat could cut cure time by 40 percent. After talking to a rep for 20 minutes I realized they were only counting the flash time not the actual bake cycle. Has anyone else tested these new "fast cure" systems and found the real numbers don't match up?

1

troy_palmer76•1mo ago

Took a job last month in Bakersfield that taught me a hard lesson about clear coat timelines.

Customer brought in a car they wanted painted, but I didn't ask when the body shop down the street had sprayed the base. Clear peeled right off because it hadn't cured long enough, and now I'm eating the cost to redo it. Any of you guys ask about that stuff before booking a job?

0

wendygrant•1mo ago

Rant: Customer pointed out my mud work was too thick and I'm still mad about it

Honestly, a guy brought his 2012 F-150 into my shop in Nashville last month and said my filler was cracking because I was laying it on too heavy. I told him I've been doing this 8 years and I know my stuff. But he showed me a video of a class he took where the instructor said thin coats, like 1/8 inch max, and let it cure longer. I tried it on his truck and the finish came out way smoother. Now I'm wondering if I've been wasting time sanding for nothing. Anyone else get called out like that and actually changed their process?

1

gray_roberts•1mo ago

I used to laugh at guys who spent big on mixing paint with a scale, now I'm the one weighing it

For like 6 years I was the guy saying 'just eyeball it' when mixing paint. Thought digital scales were a waste of money for the small jobs we do at my shop in Nashville. Then last month I had to match a 2018 Toyota Camry pearl white and my first batch came out looking like bad vanilla ice cream. I stripped it, borrowed my buddy's Accu-Tint scale, and mixed it exactly to the formula. 2.3 grams off on the first try. Second batch came out perfect, spot on match. I went out that same week and bought my own scale for $150. Now I weigh every single mix and my redo rate has dropped way down. Anyone else have something they swore was overkill until they actually tried it?

21

averywright•1mo ago

Bought a cheap stud welder from Amazon and it lasted 3 dents

I picked up a $90 stud welder off Amazon last month to try pulling some dents on a side job. Worked fine for the first three pulls, then the gun started arcing and quit completely. Anyone got a recommendation for a decent welder that won't break the bank but actually holds up?

11

fiona_clark•1mo ago

Tried using a water-based primer on an old Chevy truck bed and it peeled off in sheets

Last week I sprayed a 1995 Chevy bed with PPG water-based primer because I wanted to cut down on VOC fumes in my shop near Tulsa. Within 48 hours it started lifting around the edges like cheap sticker. Turns out that old single-stage paint underneath had some wax or silicone still embedded. Learned the hard way I should have hit it with a wax remover first. Anybody else run into adhesion issues with water-based stuff on classic trucks?

18

robert_roberts•1mo ago

Pro tip: visiting a body shop in Pittsburgh made me rethink my dent puller

I was over near the strip district last week dropping off a fender and noticed this little shop on Penn Ave. They had a guy working on a 2018 Civic with a slide hammer that looked like something from the 80s, rusty and all beat up. I figured no way that thing works right, but he pulled a door ding out in like 2 minutes flat. What caught me was he didn't even use any filler after, just a little sanding and it was good. Made me realize I've been overcomplicating things with my fancy new tools when sometimes old stuff just works. Has anyone else seen a shop using really old gear that still gets the job done better than the new stuff?

10

kai657•1mo ago

PSA: wetsanding with a worn out DA pad saved me $80 on a respray

I was working on a '97 Civic in my shop last Wednesday and had this spot of orange peel that kept bugging me. My normal wetsanding process (800 grit then 1500 by hand) was taking forever and leaving scratches. On a whim I grabbed this old DA pad that was already pretty flat from use and ran it over the spot with some 3M compound. Leveled out perfect in like 3 minutes. No buffer marks. Now I keep a couple worn pads just for this. Anyone else found a weird shortcut that actually works better than the proper way?

15

thompson.tyler•1mo ago

Talked to a paint rep last Thursday and he changed how I mix clear coat

I was at the supplier in Columbus picking up some materials and started chatting with this PPG rep who's been in the game 30 years. He asked me why I always go heavy on the hardener in humid weather, and I said I thought it helped flow out better. He just shook his head and told me to stick to the exact ratio no matter what, then let the flash times do the work instead. Tried it on a 2015 silver Accord hood at school and the finish laid down way flatter than usual. Has anyone else been messing with ratios out of habit without realizing it?

14

leep89•1mo ago

Old timer called out my weld-through primer technique

Mark, a 30 year frame guy at the shop, watched me primer a pinch weld and just shook his head. He said I was laying it on way too thick which makes the spot welds pop. Switched to a lighter mist coat and a quick blow with the gun, anyone else get called out for something you thought you had dialed in?

29

troy_palmer76•1mo ago

Swapped from a hand file to a DA sander for bumper prep

I used to spend like 45 minutes per bumper just hand filing down the rough edges after cutting. Then last spring I picked up a Dynabrade DA sander with 80-grit and it cut that time down to maybe 10 minutes. The finish is way more consistent too, no more gouges from slipping with the file. Anyone else switched up their bumper prep routine recently?