[anandpadhye]

While looking for an economical way to repair a dent on my Skoda Laura I came across a Paintless Dent Removal Service offered by Mr. Sudhir Gaikwad.

Positives:
- Honest assessment and estimate
- Punctual and professional work
- Door step service (work done at customer premises)
- Economical
- Minimum wastage (very high chances of original paint remaining intact)

Negatives:
- Effectiveness may vary depending upon size and position of the dent
- May not achieve 100% original finish
- Need access to electric supply (standard 5A socket)

Here are the contact details:



Here is a link that led to my experience with him (which is quoted below):
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...ml#post3460409

I continued to look for workshops and bumped into a "Paintless Dent Removal" option (posted by a lot of owners on other forums as well as on team-bhp). And this is right here in Pune (Mr. Sudhir Gaikwad). I called him and he asked me to send pictures of the dent on whats app! I did that and he got back saying:
- will remove the black marks using a cream and brush
- will be able to remove 90% of the dent on the door
- won't be able to repair the dent on the running board
- work will be done at my place (he always work on customer's premises)
- estimate: Rs. 1500

I liked the candid and prompt feedback and decided to give this a try before doing anything drastic. We decided to meet today at 8AM and he was at my place at 7:40AM ! We took the power supply from my house (1st floor) and he started the work.

This is how it went:

The overall dent:


A closer look at the dent:


Removing the black marks using some cream:




Starting to pull the dent:


The result:





He requested me not to take pictures when he actually pulled the dents out as that's his USP, so I agreed.

Overall, he could remove 80% of the dent, the side strip posed a challenge, some areas around it could not be restored fully. Also, as per him, when the door received the hit, the metal hit some parts inside (like the glass winder) and hence a couple of small spots around the side-strip got dented from inside. He used a plastic hammer to even them out, but said that only spot welding will restore them fully. Final result is quite acceptable, original paint is intact, and it's no more an eyesore when you look at the car casually. A closer look surely reveals the uneven surface at places. But I can definitely live with this and take my own time to study this whole dent-painting ecosystem, find a competent and reasonable garage that believes in minimizing wastage, has the right tools and most importantly, calls rivets "rivets" and not "ribbits"

[john doe]

Your photos reminded me of infomercial ads on TV for a similar low-budget product that I used to see in the US:

http://amzn.com/B003PMBX06

I am sure anyone in the US will have seen these type of infomercials too!

[alpha1]

Does this guy also do painting work (minor touch-ups as well major).
Also what about the pricing for your job?

[anandpadhye]

Originally Posted by john doe

Your photos reminded me of infomercial ads on TV for a similar low-budget product that I used to see in the US:

http://amzn.com/B003PMBX06

I am sure anyone in the US will have seen these type of infomercials too!

Yes, people in the US tend to do most of the maintenance themselves, unlike us Indians who are just lazy :-)

Originally Posted by alpha1

Does this guy also do painting work (minor touch-ups as well major).
Also what about the pricing for your job?

Only minor paint touch-up.
BTW, he charged me Rs. 1500 for my job.

[alpha1]

Originally Posted by anandpadhye

Only minor paint touch-up.
BTW, he charged me Rs. 1500 for my job.

Thanks will check - the guy appears to be quite close to my house and I do require some minor kind of paint job.

[SaurabhSaran]

Good job done, at 1500 bucks its very reasonable that too at your doorstep.

I hope while removing the black spots this guy have not used any strong chemical/cream which would have effect the paint of the car.

Replacing the side strip will make this more clean.

Did you inquired with ASS how much they will charge for this job? and I am sure that would have given you bigger dent on your pocket.

-
SS

[moralfibre]

My elder bro had a hit on his Vento's rear wheel arch. We had called up Sudhir and requested him to fix it. Sent pictures on whatsapp and he gave a quote for repair. An appointment was fixed and he made it on time. Repair work carried out cured about 80-90% of the dent. While he was working on the car, he got business from two other neighbors to fix minor dents on their cars.

Positives:

- Courteous and down to earth person.
- Punctual and professional.
- Uses latest technology for client interactions like whatsapp to prepare himself.

Negatives:

- It seems the paintless dent repair is more effective on Jap and Korean cars as compared to Germans. The sheet metal used on the Germans is obviously much tougher in comparison. The dents on our neighbors Estilo and i10 were convincingly removed to 100% satisfaction.
- Requires a power socket where work is being carried out. Might be a problem for many to arrange.

[ebonho]

Does this work for dents in fiber (bumpers) also, or only in sheet metal sections?

[comfortablynumb]

Originally Posted by ebonho

Does this work for dents in fiber (bumpers) also, or only in sheet metal sections?

Works just fine on bumpers too. Take a look:

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...ml#post1457268

Cheers,
Vikram

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by comfortablynumb

Works just fine on bumpers too. Take a look:

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...ml#post1457268

Cheers,
Vikram

Thanks Vikram. Will keep this in mind for future reference.

[Hrishi_111]

I had chance to work with Mr. Sudhir Gaikwad for repair/dent removal for my Wagon-R recently.

The car received a hit on right rear side while being reversed in the parking and resulted in a major dent in bumper as well as broken tail light assembly (thankfully the tail gate was saved by few centimeters).

In this case, the repair work involved replacing the tail light assembly along with bumper dent removal and hence required purchase of some components by my own from a nearby automobile spare shop.

Sudhir promptly provided a repair cost estimate as well as guided me to a spare shop where I can get the tail light assembly at reasonable costs. He was also willing to provide doorstep service at time convenient to me, however I decided to visit his workshop due to unavailability of 5A power socket in the parking area.

Next day when I reached his workshop (apparently a place he opts on lease per case basis), he was present with all preparations in advance and started working on the repairs immediately.

It took around an hour and half to complete this procedure and he also helped with some additional dents in the rear left door of the car.

All this was done for an amount less than 1.5K (excluding the cost of spares) and what I can say is the result was simply fantastic. Though a keen eye can still identify the repaired area (mainly due to slight difference in color), I am happy to live with it as I am not willing to spend on the entire bumper replacement.

Will definitely recommend his services to fellow BHPians in Pune.

[DeKay]

Decided to call Mr. Sudhir Gaikwad (+91 9552629516) today for paint-less dent removal, even though he's based in Pune, I've seen a lot of members use his services here in Mumbai.

As luck would have it, he was very close to my house when I called him today. Called him over, I had 4 dents that were bothering me and needed fixing; didn't want to go to VW for them.

Before:

During:

After:

Pros:

-Responsive on WhatsApp - I Sent him pictures of the dents and he replied
with quotes for each.
-Doorstep service
-Knowledgeable
-Treats your car well
-Attention to detail - Spent a good 3 hours working on my car and made sure I was happy with everything
-He'll tell you if he can't do something - Won't do a shoddy job just to make a quick buck
-Took all Covid precautions, I didn't have to tell him to sanitise or wear a mask. (You'd be surprised at the number of people just don't care here in Mumbai)
-Keeps traveling to Mumbai - At least once a week

Cons:

-This is relative - But I paid INR 7500 for 4 dents, some people might not want to spend that much, but I'd rather my car be in the hands of a skilled professional and in my own premises, than a filthy workshop. That alone is worth a handsome premium to me.

-His tools need a socket, so if that isn't available where you live I don't think he'll be able to work on your car.

Conclusion

Would I recommend him?
Yes 100%

Will I use his services again?
You bet.

[vigsom]

Originally Posted by DeKay

I paid INR 7500 for 4 dents

The greatest advantage of PDR over conventional dent removal and painting is that the stock paint and fit is retained in the former.

Add to that the fact that dent removal and painting is pretty dirty work - lot of dust creeps into the car, the surfacer (grey primer) when wet sanded, leaves stains at odd spots inside the frame, etc. Even if the car is cleaned out after the job, some additional dust would still remain somewhere.

If it was 4 dents in 4 different panels, it is well worth the money, coz' the ballpark number to remove a dent and paint a panel is approx 2.5k a panel.

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by DeKay

Decided to call Mr. Sudhir Gaikwad (+91 9552629516) today for paint-less dent removal, even though he's based in Pune, I've seen a lot of members use his services here in Mumbai. Would I recommend him? Yes 100% Will I use his services again? You bet.

Thank you, this couldn't have come at a better time. My car has a small dent under the door handle courtesy an exuberant 6 year old and the brake lever on his new bicycle. It's bothering me. I'll get in touch with Mr Gaikwad.

[frewper]

Originally Posted by DeKay

-This is relative - But I paid INR 7500 for 4 dents, some people might not want to spend that much

I have used his services as well. I had a dent on the front fender and I got it removed through him. He charged me 1200 bucks for something that took him less than 40 mins to finish.

But heres the thing, the job is never perfect. undoing a dent leaves certain undulations on the surface, which is noticeable from some angles. I have lived with it a couple of years, but it annoys me whenever I notice it. and but now I have decided to get the panel repainted from my FNG. My FNG charges 2500 bucks per panel and if you think about it, I should have done that in the first place.

Given that repainting a panel involved all the putty work and sanding, repainting and clear coat, which means a lot of work, Mr. Sudhirs work doesnt seem to be value for money, given the result it achieves.