[tiorio]

My brother has been doing P.D.R. (paintless dent repair) for 4 years now and he and I have had many conversations on the subject...

It depends on where the dent is, first off. If it's behind door panels or on the roof, you're usually better off pulling the interior panels or headliner yourself (or getting someone you trust to do it). The PDR guys are interested in getting it out and in as fast as possible, which in a nice car doesn't always mean taking the time needed. If you have a dent to which there is no access to get tools, have the PDR tech tell you how he's going to approach the dent. Many times hood supports will be cut or drilled to get to the dent, same with doors, etc. and probably not what you want for your car! Dents in fenders are fairly easy to get to so they're the best.

To do PDR right, your car needs to be taken into a garage or somwhere dark so a light can be set up across the surface and the tech can work the dent in a consistent light. This cannot be done in a parking lot!

Your best bet is to find a PDR shop and remove all the interior panels before you head over there. Let them know you are really interested (from an academic standpoint) and that you'd like to watch the process. It doesn't hurt to let them know you're savvy about your car as well. The tech should not have a problem letting you watch and he will take extra time if he knows you care about and work on your car.

Don't let this scare you, the good PDR guys are great guys, but with the amount of money in the industry right now, there are a LOT of not-so-good PDR guys.

See if you have a Dent Wizard in your town. Their training program is one of the better in the industry and they stand behind their work. Beware the 'new' shop who'll give you a 'deal' because they're just starting out, on the job training (read: on YOUR car training)!

Good luck!