Used to freehand every dent pull on Saturday jobs - now I laser measure the whole panel first

Back in 2018 at a small shop outside Austin, I was pulling dents by eye like some kind of cowboy. Ended up making a simple door ding into a full respray because I pulled too hard in one spot. Now I bust out my Hella-Puls 3000 meter and map the whole panel before I even touch a stud welder. Anyone else switch from gut feeling to actual numbers and regret not doing it sooner?

3 comments

3 Comments

scott.olivia2d ago

oh man, i totally get that. i used to be the same way, just eyeballing everything and thinking i had the magic touch. then i had this one job on a 2020 civic where i basically made the dent worse and had to call a buddy to come fix my mess. now i pull out my little depth gauge and do a grid pattern across the panel first. it feels like cheating at first, but honestly i should have bought that thing years ago. i mean, it's not like my gut was ever that accurate anyway.

kimw572d ago

That "felt like cheating at first" line hit home because I went through the same thing where I kept second guessing myself with the meter in my hand. The way I got past it was just forcing myself to do the grid pattern on every job for two weeks straight, no exceptions, until it felt as natural as breathing. Now I honestly get nervous if I have to pull a dent without at least a quick depth check first.

taylor_patel2d ago

Did you ever find yourself double-checking the meter when you still thought you were right?