Removing taillights for paintless dent removal access on quarter panels was once easy. Pull back some trim, loosen four nuts and its out.
The biggest challenge then was Nissan's nasty, gummy black butyl sealant, which held those lamps in better than a crusty barnacle on a boat hull.
In the early 2000's however, Honda changed their design. Now if you want tail lamps out, you will first have to remove the rear bumper.
Many PDR techs cursed Honda for making our jobs more difficult, but the car maker had good reason. Adding a bracket to the tail lamp assembly makes for a tighter fit, better looking lines and fewer rattles.
It also put the bumper cover in its proper place in the world of car design.
Cosmetic cover. Eye candy fascia to hide the sturdy underbelly of impact resistance and uni-body structure.
Other automakers have followed suit, as you can see by the ultra large covers now resting on the rump's of late model Toyota's, Mazda's and Lexus.
Large booty beauty aside, as a dent technician, you still need those rear lamps out.
How do you get them off?
Watch the videos to see exactly how to remove a 2006 Acura TL rear bumper. The same basic technique will work with many Honda products.
Click the images below to watch video in two parts

Have you ever worked a car with a dent in the roof, trunk, or hood
that is so big, it holds water?
Then you know what I'm talking about when I say
"Bird Bath Dent". You know, the kind where you have to pump the water
out before you can work it?
They can happen on the sides too, these we just call
"craters".
This kind of dent is so deep and stretched, there's almost
no hope of fixing them with paintless dent repair.

Until now.
If you're like me, you've fought these babies too many
times.
Is there a technique which will help you fix them with PDR?
Do you have to glue an ice cream stick to it?
Not any more.

Go watch the video and see what I mean.
Deep Dents Video

Oh yeah, I'm also going to tell you about a "must have" tool
for working on doors.

deeply yours,
Tim

Is paintless dent repair a form of art?
Must you be an artist to fix dents without painting?
When you see what TJ and Bakhodir from Uzbekistan have done, you might say yes.
Watch the video to find out how a process becomes art.

Do you know the difference between a bumper and a fender?
Which side of the car is left? Right?
Does this car have a "rail" or not? How can I tell?
When you write hail damage estimates for PDR, you want to be accurate.
Go to this page to watch the Naming Panels video.

Click to go to video

There are two main methods of paintless dent removal, glue pulling or gpdr, and pushing from the back or pdr.
The differences are this: one is done from above and one from underneath. Which is better?
Watch these ambiguous videos for the answer.

Think I'm trying to sell you on glue pulling? Watch the next one.

If you are unable to see videos above, try these direct links:
Glue Pull
Pry Bar

Some say I'm old school, but I like to use glue pulling only when I have to.
I've always said a good pusher makes a good puller, so if you know how to push, glue pulling comes easier.
The requirements are the same for the tech. You must know how to read a dent well and know what is low and what is high. Where to push next, or pull or knock down.

With today's cars you will need to know how to do both, so be clear with your instructor about what you will learn.
There is a disturbing trend with some schools, where only glue pulling is taught.
This is only half (or less) of the full story of PDR.

Remember, push from behind dent repair has about 15 years head start on glue pulling.
But for those places with no access, glue pulling is a real complement to PDR.
What about you? Push or pull?
Tim

I was talking to Peter in Connecticut the other day and he was getting perfect results from hoods on a stand.
But his side panels were not so great.
Working on a door through the window opening is good for no drill PDR, but it limits the distance you can work.
Your arms are just too short!

Two things you can do.
First, work the dent a little high. Now move your light back and or closer (lower angle) and work down the high like it was a glue pull.
This is best done with the long hammers, but you can still get good results even with your regular hammer and knock down. You have the whole length of your arms now.
What you want to do is blend the high out.
Once it looks good like this, you're done.
You may have to go back and push it again, but you'll do it with the thought of "high, but smoothly rounded" or no sharp lows in it. This will be easier to take down smoothly.

Second, Peter asked how do you cross check a panel you can only work from one direction?
Side panels in particular will give you grief here, but corners of hoods and trunks worked on the car often present the same problem.
Go ahead and move your light completely to the other side. You won't be able to work it, you are just checking it.
Now, look for trenches or lows which appear only from this angle.
Grab a grease pencil or dry erase marker and mark them using the light. Put a mark or a line right in the low.
Now put your light back to the workable angle and push the mark. Raise it a little high to be sure you pushed "through".
Move the light back to the unworkable view again and knock down using this angle.
This is a pain, but worth it to have a clean repair in all angles.
After trying it out, Peter wrote:

Tim,
Thanks so much for taking the time to talk on the phone yesterday…
Talking to you made me feel good and right after I got off the phone I went and pushed two door dents using the ideas you gave me.I think they turned out the cleanest door dings yet!
Thanks Tim.