PDR Universe

Choosing the wrong PDR trainer can cost you thousands of euros and leave you without the skills you expected to learn. In Episode 44 of PDR Universe, Žan Vidic and Zeeshan discuss how to recognize good Paintless Dent Repair training, identify warning signs of poor-quality courses, and choose a trainer who can actually help you improve. The discussion starts with a technician who paid for in-person...

What do you do when someone has already tried to fix a dent — and made it worse? In Episode 43 of PDR Universe, Žan Vidic and Zeeshan discuss how to approach bad PDR repairs and, just as importantly, how to recover from our own mistakes. Sharp push marks. Over-pulled highs. Remaining lows. Poor knockdown work. Stretched metal. Cracked paint. Once someone has already worked on a dent, the repair ca...

What is Push to Paint, when should a PDR technician use it, and how good does the repair actually need to be? In Episode 42 of PDR Universe, Žan Vidic and Zeeshan take a deep dive into Push to Paint and why we believe PDR technicians should embrace these repairs instead of avoiding them. The episode starts with a severely damaged Range Rover door Žan recently repaired. The paint was already cracke...

Are cheap PDR tools actually making it harder for beginners to learn Paintless Dent Repair? In Episode 41 of PDR Universe, Žan Vidic and Zeeshan discuss one of the biggest questions new PDR technicians face: what tools should you buy when you're starting out? We completely understand why beginners look at cheap PDR tools. You're not making money from PDR yet, professional tools can get exp...

Should you work for yourself as a PDR technician or work for a large PDR or hail company? In Episode 40 of PDR Universe, Žan Vidic and Zeeshan compare two very different paths through the PDR industry. Žan started his career working for a larger PDR company before eventually building his own business, while Zeeshan has spent most of his career working independently and building his own customer re...

We're still in Las Vegas, and PDR Expo is officially over. In Episode 39 of PDR Universe, Žan Vidic and Zeeshan break down the weekend — the education, tools, people and, most importantly, the competitions. Zeeshan took 2nd place in Dent Trials 🏆 after facing three extremely difficult dents in only 90 minutes. We break down what worked, what didn't, where he lost time and what he would ch...

Why would two PDR technicians travel all the way from Europe to Las Vegas for a PDR Expo? In the REAL Episode 38 of PDR Universe, Žan Vidic and Zeeshan record directly from the Rio Hotel in Las Vegas the day before PDR Expo begins. We talk about our journey to Vegas, long-haul travel, the cost of attending international PDR events and why we believe expos and competitions are worth the investment....

Are newer cars actually harder to repair with PDR? In Episode 37 of PDR Universe, Žan Vidic and Zeeshan compare working on older vehicles with modern cars — and despite all the additional technology found in today's vehicles, we both think modern cars are generally easier for PDR. We discuss thick old-school sheet metal vs today's thinner panels, aluminum, high-strength steel, EV systems,...

PDR Expo Las Vegas 2026 is only two weeks away, so we brought in the man behind the event — Sheldon Kaye. In Episode 36 of PDR Universe, Žan Vidic and Zeeshan talk with Sheldon about what PDR technicians can expect from this year's PDR Expo at the Rio Hotel in Las Vegas. Sheldon explains how PDR Expo started, how it differs from Mobile Tech Expo, what goes into organizing an event like this an...

Fog or lines — which is the better way to see and repair dents with PDR? In Episode 35 of PDR Universe, Žan Vidic and Zeeshan compare PDR fog lights and line boards and explain how each system helps technicians read dents, locate tool tips and control the metal during a paintless dent repair. We discuss why lines may initially be easier for beginners to understand, why we prefer fog for fine finis...

Can your body survive 30 years of Paintless Dent Repair? In Episode 34 of the PDR Universe Podcast, Žan Vidic and Zeeshan talk about something every long-term PDR technician eventually has to think about: health, injuries, ergonomics and career longevity. PDR can be extremely demanding on the body. Long hours pushing dents, working over roofs, reaching into panels, glue pulling and working in awkw...

What is the PDR knocking up technique, and when should you use it instead of pushing a dent? In Episode 33 of the PDR Universe Podcast, Žan Vidic and Zeeshan take a deep dive into knocking up — a Paintless Dent Repair technique where controlled hammer strikes from behind the panel are used to move a dent instead of relying only on continuous pressure from a PDR rod. We discuss the difference betwe...

Should beginners learn PDR by pushing first — or should they start with glue pulling? In this episode of PDR Universe, Žan Vidic and Zeeshan are joined by veteran PDR technician, trainer and All Access Podcast host Gene Fetty for a deep conversation about learning Paintless Dent Repair and becoming a better dent technician. Gene explains why he believes glue pulling may actually be the best way fo...

How do you approach a severe PDR repair when the damage crosses a body line, bends the panel edge and locks metal in several different directions? In Episode 31 of PDR Universe, Žan Vidic and Zeeshan break down one of Žan’s recent extreme tailgate repairs step by step. Several technicians had already declined the job. Once the vehicle arrived and the damage was viewed under proper PDR lighting, th...

Estimating is one of the most important skills a PDR technician can learn — and one of the easiest places to lose money. In Episode 30 of PDR Universe, Žan Vidic and Zeeshan discuss how to estimate Paintless Dent Repair for parking dents, larger damage and hail-damaged vehicles. They cover dent size, aluminum, body lines, glue pulling, access, R&I, oversized hail dents, insurance estimating an...

Should you learn PDR through hail damage or start with retail dents? In Episode 29 of PDR Universe, Žan Vidic and Zeeshan compare two very different paths into Paintless Dent Repair. Hail damage gives technicians massive amounts of repetition and teaches efficiency, while retail PDR puts much more pressure on the finish quality of every individual dent. We discuss which approach is harder for begi...

Can body line dents actually be repaired? In this episode, 12-time PDR champion Žan Vidic and Zeeshan discuss one of the biggest myths in Paintless Dent Repair. They explain why body line dents are more difficult, when glue pulling works, when tool access is essential, how lateral tension has changed modern PDR, and the techniques professional technicians use to repair dents many people believe ar...

How much does it actually cost to become a Paintless Dent Repair (PDR) technician? In this episode, 12-time PDR champion Žan Vidic and Zeeshan discuss the real costs of starting a PDR career, including beginner tool sets, online vs in-person training, cheap vs professional tools, and the mistakes that slow new technicians down. If you're considering a career in Paintless Dent Repair, this epis...

Stretched dents and oil cans are some of the biggest challenges in Paintless Dent Repair. In this episode, Žan Vidic and Zeeshan break down everything you need to know about shrinking metal, repairing stretched dents, avoiding common mistakes, and using shrinking boxes effectively. They discuss why dents stretch, how shrinking actually works, when to shrink during a repair, shrinking aluminum, pus...

What is PDR? Paintless Dent Repair (PDR) is one of the fastest-growing automotive repair methods in the world, yet many vehicle owners still don't fully understand what it is, how it works, or what types of dents can actually be repaired. In this episode of the PDR Universe Podcast, Zan Vidic and Zeeshan break down the fundamentals of Paintless Dent Repair, explain the difference between PDR a...

Should you glue pull first or push first? In this episode of the PDR Universe Podcast, Zan Vidic and Zeeshan break down one of the most important decisions every Paintless Dent Repair technician faces. The discussion covers cold glue, hot glue, pushing techniques, hail damage repair, parking dents, body lines, roof damage, rail repairs, stretched metal and real-world examples from years of profess...

This week on the PDR Universe Podcast, Žan Vidic and permanent co-host Zeeshan look back at the recent European PDR Tech Meetup held in Slovenia. From technicians traveling over 1,500 km to attend, to networking, technical discussions, behind-the-scenes stories, and a tour of the new ASIS facility, this episode highlights the passion that drives the paintless dent repair community. They also share...

Who helped shape your PDR career? In this episode of the PDR Universe Podcast, Žan Vidic and Zeeshan discuss the technicians, mentors, competitors, podcast hosts and industry legends who influenced their journeys in Paintless Dent Repair. From early hail repair days and learning the basics, to discovering PDR College, Bryce Kelly, Sal Contreras, Giedrius, competitions, seminars and online educatio...

In this episode of the PDR Universe Podcast, Zeeshan shares his full experience competing at the CamAuto GPR Competition in Canada — one of the most advanced paintless dent repair competitions in the world. We discuss: High-level PDR & GPR techniques Large damage repairs Lateral tension & glue pulling Competition pressure Lessons from world-class technicians The future of big dent repair F...

How do PDR technicians find hail storms fast in Europe? In this episode of the PDR Universe Podcast, Žan Vidic and Zeeshan sit down with Bartosz Zawadzki to talk about Hail Signals Europe — a platform designed to help paintless dent repair technicians find hail damage opportunities across Europe faster and more efficiently. We discuss: • Hail chasing in Europe • Real-time hail alerts for PDR techs...