c/auto-body-repairers

Cracked a 2017 F-150 frame rail today and nobody warns you about the cab mount bolts

I had a 2017 F-150 come into my shop in Tulsa last week with a bent frame rail from a curb hit. Straightened it out on the frame rack after about 4 hours of measuring and pulling. What caught me off guard was how rusted the cab mount bolts were even on a 7 year old truck from down here. Broke two extractors before I gave in and hit them with a torch and some PB Blaster. Finally got all 6 out without snapping any studs. Has anyone else noticed these newer trucks rusting faster in the cab mount areas?

Realized I was sanding dry this whole time after 5 years in the shop

I never wet-sanded anything... just rough grit to smooth with a DA and called it good. Last Wednesday my buddy Dave from the Cleveland shop handed me a wet sanding block for a 3-stage pearl job on a 2018 Mustang. The difference in clarity was night and day, no more hazy spots. Anybody else have that "oh duh" moment on a basic technique?

Heard someone swear by bondo for dent repair but I've always been a metal finisher purist

A guy at the local NAPA in Phoenix told me he does all his dings with just filler and primer, and I've spent years hammering everything straight with a slide hammer and dollies. Which approach holds up better long term for daily drivers you see?

Saw a dent puller ruin a quarter panel at a shop in Phoenix last Tuesday

I was picking up parts at a collision shop I sometimes work with. One of their new guys tried using one of those glue puller kits on a crease that was way too sharp. He ended up stretching the metal bad and they had to cut it out. Made me rethink how I train my own helper. Anyone had a repair that went south from using the wrong tool?

Am I the only one who thinks those big chain body shops cut too many corners?

I swung by a Maaco in Portland last week to grab some paint codes off a buddy's car. While I was waiting I watched them slap bondo on a dent without even sanding the area that well first. I mean maybe it's just me but that kind of work is gonna crack in a year no matter how good the paint looks. Anyone else notice stuff like that at the big chain places or am I being too picky?

Old timer told me I was overthinking filler work on a '94 F-150

Guy rolled into my shop last spring with a beat up '94 F-150, wanted me to make the rocker panels look perfect. I spent like an hour sanding and priming, trying to get it glass smooth. He walked over, looked at it, and said 'son, it's a work truck not a museum piece, just slather the filler on and get it close.' Changed my whole approach to job quotes now. When someone brings an old truck I ask flat out if they want it pretty or functional. Anyone else deal with customers who don't match the job you're picturing?

Vent: My paint gun clogged mid-job on a brand new Ford F-150

Honestly, I was about 2 hours into painting a 2024 Ford F-150 in Springfield last Tuesday when my Iwata LPH400 just stopped spraying. Turned out a chunk of dried clear coat flaked off my mixing cup and jammed the nozzle. I had to strip the whole gun and soak it in lacquer thinner for 20 minutes while the customer stared at me from the waiting room. Has anyone else had a random defect ruin a perfect paint day?

Pro tip: watching a guy at a swap meet in Ohio fix a dent with a hair dryer and compressed air changed my whole approach to paintless repair

I was waiting for a $10 part at the Columbus swap meet last month and saw this old timer pop a massive door ding out in under two minutes with just heat and a can of air duster, has anyone else tried that trick or was he just that skilled?

Overheard a customer at the parts counter say 'can't you just bang it out' and I almost lost it

Guy comes in with a quarter panel that looks like it got hit by a shopping cart at 60 mph. Kid at the counter tells him it's probably gonna need replacement and he goes 'my cousin said you can just heat it and pop it out.' I was grabbing a can of filler and about had to bite my tongue off. Took everything I had not to walk over and show him the crumple zone on his own car. Has anyone else had a run-in with a customer who thinks body work is just hitting stuff with a hammer?

TIL pulling dents with a stud welder beats the heck out of using a slide hammer for big quarter panels

I did a 2015 Camry quarter panel last week and started with a slide hammer like I always did. Took me like 45 minutes to get the main dent out and it still looked like garbage, tons of high spots. Then I remembered this old guy at a shop in Toledo telling me to try a stud welder for big flat areas. Grabbed the Harbor Freight stud welder I had sitting in my toolbox and pulled the rest of that dent out in maybe 15 minutes with way less filler needed. That slide hammer just puts too much stress on one spot and warps the metal. The stud welder lets you pull from multiple points so the panel stays straight. Has anyone else made the switch and noticed a big difference in their dent repair time?

PSA: Stop using body filler to fix dents that should be pulled

I see so many guys at the shop just slathering filler over dents that could be pulled in 10 minutes. Last week a guy brought in a fender with a 3 inch dent that was literally just a shallow crease. He had already put a quarter inch of filler on it. It took me 15 minutes with a stud gun and slide hammer to pull it flat. That filler is gonna crack and fail in a year or two and he'll be doing the job again. Why are people so scared of metal work?

I used to swear by basecoat/clearcoat from the big brands only

Had a job last month on a 2010 F-150 that needed a blend into the cab corner. Shop owner handed me a gallon of a no-name brand from a local supplier in Phoenix. I figured I'd be reclearing it in a week. 30 days later it still matched and laid down fine. I might have been wasting my money on Sikkens for basic solid colors. Anyone else get surprised by a cheaper paint line?

Rant: My HVLP spray gun clogged mid-job on a BMW bumper yesterday

Was spraying clear coat on a 2023 M4 bumper and the tip clogged after the first pass. Had to stop, pull the needle, and clean it out while the base coat was already tacking up. Ended up with a slight texture in the final finish that I had to wet sand and buff out. Anyone else ditched those cheap import guns for something more reliable?

Can we talk about how everyone switched to DA polishers but I still use a rotary by choice

I know I'm in the minority here but I've been using a rotary buffer since 2008 and I just can't make the switch. Tried a DA last summer on a 2018 F-150 with heavy scratches and it took me almost twice as long to get the same cut. Yeah you can burn paint with a rotary but if you know what you're doing and keep the speed right around 1200 rpm its way faster for wet sanding correction. Anybody else still sticking with the old school method?

Had a gallon of primer split on me last Tuesday at the shop in Albany

The seal looked fine but it blew out when I tipped it, got that stuff all over a customer's hood before I could catch it. You guys ever have a bucket let go like that for no reason?

Finally changed my mind about waterborne paint after a job in Phoenix

I always thought solvent-based was the only way to get a good metallic finish. Then I had to do a pearl white on a 2022 Toyota Camry for a customer in that 115 degree heat last July. The waterborne laid down flat with no dry spray issues, and I haven't touched solvent since. Any of you guys made the switch and regretted it?

Had a run of perfect color matches this whole week and it felt amazing

I don't know what was in the water this week but I mixed five different pearl tri-coats and every single one laid down perfectly. Tuesday I had a 2018 Toyota in here with that super finicky Blizzard Pearl and I was sweating bullets but it blended right into the adjacent panel no problem. Then Wednesday a guy brought in his old Ford truck with this faded red that looked impossible and I got it spot on first try with just some tint adjustments. The shop foreman even walked by and said "dude what's your secret" which never happens. I usually mess up at least one blend per week so this is throwing me off. Has anyone else had weirdly good runs like that or does it mean I'm due for a massive screwup next week?

My new compressor motor seized after less than 200 hours - what a joke

My DA sander grenaded mid panel last Friday and I had to improvise a fix

I was blocking out a quarter panel on a 2018 Civic and my 6 inch DA sander just locked up solid. The backing pad seized right in the middle of a pass. I popped it apart and found the bearing had basically turned into gravel inside the housing. It was 3pm on a Friday and I couldn't get a replacement till Monday. So I pulled the old bearing out with a pick set, packed the cavity with lithium grease as a temp fix, and got through the rest of the panel by the skin of my teeth. Has anyone else had a tool die on them mid job and had to MacGyver something just to finish?

My body shop teacher told me I was sanding in circles and it took me 3 weeks to break the habit.

He just watched me for 30 seconds on a 2005 Civic hood and said "you're making fish eyes" because my circular pattern was leaving tiny ridges, so now I only go back and forth in one direction and the primer lays down way flatter, has anyone else had a supervisor call out a tiny thing that totally changed your finish work?

Hot take: I think the $300 I spent on a dedicated paint thickness gauge was a complete waste for my small shop.

Everyone said it was essential for blending, but I've matched panels perfectly for a decade just by eye and feel, so has anyone else skipped this tool and been fine?

Faced a tough call on a quarter panel for a 2018 Civic

Had a customer with a pretty bad dent that went right into the wheel arch, and I had to choose between cutting out the whole section and welding in a new piece or trying to pull and fill it. I went with the cut and weld because the metal was stretched too thin, and it came out clean but added about 4 hours to the job. For a repair like that, do you guys usually lean toward replacement or do you try to save the original panel first?

Showerthought: a customer's comment about my paint match changed how I see my own work

I was finishing a fender repair on a 2017 Civic, and the customer, an older guy who used to work in a body shop in the 80s, was watching. He said, 'You know, you can get the color perfect, but if you don't get the texture of the clear right, it'll always catch the light wrong.' He pointed out a spot where my clear was a bit too orange-peely compared to the factory door. I'd been so focused on the color formula I kinda missed that. It hit different because it wasn't a complaint, just a quiet tip from someone who's been there. Made me realize I need to pay more attention to the whole finish, not just the paint. How do you guys check your clear coat texture before you call a job done?

My old boss in Charlotte told me my welds looked like bird poop

He pulled me aside after a job on a 2018 F-150 bed and said I was moving too fast, not letting the puddle form right. I started counting to three between each tack, and my welds got way cleaner. How do you guys keep your speed right on thin panel work?

A customer in Boise said my clear coat looked 'wavy' under shop lights. Now I check panels with a halogen work lamp before calling it done.