I switched from a full sand on every dent to just spot priming and it's been a game changer

Honestly, for years I was taught to sand the whole panel around a small dent to avoid a halo effect, no matter what. About eight months ago, a guy at a trade meet in Phoenix showed me his spot work with a 3-inch DA and a good blocking primer. I tried it on a 2018 F-150 bedside ding, and the repair time dropped from three hours to maybe forty-five minutes. The key is getting the feather edge perfect and using a sealer that really bites. Now I only do a full panel sand for major color changes or deep damage. Anyone else moved away from the 'sand it all' method for minor stuff?

3 comments

3 Comments

lilyt2314d ago

But doesn't that just push the repair down the road for the next guy when it fails?

vera2914d ago

What if the next guy can't afford a full fix right now either? Sometimes a cheap patch job is the only way to keep a car on the road for a family that needs it to get to work. A temporary repair that buys six months can mean the difference between having a car and having none. It's not ideal, but it's real life for a lot of people. Isn't it better to have a band-aid solution than no solution at all when money is that tight?

the_faith14d ago

Ever tried to put a band-aid on a crack in a dam? That's my level of car repair, honestly. I've kept a beater running for a year on duct tape and hope because the grocery money couldn't also be brake line money. It's a scary way to live, but sometimes you're just buying time until the next paycheck that maybe, hopefully, has a little extra.