LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Parts of Arkansas were battered with tornadoes and pelted with softball-sized hail Sunday in storms that destroyed several homes and left dozens of people injured. Severe thunderstorms also raced across parts of Tennessee, Illinois and Indiana, where concertgoers in downtown Indianapolis were sent scrambling for cover.

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A tornado reported near the northeastern Arkansas town of Marmaduke sent at least 45 people to Arkansas Methodist Medical Center at Paragould, said a spokesman who added that many of the injuries were minor. Authorities closed off all access to Marmaduke, where damage was reportedly very heavy.

It was one of a half dozen tornadoes reported in the northeast part of the state; state emergency managment officials reported at least two other injuries. A half-dozen houses were reported destroyed in Lawrence County, said Anthony Cavallucci of the National Weather Service office in Memphis, Tenn.

Reports of hail and storm damage were widespread across northern and eastern Arkansas, but Newton Skiles, a meteorologist with the weather service’s office at North Little Rock, said the softball-sized hailstones fell mostly in scattered rural areas where there were few homes or vehicles to be damaged.

As the storms swept east, tornadoes were reported in several west Tennessee counties, causing some injuries, knocking out power and damaging buildings, officials said.

In Indianapolis, the storm hit with heavy wind and rain that shook downtown office towers as thousands of fans departed a free John Mellencamp concert.

Weather service radar tracked a powerful thunderstorm with a possible tornado through downtown Indianapolis, weather service meteorologist John Ogren said, but officials would not be able to confirm whether the storm was a tornado until they inspect damage on Monday.

Earlier the line of storms swept through central and southern Indiana, causing widespread damage. There were no immediate reports of injuries but officials were just beginning to piece together the details Sunday night, Ogren said.

“We’ve got such a pile (of damage reports) I’ve really not had a chance to see everything,” he said.

Utility crews were working late Sunday night to some 57,000 Cinergy customers across Indiana, said spokeswoman Angeline Protogere.

Weather service personnel took shelter for about 10 minutes as high winds kicked up debris against the agency’s building at the Indianapolis airport, and the downtown tower housing the Indianapolis bureau of The Associated Press shook badly enough to knock a clock off the wall.

In Illinois, a tornado touched down in Fairview Heights east of St. Louis, causing damage to at least two stores, according to a police department dispatcher. A building, possibly a clothing store, collapsed and may have caused some injuries, Illinois Emergency Management Agency spokeswoman Patti Thompson said.

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“We’ve got reports of some damage in Taylorville and also a few other areas, including Monroe and Jefferson counties,” she said, adding that most of the reports were from the southern portion of the state.

A trailer park on Springfield’s northeast side sustained damage from strong winds, and authorities said two women sustained minor injuries, The State Journal-Register in Springfield reported.

George Preckwinkle, the owner of several hardware stores in central Illinois, said two-thirds of the roof of his Taylorville store was ripped off. Three employees were closing the store when they saw plants flying past the front window. That is when they went to the bathroom and locked themselves in.

“That’s pretty well gone, two-thirds of the store is soaked,” he said.

___

Associated Press Writers Charles Wilson in Indianapolis and John O’Connor in Taylorville, Ill., contributed to this report.

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PAINTLESS DENT REMOVAL NEWS

RETAIL PRICING THOUGHTS

We have retail customers every day. Some days we kill it, and others there might only be a few. Either way, we’re makin money. And student techs constantly ask us the same thing almost constantly: How much should I charge?

That is a loaded question as you might assume, because how much to charge is something of an art.
Here are several things to consider:
A) The car. Ford Focus or CL 600?
B) Damage extent. Dime sized or guava sized?
C) Age of the vehicle. New or 1983?

ALL of the above DO factor into appropriate pricing. Why?
Well. The car is a LIABILITY. IF you happend to cause damage (break a window etc) the Ford will be much less to remand than the Benzo.

The Damage extent is of course relative to your time. Everyone charges based upon time usually, so the great the time expenditure, the higher the price.

Age of the vehicle. This one many overlook. Consider this: What would you place more value on: A 2000 Benz, or a 1985 Benz? Usually the newer car wins.
So, add all the factors up, and then you can guage your price.
Yes this is complicated, but in order to price fairly, you will need to do this. This is also why, coincidently why pricing estimation guides are not efficient with pricing, since the result needs to be qualitative, NOT quantitative.

Example: If you have a Mistubishi Eclipse, 2004, with a baseball sized dent, a good price might be $95-125. Pretty cheap for such a large size repair, but the owner of that vehicle knows the current value of a 01 Mistu, and he will more than likely not want to pay premium rates since the intrinsic value of his car is not what it was when new.

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Now how about a 2002 Lexus GS400 with a dime sized dent? Guess what: Same price as the Eclipse example. Why? The damage is much less severe..most pricing guides would peg this one at $65-$85 since the time investment will be minimal? Oh no, my friend… Price it that way and you are leaving bread on the table! Because the Lexus owner will care MORE in general than the Mistu customer and be willing to pay more.

So the moral to this fable is to price with the above guidelines, and try to estimate not the price, but the overall value of the repair to the client. THEN you decide what it is worth to you, and price accordingly. This flexibility does not apply to hail damage, due to insurance company involvement.

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Too bad…

PAINTLESS DENT REMOVAL NEWS

Tech tip, Paintless Dent Repair Secrets.

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TOOL SELECTION

I get this question all the time (usually from those who have purchased tools but have NOT elected to get training..hmmm..maybe training IS a good idea!)

So, back to the plot- WHAT tool should be used for “X” dent.

Lets examine:

A) Large, soft dent.
ANSWER: Large, meaning over 4″, should be pushed with a tip as large as a baseball, if that tip can be reached and accessed to the dent. IF not, the largest tip that can get on it is your choice. Tape? Yes you betcha- duct tape and be liberal too.

B) Sharp, small dent.
ANSWER: IF the dent is a crease or round dent with pointed, deep center, nothing (NOTHING) less than a sharp, semi pointed (SEMI, NOT POINTED LIKE A PENCIL!) tip should be used. If you can picture a butter knife tip, then about half that width, that is what is best. Why? The dent will mushroom in on itself if you use something more soft and blunt, giving way to more stretched metal, and a dent that wont go away.

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OK- Problem: WHAT if your work area is obstructed, (SEE BRACE for example!)
well then, you use the tool that is as close to the best option as possible. You see, a blockage or obstruction can best be delt with as best as possible. Sometimes we cant do better than a flat bracewire, yet the dent is extremely sharp. Oh well, follow the examples you learned in class (oops..if you took a class!) then all will turn out right!

Happy pushing!

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should be pushed with a tip as large as a baseball, if that tip can be reached and accessed to the dent. IF not, the largest tip that can get on it is your choice. Tape? Yes you betcha- duct tape and be liberal too.

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HOUSTON- WE HAVE HAIL!!

Yessiree. 06′ is on point for some good ol boys to be makin beeeg dollas. Maybe its global warming, or maybe its just cyclical, but every year PDR related hail repairs are growing at astounding #’s. We also have a huge increase in hurricanes, and many PDR techs have made a mint in New Orleans with storm related damages.

As of late, Missouri, and the south east have ALOT of nice work on the ground.
WE have had calls from dozens of cities with damage and storm cites with a great need for techs. If you are a hail tech reading this (one, you should be pushing, not reading!)
Do your diligence and track the storms and damages and you should easily find gold.

HINT: When you see a storm report, dont go for the storm epicenter. Do your research and you will find a path that the storm takes: Follow it in front or behind and you will find other damage areas that were likely not reported and there is where you will have a virtual competition free environment for a good period and do very well.
We have seen six figure opportunities reap up in less than 30 days..its NOT uncommon.

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Stay tuned- 2006 is on par for a wild ride.

PAINTLESS DENT REMOVAL NEWS

Tech Tip

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What is the best tap down to use?

We get this question quite frequently.
Do you have any idea how many different tap down options there are out there?
1) Plastic/delrin
2) Nylon
3) Wood
4) Steel
5) Aluminum
6) Leather
and more im sure!

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So what is the best?

We like DELRIN for basic day in and day out PDR.
For SHARP dent tap downs, we like steel, polished nicely, and with a coat of tape for good measure!

What do YOU prefer???

PAINTLESS DENT REMOVAL NEWS- TRAINING MYTHS

Betcha didnt know that over 100 people read this blog daily?
Also bet you didnt know that many of them are PDR newbies, or soon-to-be techs.

Yeah we have some pro’s lurking here too ,
but many are either PDR business types, salespeople, marketers or owners.

This article is dedicated to the newbies.

PAINTLESS DENT REMOVAL TRAINING MYTHS

Myth #1. PDR is easy.
I always hear this one..”I had my car fixed last week and it looked so easy, so I want to get some tools and do my own dents on my benz..”

Huh? Are you I N S A N E!? You WILL crack your paint, you WILL ruin the dent, and you WILL be sorry!.
Paintless Dent REmoval is an ART.

Myth #2. Paintless Dent Removal must be learned over a period or weeks or months.
False. IF you are stuck in an auditorium style class and the “instructor” is teaching from the podium, then yes, plan on attending for a few months. IF you are getting one on one attention from a pro who knows people, knows PDR and knows how to make people shine, figure 1-2 weeks max.

Myth #3. You will only need a few tools to do PDR.
Yeah right. All the makes, all the models, all the years, and only a few tools will reach all the panels and locations? Think again. More tools, more options, more success. Common sense here, people. Try and look at why those people are pushing the few tool option on you…maybe they buy the tools and are a reseller, and as such the costs are high, so in order to offset the pain for you, they tell you only to buy a few tools, hey , the pro’s rely on only a few tools, shouldnt you?
Wrong. The pro’s have favorites, but they use dozens..probably over 70 tools. Most pro’s have 2-3 complete sets. So, ask yourself again-more tools bad? No.,more tools =GOOD.

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Myth #4. Certified Paintless Dent Removal is best.
Well, this one is great. Marketers have had a field day manipulating the unsuspecting public with the “certified” moniker. Even used car dealers have loved this term and used it to oblivion, and yes, the public follows and buys into it.
Certified-is that some sort of industry recognized term? No. do insurance companies recognize a school or student as certified? No. So what does certified mean if there is no agency or governing body issuing a certification?

Answer: Nothing.
There is no such thing as a Paintless Dent Repair Certification.

And there are more Paintless Dent Removal Myths, but for now, we will leave you with these!

Happy pushing!
(now go make some money!)

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This Article brought to you by Superior Auto Institute, the Paintless Dent Removal Training Schools

HAIL DAMAGE !!

91 REPORTS FOR TODAY ALONE! WOW..

the following states had significant hail damage today:

TEXAS

MISSOURI

MINNESOTA

ALABAMA

ILLINOIS

Man alot of PDR Techs are going to be updating their cars, houses, and other toys this year!

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Paintless Dent Removal- bad repairs..Dent Wizard
So everyone seems or seemed to think that Dent Wizard, the oldest and one of the most respected services has the best techs.

Well, I will soon post photos of cars repaired by Dent Wizard Techs (Mastertechs) that make my one week students look like PHD’s of PDR…

I have seen some bad PDR in my time, but WOW!..this stuff was bad.
And too bad for Dent Wizard..this seems to be a trend, unfortunately.

We have seen dealer front line units from factory sales at auctions where Dent Wizard techs have butchered cars up something fierce..

Stay tuned for the actual picture of such events..they are really something to see!

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Paintless Dent Removal | Tools for the pros

So you need some tools?
Or maybe you have tools, and you just want to read up on what is happening in the PDR Tool world..you know all Paintless Dent Repair Techs need the latest and greatest, right?

Or, maybe you are just reading this because you are thinking about starting a Paintless Dent Removal business and want to learn.

Whatever the reason you are here, thanks, and read on my friend..

PAINTLESS DENT REMOVAL TOOLS

Ok- not since the Whaletail, have tools come of age.

We have stainless, titanium, tool steel, cold roll, piano wire and much more.

You have P- handles, t-handles, soft tips, blunt tips, bullet tips, knives, pencils, wires, paddles, bars, rods, handtools, (whew)..man there is alot of tools, huh>?

Here is the deal-
IF you want the best and latest tools made on the planet, designed to access everything from a ‘65 Nova to a ‘06 Maybach..we have it for you. Give us a call at 888-992-3464 or check us out at www.nodents.com, for Paintless Dent Removal Tools, Paintless Dent Repair Tools

If you have ever thought about top door bracing, side airbags, double panels, etc.,
you will be in good hands with Superior Auto Institute tools!

Happy pushing!

PAINTLESS DENT REMOVAL | Business upsells=MORE MONEY FOR YOU (or your wife)

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PAINTLESS DENT REMOVAL | Business upsells

So youre pushing dents, but you think, “Man, how about that paint chip..should I charge a few more bucks?”

Well, why not?
I mean IF you can do the repair properly, toss it on the invoice, with prior approval of your client of course.

How about a scuff? If you have some paint thinner, rag and some gloves, your job is almost done already! Add that to the list too..

Then you see a cigarette burn on the seat-with some household glue and a razor blade I could show you how to whack that one in less than 5 minutes. Cha-ching #3.

..Oops..we missed the windshield star, the odor in the car, and the other ding on the rear quarter….cha ching times 3 more..

Yes-upsells are how many LARGE corporations make money. Heck..some toss in the main item with a hope you will buy other things (See gas stations with mini marts for example.)

Now go push your dents and make some cash (with other upsells too!!)

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