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Hot take: Most people use way too much filler on small dents

I was at a buddy's shop last Tuesday watching him fix a quarter panel ding on a Civic. He globbed on a huge amount of filler, sanded for 20 minutes, and still had to redo it twice. I told him to try a thin layer instead, just enough to cover the low spot. He looked at me like I had three heads, but I showed him a spot repair I did on a 2018 Ford F-150 bumper last month. That job took me half the time and barely any sanding, and the customer couldn't tell it was ever hit. Filler is for leveling, not building. If you need more than 1/8 inch, you either missed some metal work or you're creating more work for yourself. Has anyone else found that going light on filler actually saves time in the long run?
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3 Comments
charles_mitchell
Stopped reading after "1/8 inch" and had to pick my jaw up off the floor... that's nuts but it makes perfect sense the way you put it.
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mia700
mia7001mo ago
Right, because nothing says "pro" like building a whole new panel out of bondo when the dent was the size of a pea...
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rowan969
rowan9691mo ago
Doubt it's that big of a deal, man.
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