PDR techs getting squeezed by competition

Paintless dent repair (PDR) is one of the
more highly skilled activities peribrmed by
mobile technicians. Despite this, people in
the business say the market is being crowded
by techs willing to sacrifice quality for profits, pushing
prices down for all technicians.
“There were three PDR guys servicing this area in
1992, now there are 60,” says Tommy Clayton, owner
ofToniiiiy’s Dent Service in Gibsonville, N.C.
“There’s been lots of downward pressure on prices
caused by low-cost guys and insurance companies
that develop contracts with body shops. If a dent tech
can’t compete on quality, he’ll drop his pants on
price.The next PDR tech who comes along, whether
he is good or not, must compete against that low
price. Sometimes he does the same thing and the
cycle continues.”
Clayton has been making a living as a mobile
PDR tech since 1992. Before that, he installed mobile
accessories, trim and stripes. “I got into the PDR
business with my uncle, who was one of the first in
North Carolina to do it,” he says. “I went into business
on my own in 1998.”
He said insurance companies also are cutting
PDR tech margins by developing pricing charts that
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do not take into account the amount of labor
involved in repairing certain kinds of dents, as well as
the degree of difficulty.
“insurance companies don’t want to pay any more
money for dropping the headliner or sunroof, which
takes more time” Clayton says. “Some PDR techs are
new and they won’t argue.The insurance company is
not the customer and should not set pricing.”
Some dents, such as those in roof rails, often must
be repaired using a more time-consuming process
called glue pulling.That procedure takes longer than
repairing a door dent, which is easier to access and
can be repaired using traditional tools.