GPR (glue pull repair) is a method of auto body repair that gets the job done faster, more efficiently, and with less effort. The results are better than traditional methods and yield ways your shop can develop and retain more customers and earn greater profits.

A key ingredient to successful GPR is the lighting. Superior lighting allows technicians to see clearly and distinctly the areas needing repairs, and accurately correct damage without causing further harm to the panel or its finishes.

Clear Coat, Traditional Repairs, and GPR

Traditional stud welding versus GPR is no contest. GPR does not penetrate the metal so there is no need to fill, sand, and finish holes. Instead of stud welding, the technician uses removable glue to attach a “tab” to the dented area, then pulls the dent out. Significantly, with GPR, you retain the OEM finish coat on the vehicle.

On the other hand, when you install a weld-on stud, you’re most likely asking for trouble. After you make the pull, you have to remove the stud and work the surface, which sometimes involves filling. And it often happens that you inadvertently pull the stud completely out, especially with ultra-thin and aluminum panels. This leaves a hole that you must fill. In addition to filling holes, (sometimes more than once), you have to wet sand, apply primer, match and spray the finish coat, and finally clear coat, with most of the steps requiring time-consuming drying in between. Because of the damage this method causes, you may also have to re-install insulation and wires on the back of the panel, re-apply corrosion protection (standard on most vehicles today), replace lights, and recalibrate or replace sensors.

With GPR, you eliminate most of this. Plus, not only does the finish coat remain, but the clear coat stays as well. If there is any damage to the finish or clear coat, it is extremely minor and easy to repair.

Good Lighting and the GPR Process

The initial step in repairing a dent is checking, viewing and assessing the damage. Good lighting is essential. Using the shop’s ambient lighting is not enough. Shop lights are designed to light a room, not for critically viewing dents. Using a professional GPR light, the tech views the panel revealing the subtleties of the dent. This allows him to define clearly the area he will repair, make an initial assessment, and begin to develop an approach to the task.

GPR necessitates placing the tab correctly. The objective is to locate the tab in the center of the dent; placing it on a crown or high spot can cause even more damage. With good lighting, technicians can see the crowns and the lows around the damage and therefore can more easily determine the exact center of the dent. This allows him to accurately place the tab for a successful pull and to subsequently make the best repair in the shortest amount of time.

After the Pull

Good lighting is important after the pull, too. Because the OEM finish remains, the technician can see if any “shoulders” have occurred in the metal after pulling the dent and removing the tab. These are small elevations in the metal around the primary area of the dent that residual pressure in the metal sometimes causes, creating slight bumps and knuckles. With superior lighting, you can see shoulders and high spots to easily knock them back down.

Important for Estimators

Effective lighting is valuable for estimators, too. A good reflection up from the panel allows them to take accurate photos and measurements to include with the information they provide to insurance companies. An exact determination of the extent of damage saves time and effort for everyone involved in the repair: the estimator, the shop owner, manager, technician, and ultimately the customer.

KECO Shop Lighting

Most shops do not have quality lighting, or they rely on shop lights for seeing and working with dents and repairs. Shop lights from KECO are specifically designed to provide the type of light and light blends for clearly seeing areas on a car or truck that require repair.

Our premium 36 x 8 inch, 12-volt, four LED shop light and stand is lightweight and durable, providing maximum light and visibility for car and truck collision repair, body restoration, and detailing. The four LED strips in a warm-cool-warm-cool setup provide three light configurations to help in a variety of work environments. The single-stage, vertical adjustment, extendable boom arm finds hard-to-reach angles. Non-mark end caps protect finishes and body paint. The locking swivel castor with integrated battery tray allows for easy mobility between bays and around other areas of the shop.

Article By KECO Tabs

It’s a frequent refrain in our business: “The insurer asks that I repair the panel, but I think it needs replacement.” Now you can make repairs easier, faster, and with less body filler. No need to replace the panel. You can repair it with Keco Glue Pull Repair (GPR) products and the pull-to-paint process. These expert glue-pull repair products and educational programs from Keco are the innovative, fast, contemporary way to repair body damage, providing an easier approach than traditional repair methods such as stud welding and panel beating. And the best part: you can pump up your bottom line with just a basic knowledge of how to use them.

Conventional Vs. GPR Methods

Conventional methods, although time-tested, are invasive. For a major dent, the technician often has to drill into the panel and weld studs onto it in order to pull the dent out. This damages the surface paint and the panel’s interior e-coat. The technician must put forth the energy to drill into the body and make skilled welds to set the studs. The tech puts forth additional energy in order to pull the dent, plus he must then seal and repair the holes he created – new damage that he must now fix.

GPR is much less intrusive and requires less of the technician’s energy. It’s a simple procedure he follows every time that assures consistency and great work. The tech first cleans the surface, then determines the material he’s working with (steel, high-strength steel [HSS], or aluminum). Next, he selects the correct glue tab, glue, and puller tool, applies the glue, adheres the tab, pulls the dent; lifts the lows and knocks down the high points from the surface, and finally skims the body filler, sands, primes, and paints. That’s it! No drilling or welding and the technician expends less energy using Keco’s ergonomic tools.

In addition, with GPR, most of the surface paint remains, so the repair requires far less of the last step of sanding, priming, and painting, and the interior e-coat remains pristine as well. An additional plus is that shops do not need separate areas for working on aluminum versus steel. Technicians work on both metals in the same area without concern of cross-contamination. For a general overview and an introduction to glue pulling, go to www.pulltopaint.com.

High Tech Vehicles and Requirements

Times are changing. New high-tech and electric vehicles have stringent repair procedures that address the electrical currents that run through panels. These currents power sensors and backup cameras that previous makes and models did not have. If you use traditional body-repair methods, these vehicles require in-depth, time-consuming, and expensive scanning and re-calibrating procedures after the repair. With less intrusive Keco GPR, there’s no need to remove panels, and depending on the make, model, extent, and location of the damage, there’s less of a need to re-calibrate sensors and back-up cameras. (While Keco techniques reduce the need for re-calibration, you may still need to re-calibrate because sensors are precision-aimed at the factory and must be set back to their original “focus” or aim so they function properly. Read the article in “Body Shop Business” regarding the need to re-calibrate, the difference between re-calibrating and scanning, and related topics.) 

GPR is the contemporary way to repair body damage that takes into consideration high-tech vehicle idiosyncrasies and manufacturer requirements. Because GPR is less intrusive than traditional methods, eliminating stud welding and dramatically reducing panel beating and sculpting, technicians can reduce the need for scanning and re-calibration on high-tech cars. In addition, with repair instead of replacement, GPR allows shops to eliminate long waits for replacement parts so your key-to-key rates are dramatically improved.

A Symbiotic Relationship

In the shop when a repair comes in, the technician researches and then recommends the proper repair for that unique situation. Banking on his/her years of experience, know-how, and analysis, an experienced tech is on the front line when it comes to repairs and replacements. Shop owners depend on the tech’s professional opinion before sanctioning the repair and giving it the go-ahead. Manufacturers, for their part, publish repair procedures that the tech’s recommendations must adhere to and which shop owners must take into consideration before giving the OK. Owners also have to consider that insurance adjusters edit the price they will pay for the repair based on inaccuracies they find in the shop/tech’s quote. It’s a balance that the three vested parties have to maintain to make the business work. After all, if insurers don’t pay, shops go out of business and technicians are out of job.

It’s understandable that the technician would rather, in many cases, replace the panel than repair it because it’s easier. But insurers are not going to pay for a replacement when a repair is less expensive. And the shop owner is caught in the middle: he wants to make it easy for his technicians but he also must go along with the insurer’s payouts.

So what does this have to do with glue pulling? Keco techniques, products, and training can help attain all three parties’ objectives. While glue pulling may not seem as easy as replacing the entire panel, it’s easier than welding and stud setting. So the tech expends less energy and less time but achieves the same, or better, professional results. The insurer is happy because it pays for a repair rather than a replacement, and the shop owner is happy for both of these reasons, plus s/he has a happy technician and maintains a good relationship with the insurer.

On-Site Training

Learn how to implement Keco techniques and tool usage, and how to integrate them into your shop workflow for increased efficiency, better repairs, and more profits. Keco offers one-, two-, or three-day, on-location training sessions so your technicians can learn the best-practice GPR techniques from experts, in the comfort of their own shops. These tutorials are taught by our skilled professionals who have years of body and glue-pull repair experience to share. The training sessions are available to body shops no matter their budget. Click for information.

Keco Tool Solutions

Keco, the premier supplier of body repair tools and training, has the tools and accessories you need so your shop’s technicians can repair damaged panels quickly with less effort and time than conventional approaches.

• The Keco Glue Pulling Collision and Hail Manager Kit has all the components for one or two technicians glue pulling at the same time and includes everything to launch a professional glue-pull repair service.
• Kecotabs’ K-Beam Jr. Mini Bridge Lifter with Adaptors is engineered specifically to help you pull deep creases in panels. The bridge lifter’s adjustable feet enable you to work creases with superior control and leverage. Sustained pulling allows you to continue working around dents and creases with knockdowns to release tension on the most challenging repairs.
• Dead Center Centipede Variety Blue tabs are the thinnest crease tabs available and are designed to get deep into creases.
• The Keco K-Beam Bridge Lifter has plenty of power while giving you control and leverage. It’s designed to pull large dents from panels, doors, seams, and body lines. The unit’s sustained pulling power frees up your hands so you can view the dent at various angles then slap and knock down crowns as needed.
• The easy-to-use K-Bar provides the leverage you need to pull large dents and collision damage from panels, doors, seams, rockers, and body lines. Combined with high-strength PDR glue, you can pull the deepest dents from virtually any metal.
• This extra-large leverage bar works best for quarters and rockers.

Contact Keco today. We are happy to schedule training at your facility. Whether you need a one-, two-, or three-day session, our highly-skilled facilitators teach your technicians the latest in glue pulling and body repair techniques that will enable them to work smarter, serve customers better, and help increase profits.

And for tools and accessories, Keco designs and manufactures a full-range of glue pulling equipment and supplies. Order today so your technicians can confidently address the increasing complexity of today’s body repair.

Article By KECO Tabs