c/auto-body-repairers

Warning: I keep seeing guys hammer out dents with body hammers that are way too heavy for the panel

I was working on a quarter panel last Tuesday and watched a guy next to me take 3 swings with a 3-pound hammer on a shallow dent... left craters everywhere. I switched to a 2-ounce cross-peen hammer for the same job and got it smooth in under 5 minutes. Has anyone else noticed guys using the wrong hammer weight for the metal thickness?

2 comments

kelly385•11h ago

Saw a huge difference after switching to waterborne paint

I been spraying solvent for about 10 years now. Finally made the switch to waterborne at my shop in Denver about 3 months ago. The color matching is way better and I dont have to mess with hardener and reducer ratios all day. First job I did was a 2018 Honda Accord in that dark blue metallic. It blended perfect on the first try and my painter buddy was shocked. But I still cant get used to how fast it dries in this dry air. Feels like I gotta move twice as fast. Anyone else have tips for keeping waterborne wet longer in low humidity?

2 comments

kaid59•12h ago

Rant: That overpriced paintless dent repair kit was a total waste of money

I picked up one of those $200 PDR kits online because everyone said it was a game changer for small dents. Tried it on a Honda Civic door ding last weekend and it left a weird ripple that I had to spend 2 hours sanding out. Has anyone actually gotten good results from those kits or is it all hype?

2 comments

the_karen•16h ago

I think we overdo the sanding between primer coats

I see it all the time in this community, guys sanding every single primer coat with 400 grit before moving on. On my last job, a 2015 Ford F-150 rear quarter panel, I tried something different. I laid down two coats of high build primer, let it cure overnight, then only block sanded the final coat with 320 grit before paint. The finish came out just as smooth as my usual three sanding sessions. I've been doing this for about 6 months now on about 15 different jobs, from bumpers to doors, and I haven't seen any reduction in paint adhesion or orange peel. We're adding an extra hour of labor per panel for no real gain. Has anyone else tested skipping the middle sanding step on repair work?

2 comments

caleb262•20h ago

Why did nobody tell me I was putting filler on bare metal this whole time?

I was working on a 2015 Ford F-150 quarter panel last Tuesday and kept getting pinholes after sanding. My buddy Tom walked over and asked if I was using epoxy primer first, and I just stared at him like a fool. Is this something they teach in real shops or am I the only one who missed that day?

2 comments

williams.kim•1d ago

Tried a cheap Amazon respirator on a big paint job and ended up coughing for three days straight

I grabbed a $15 mask off Amazon for a full Mercedes respray last Friday and halfway through clearcoat I could taste the paint, so what do you guys actually trust for lung protection that won't break the bank?

2 comments

jakel36•1d ago

Talked to a painter who's been doing this 40 years and he told me something that stuck

Said he never uses a hardener in his clear unless it's winter time, just slows the cure rate down way too much for his liking... He showed me a job he did 15 years ago that still looks fresh. Anyone else ever go without hardener just to see what happens?

2 comments

fiona_young•3d ago

Guy at the paint supply counter told me I'm "overreducing" my clear and it kinda stung

Was restocking on thinner yesterday at FinishMaster and the old timer behind the counter asked what ratio I run. I said 2:1 with like a 10% reducer because that's what I've always done on single stage. He just looked at me and said "That's probably why your coverage looks thin on the third coat." He wasn't being a jerk but it hit different because my last few jobs have been coming back for buffing more than usual. Has anyone else had a shop vet or supply guy call out your mix and it actually made you change your approach?

2 comments

jakel36•3d ago

Finally figured out a trick for blending metallic paint on a bumper repair I did last Thursday...

I had this Infiniti G37 where the metallic flake kept pooling in weird spots on the blend panel. Tried reducing the reducer ratio by 10% and it laid down way more even... has anyone else messed with thinner ratios to fix metallic alignment?

3 comments

bettywood•18d ago

Overheard a guy at the paint supply shop complaining about how no one preps panels right anymore

I was at Sherwin Williams off 5th street last Thursday grabbing some basecoat, and this older guy was just tearing into the kid behind the counter about how all these new body shops skip the wet sanding step on repaints. Said he's seen three cars come back in a month with peeling clear because someone got lazy. Kinda hit home for me. I've been guilty of rushing prep when the shop is booked solid, especially on insurance jobs where the estimate is tight. But hearing him go off, I started thinking about how I've actually had fewer callbacks since I forced myself to block out an extra 20 minutes per panel for a proper scuff and clean. Anyone else notice a difference when you slow down the prep work vs. when you try to power through?

2 comments

amy_foster79•19d ago

Had to pick between PPG and Sherwin-Williams clear coat on a resto job last month

I was doing a 1967 Mustang resto for a client and had to choose between PPG Deltron and Sherwin-Williams's new line of clears. PPG laid down way better right out of the gun, no fisheyes or orange peel to fight. Sherwin-Williams took three tries to get a smooth finish and still had some dust nibs I had to buff out. Has anyone else dealt with Sherwin-Williams clear coat being finicky like that?

3 comments

brian_rivera59•19d ago

Finally figured out how to fix that weird dent on my own car

Had this small crease by the tail light on my 2015 Civic that was bugging me for months. Tried the glue pull method with some cheap tabs from Amazon and it actually popped out clean in about 20 minutes. Anyone else have luck with glue pulling on tight spots?

3 comments

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mia748•21d ago

Noticed a big difference after I switched to waterborne primer

Sprayed two quarter panels last month one with old solvent primer and one with waterborne. The waterborne stuff laid down way smoother with less orange peel right out of the gun. Anyone else make that switch and see the same thing?

2 comments

max_ross•23d ago

Rant: I blew $200 on a cheap paint booth filter kit

I figured I'd save some cash and bought a no-name filter kit from a discount supplier instead of my usual brand. The paint finish came out with dust nibs all over a custom blue job I was doing for a customer. Anyone else ever get burned trying to cut corners on shop supplies like this?

2 comments

king.wyatt•23d ago

Had an old Ford truck come in with bondo so thick I found a soda can inside the quarter panel

The owner said his uncle did the work in the 80s and I guess he figured a crushed Pepsi can was as good as metal, has anyone else found random junk inside body filler on older cars?

2 comments

angela_grant•24d ago

Used to swear by lacquer thinner for cleaning guns, now I won't touch the stuff.

A painter in Denver showed me how it was eating away the plastic caps on our mix cups after a $200 batch went bad. Switched to acetone last month and haven't had a single issue since. Anyone else ditch lacquer thinner after a nasty surprise?

2 comments

gavin_kelly91•25d ago

That one customer who watched me sand for 20 minutes straight

Had a guy last Wednesday bring in a 2015 F150 with a dented driver side door. I told him it'd be around $600 to fix and repaint. He just stood there in the shop, arms crossed, watching me work the DA sander for like 20 minutes without saying a word. Finally he goes "you know, I thought this was gonna be a rip off but I can see you actually earn your pay." Paid in cash on the spot. That stuck with me because most people just drop the keys and leave. Has anyone else had a customer hang around and actually watch the whole process?

3 comments

hugoh55•26d ago

That time in Dallas a customer argued their dent was 'character' not damage

Last month a guy brought in a 2018 F-150 with a door ding you could fit a fist through, said he wanted it left alone because it added 'personality.' I told him it would rust out in 6 months down here in Texas humidity. Why do people think body damage is like a patina on a classic?

3 comments

faith684•28d ago

PSA: Stop sanding body filler with 80 grit if you want it to last

I keep seeing jobs come into the shop where guys are knocking down filler with 80 grit then shooting primer right over it. Those deep scratches come right back through the paint after a few months in the sun. I had a customer last summer with a 2018 Ford F-150 hood I redid because of this. Use 180 at minimum for the final pass. Takes an extra 10 minutes but saves a comeback. Anybody else dealing with this?

3 comments

hunt.quinn•29d ago

Watched a body shop in Vegas take a shortcut on a unibody pull - call them out or let it slide?

I was in Las Vegas last week getting parts for my own side work and walked past a shop that was pulling a unibody car. The tech only tack-welded the pulling tabs on three spots instead of the full seam like you're supposed to. He had the car under tension for maybe 20 minutes and called it done. I know some guys say if the panel's not structural it doesn't matter, but I've seen those tacks pop off and mess up a door gap later. Any of you deal with shops skipping steps like that and do you say something or just mind your own business?

3 comments

fox.derek•29d ago

That cheap paint gun off Amazon I laughed at...

I finally caved and bought that $79 spray gun everyone was talking about on the forums, figured it'd be junk. Used it on a fender last week and the finish came out way better than my $600 gun from 3 years ago. Anyone else have good luck with budget tools lately?

3 comments

oliver_morgan•1mo ago

Old way of blocking dents with a stud welder vs. now using a glue pull system

I used to go straight to the stud welder for every dent, I thought that was the only real way. Then about six months ago a guy from a shop in Portland came through and showed me how he uses a glue pulling system for shallow dents on thin metal. I tried it on a 2020 Civic door where someone keyed it and the dent was barely 1mm deep. The glue pull took way less time and I didn't have to grind down any weld marks. Now I only break out the stud welder for deep creases or heavy damage. What systems are you guys running for shallow work these days?

3 comments

allen.ivan•1mo ago

Picked a Rotunda frame rack over a Chief and kinda second-guessing it

Had to choose between a Rotunda Shark and a Chief EZ Liner for my shop in Omaha. I went with the Rotunda because I got a decent deal on a used one from a dealer that was upgrading. But man, the pull points on the Chief were way more flexible and I'm wondering if I made the wrong call for unibody work. Any of you guys run a Shark full time and regret not going with something else?

2 comments

anna_ross19•1mo ago

Dropped $600 on a used spot welder and it paid off in one job

I picked up a used spot welder from a shop closing down near me for $600. Used it on a Honda Civic quarter panel last week and it saved me hours of drilling and plug welding. The welds came out cleaner than any I've done with a MIG gun. That one job alone would have cost me $400 in labor if I did it the old way. Has anyone else tried switching to a dedicated spot welder for light panel work?

3 comments

karen_west59•1mo ago

Pro tip: Use a heat gun on old adhesive before sanding... learned the hard way

Had a 2017 Ford F-150 in my bay Tuesday, tried sanding down some old trim adhesive dry and it just smeared everywhere. Took me an extra 45 minutes to clean it off with solvent after. Anyone else got a better trick for getting that sticky residue off?

3 comments