c/auto-body-repairers

That one week where every single car had a plastic bumper

Last week at the shop, we had seven cars in a row, all needing plastic bumper repair. It was a weird run. The third one, a Honda Civic, had a crack right through the emblem that needed a special weld. By Friday, my mixing gun felt like an extension of my hand. Anyone else get these weird streaks of the same exact repair job?

A quick chat with a painter in Toledo made me stop hating plastic welders

I was helping my buddy Mike with a bumper repair last week, and he said, 'You know, that plastic welder you hate is just a tool you haven't learned yet.' He showed me his technique on a broken tab, using a steady hand and the right filler rod. It held better than any epoxy I've used, and the prep was way faster. I guess I was just scared of melting the part. Anyone have tips for a beginner on which welder to start with?

Watching a guy in a Milwaukee shop fix a dent with a heat gun and a can of air changed how I handle plastic bumpers forever.

He heated the backside of a polypropylene bumper cover for about 90 seconds, then hit it with the compressed air upside down to freeze it, and the dent just popped right out without cracking the paint.

Serious question, do you still use body filler on quarter panels or go straight to metal finishing?

Back when I started at a shop in Kansas City, we'd slap on filler for every quarter panel dent, no question. The old guys taught me to get it close with a hammer and dolly, then just bury it in filler and sand it smooth. That was the way for years. But about 3 years ago, I started working with a guy who was a total metal maniac. He'd spend an extra hour with a shrinking disc and a planishing hammer to get the metal perfect, using maybe a skim coat of glaze at most. At first I thought he was wasting time, but the repairs held up way better, especially on cars that see salt. Now I'm split. The filler method is faster for getting the car out the door, but the metal work feels more honest and lasts. What's your shop's standard for something like a door ding that's pushed the metal in a good inch?

My buddy thought I could fix his bumper with duct tape and a prayer

I had to break it to him that it takes more than that. We had a good laugh about it after.

Warning: Hand-filing a quarter panel feels like a lost art

Honestly, I remember when we'd all gather around a fender, sharing stories while wet-sanding. Tbh, now everyone's stuck on their tablets for color matching. We mixed paint by eye and feel back then, and you really learned the craft. Ngl, the new systems are spot on, but you lose that hands-on skill. I miss the teamwork of fixing a dent together, not just scanning and programming. It's progress, but sometimes I think back to those slower days.

I used to laugh at touch-up pens, but after fixing a classic car, I'm a believer.

Matching this metallic paint took three tries and a week

I was ready to pull my hair out by the end.

I still use a slide hammer for some jobs, and people think I'm crazy.

At my shop, hydraulic pullers are the go-to for frame work now. I keep my old slide hammer because feeling the metal move gives me a better sense of the repair than any digital readout. Do you have any old tools you just can't let go of?

My aunt's wedding dent inspection dilemma

I was at my cousin's wedding last weekend, and my aunt pulls me aside to look at her car. She had a dent from a shopping cart, and she wanted me to check it out right then. I'm in a suit, at a wedding, and she's showing me her bumper. I tried to be nice, said I could give her a quote on Monday, but she kept pushing for a 'family discount'. It's so awkward because I don't want to be rude, but this is how I make a living. I have costs for materials and time, you know? It's not like I can just wave a wand and make it perfect. Plus, doing favors for family always leads to more favors. Now my uncle texted me about his truck's paint chip. It never ends.

Just got back from a conference in Detroit, the road salt there is next level.

Undercoat any vehicle that'll be driven in that area.

Finally cracked the code on quick filler sanding

I used to hate how long it took to sand body filler smooth on every job. After trying a bunch of ways, I found that using a block sander with 80 grit first then 220 grit works best. Keeping steady hands and checking with a light really helps avoid low spots. Now I save so much time and the panels come out ready for paint much faster.

Why do so many shops skip proper weld-through primer?

I've been fixing cars for years, and it blows my mind how often I see weld spots rusting out because guys don't use the right primer. Just last month, I redid a quarter panel repair where the previous shop welded straight to bare metal. Six months later, it was already bubbling up with rust. Don't they know that weld-through primer seals the metal from moisture? It's not rocket science, but skipping it seems so common. I've even had buddies argue that it's a waste of time if you're painting over it fast. But come on, isn't the goal to make the repair last? Why risk a comeback job just to save ten minutes? What's the point of doing half a job?

Warning: When a client asked me to skip blending paint to save time

It hit me that doing a half job hurts my name more than saying no. I'm standing my ground on proper repairs from now on.

Mixing filler in small batches saved me material and time

This led to cleaner repairs with less rework.

Rant: Touching up paint in a rest area was part of the journey.

Cars were simpler then. You could match colors by eye. Now it's all codes and computers.

Why I gave up on the usual way to blend clearcoat

Most shops around here blend clearcoat by feathering it way out, but I kept getting a visible line on pearl white paints. I figured out that if I mix a tiny bit of base coat into the clear and spray a wider, softer edge, it disappears completely. Your mileage may vary, but for me, this fix worked on three tough jobs last month.