PDR is coming of age
Column by TOM BISSONNETTE
I remember the first time I saw a technician performing paintless dent repair (PDR), it was back in the mid 1990s and it was totally mesmerizing to watch the dents disappear by pushing them out from the back side. Then the thought struck me: “What is this going to do for the workflow of my bodyshop?”
For a number of years, the relationship was a bit testy between bodyshops that thought the PDR guys were eating their lunch and our insurance company put limits on how much PDR could be done on a panel to protect the bodyshop’s interests. For example, when the PDR costs reached 75 percent of the cost of replacing the panel it automatically switched to a traditional repair.
Fast forward 25+ years—the PDR Industry and the bodyshops have a good working relationship. I believe everyone has come to understand that, if we can repair a panel, it saves costs, cycle time and has less impact on the environment. It is better for the vehicle owner and just makes sense.
I have been working closely with the PDR Industry here in Saskatchewan for the last couple of years and I have learned more about that industry than I knew in the previous 25 years. In fact, SAAR currently has almost 20 members that PDR companies and we have added their concerns to our SAAR Technical Committee agenda when we meet with SGI.
The interesting thing is that, aside from a couple of additional access removal items, the original PDR agreement has essentially remained the same as it was in the mid 1990s. Working with some key local players, SAAR has been able to increase the max to repair allowance on panels up to 100 percent of the replacement cost—this has been a big roadblock to allowing PDR firms to eliminate panel replacement and painting on numerous hail jobs. With bodyshops as busy as they are, and supply chain issues, the work is not missed and everyone wins, especially the vehicle owner.
On the bodyshop side, we have been working with advanced metal repair companies like Betag Innovation where we have discovered that many panels that were previously replaced can be properly and safely repaired using a combination of PDR techniques including glue pulling and induction heat. By embracing this technology, it has made it easier for bodyshops to look at PDR not only for hail repair but traditional collision repairs as well.
One of the biggest pain points for hail repair has been the process of identifying all the damage by circling every dent, categorizing them and counting each one to produce a dent count. This is time consuming and nonproductive for PDR techs. In response to this concern, SGI has developed a made in Saskatchewan Matrix that will simplify the appraisal process and be revenue neutral. Naturally, every time somebody’s pay plan gets adjusted there is concern and SAAR will continue to work with SGI to assist this transition.
There are other issues like Access Time allowances, Large Hail Dent repair allowances and just rates in general, remember they have not changed in over 25 years. To accommodate these shifts SGI is looking at developing a similar program to the bodyshop’s Safe and Quality Auto Repair Program (SQARP) for the PDR Industry. Let’s face it, there are gaps in the PDR technician’s skill set that include having access to OEM repair procedures, scanning and calibrating ADAS systems and proper documentation of what repairs were done and how. The goal is to work with PDR firms over the next year and produce a reasonable Preferred Partner Program that lets the insurance company and bodyshops know that they have a trusted vendor doing their work.
Currently this is a work in progress as SGI continues to reach out to the collision shops and the PDR firms as we work together to provide safe and quality repairs for our mutual customers.
