Hello all,

GOAL/PURPOSE: To properly fill a dent on my car and prep it for a vinyl wrap. It does not matter how the paint/body will look underneath the wrap as I will be rewrapping my car when the time comes.

Current condition:


Basic steps:
- sand the dent and the surrounding area to metal
- apply 1st layer filler + rebuild wheel arch body line
- sand along body shape and form a new wheel arch body line
- apply 2nd layer filler
- sand
- add touch up filler for pinholes
- sand + feather out the filled area ~3 inches
- apply filler primer
- sand + work up to 2500 grit
- apply 2k clear coat
- sand + work up to 2500 grit
- done?

I have considered laying down epoxy primer for rust prevention but have read that filler attaches to metal better and rust is not an issue if there isn't any present, so I've decided to lay the filler directly on the metal body, is this a problem?

Also after I apply the filler primer and sand to 2500 grit, should I apply a 2k clear coat on top for maximum adhesion for the vinyl wrap? I've done some researching and it seems that filler primer and primer in general is a poor substrate for vinyl wrap, it doesnt stick well unless sanded to 2500 grit and clayed. As mentioned above it doesn't matter how the body will look, so should I stick with the primer + 2500 grit technique or apply a 2k clear coat just to be sure? Can you put clear coat over primer if so?

Man, I wouldn't do any of that.... I'd get in the car and drive it down to my local PDR (paintless dent removal ) guy and an hour or so later he would be done. If you are vinyl wrapping you don't want to compromise that OEM coating. That is the optimum surface for that plastic wrap to stick too.... Maybe other guys will encourage you to go somewhat as you have outlined but I'm telling you vinyl wrap sticks and removes the best over OEM paint. I do accesory wrapping on my project cars all the time.....

DarrelK wrote:Man, I wouldn't do any of that.... I'd get in the car and drive it down to my local PDR (paintless dent removal ) guy and an hour or so later he would be done. If you are vinyl wrapping you don't want to compromise that OEM coating. That is the optimum surface for that plastic wrap to stick too.... Maybe other guys will encourage you to go somewhat as you have outlined but I'm telling you vinyl wrap sticks and removes the best over OEM paint. I do accesory wrapping on my project cars all the time.....

I agree that was one of my concerns too since vinyl wrap relies heavily on what its laid on, otherwise it won't more than a year and will start peeling or bubbling in 6 months.

My current solution is to use filler primer, sand to 2500 grit, then apply 2k clear coat, and then sand again to 2500 grit for maximum smoothness. I got a quote from the best PDR guy in town and he quoted me for 1.2k which I find too much for PDR, otherwise I would've forked over the cash and be done w it.

nitbut wrote:- sand the dent and the surrounding area to metal
- apply 1st layer filler + rebuild wheel arch body line
- sand along body shape and form a new wheel arch body line
- apply 2nd layer filler
- sand

If you do this you will have a high ring around the outside of the dent and the middle will be flat. Because it's deep you then run the risk of the filler failing and/or cracking.

Think of a dent like a meteor crater - there's always a high ring around the outside as what was displaced inside has to go somewhere. That dent needs to be fixed properly otherwise your new wrap will show up every one of your mistakes. Guaranteed.

nitbut wrote:but have read that filler attaches to metal better

Rubbish. Filler will adhere to epoxy as well, if not better than to bare metal. It's the preferred method used by just about any restorer and you have the epoxy there to protect against rust. No rust there now, you say? There will be later.

Personally I'd shop around for another PDR tech. I would have expected $300-400 and, as mentioned above, you'd retain the original paint. Even if you just finish a repair with primer or epoxy sealer it's going to cost you that in materials anyway and, if you're not experienced, the job won't be as good.

Not too much in that list that works.
Step 1 repair metal with hammer and dolly, pry tools, whatever it takes to get the metal back in shape.
2 grind off all paint in damaged areas, use filler judiciously to perfect the shape, Sand to an 80 or 180 grit finish.
3 DA out perimeter paint edge to 180 finish
4 Primer fille
5 let dry, guide coat and block with 320, fix low spots and pinholes with catalysed glaze6 reprime, guide and block again, with 500, finish with 600 for metallics,
6 paint ( that's a whole thread, search it.

Yeah, keep shopping. Around me that's in the $600 to $800 range max. from the pdr guys. There can be quite a bit of variation in pricing. An example of this is my cousin who is a pro pinstripe and graphics guy. He only lives an hour or so from me but he is about 1/2 the price of the pro guys around here....shop, shop, shop.....

I contacted 6 more shops. Cheapest quote I got is 900 from one shop. 3 shops quoted me at 1k+ and the other two shops said that this is borderline PDR and they can't do it. Leaves me with few options...

NFT5 wrote:

nitbut wrote:- sand the dent and the surrounding area to metal
- apply 1st layer filler + rebuild wheel arch body line
- sand along body shape and form a new wheel arch body line
- apply 2nd layer filler
- sand

If you do this you will have a high ring around the outside of the dent and the middle will be flat. Because it's deep you then run the risk of the filler failing and/or cracking.

Think of a dent like a meteor crater - there's always a high ring around the outside as what was displaced inside has to go somewhere. That dent needs to be fixed properly otherwise your new wrap will show up every one of your mistakes. Guaranteed.

nitbut wrote:but have read that filler attaches to metal better

Rubbish. Filler will adhere to epoxy as well, if not better than to bare metal. It's the preferred method used by just about any restorer and you have the epoxy there to protect against rust. No rust there now, you say? There will be later.

Personally I'd shop around for another PDR tech. I would have expected $300-400 and, as mentioned above, you'd retain the original paint. Even if you just finish a repair with primer or epoxy sealer it's going to cost you that in materials anyway and, if you're not experienced, the job won't be as good.

That's what I thought but I've come across probably around 100+ posts by now all spanning back a decade arguing over whether or not epoxy is necessary or even possibly detrimental. If I were to use epoxy how should it be prepped for filler?

chopolds wrote:Not too much in that list that works.
Step 1 repair metal with hammer and dolly, pry tools, whatever it takes to get the metal back in shape.
2 grind off all paint in damaged areas, use filler judiciously to perfect the shape, Sand to an 80 or 180 grit finish.
3 DA out perimeter paint edge to 180 finish
4 Primer fille
5 let dry, guide coat and block with 320, fix low spots and pinholes with catalysed glaze6 reprime, guide and block again, with 500, finish with 600 for metallics,
6 paint ( that's a whole thread, search it.

okay some questions I have:

1) grind down dent paint and surrounding area
2) shape metal as close as to original shape with hammer and blowtorch
3) lay down 2k epoxy primer, no need to sand, most epoxy primers are not sandable
4) layer the filler and build the shape (not sure how I'll be able to rebuild the wheel arch or if there are
any special techniques or tricks to perfect that shape, currently I plan on building the overall shape,
trace the arch, place masking tape around the trace, sand upwards to build an edge) - what would be a good grit
range to build the shape?
5) sand perimeter edge to 180 grit (higher grit not necessary?)
6) add powder guide coat to find low spots and pinholes, build low spots and fill pinholes with primer, sand again
to 600 grit
6) add filler primer, sand and feather to 600 grit
7) apply 2k clear coat - sand to 2500 grit
polish car
9) clean and vinyl wrap

So what's your background in autobody? How many cars have you painted? When I read between the lines on a list like that I am assuming this is your first time doing this???..... I am not saying you can't maybe luck into getting it done but you'll probably start feeling that $900 pdr job was worth saving for about half way through it.....