How to fix car dents: 8 easy ways to remove dents yourself without ruining the paint
Content
- Method 1: use a plunger
- Method 2: use boiling water
- Method 3: Use a hair dryer and compressed air
- Method 4: Use dry ice
- Method 5: Use a Vacuum Cleaner and a Pot
- Method 6: Use hot glue, wood dowels and screws
- Method 7: Use a long metal rod and knock it down
- Method 8: use a special tool
- Which method worked best for you?
Only three things in life are certain: death, taxes, and a dent in your car or truck. Even if you're as careful as possible, you won't always be able to explain fleeing shopping carts, misplaced soccer balls, light poles out of nowhere, and other real-life annoyances.
Whether you have a dent or a dent, the next thing on your mind is undoubtedly how to fix it. Of course, you can take it to an auto repair shop or a neighborhood mechanic you know for repairs, but their prices can be incredible, especially if they want to remove the paint or use putty first. $200 for that tiny dent?! I do not think so.
Instead, save yourself some of that hard-earned money and do it yourself. There are many ways to get a small dent or dent in your car at home without ruining the paint, and you don't have to be a repair technician to do it.
However, not all of these tricks will work on your particular vehicle; Your mileage may vary depending on where the dent is and what the body panel, hood or bumper is made of (aluminum, carbon fiber, plastic, fiberglass, steel, etc.). For example, aluminum has weak memory properties, so removing a dent without painting is much more difficult.
Method 1: use a plunger
You can not only clean the drain with a plunger, but also remove small and medium dents in the car. Simply rinse the piston and dent with water and start pushing and pulling until it pops out. Be sure to use a cup plunger (for sinks) and not a flange plunger (for toilets).
- How to remove a dent from a car with a plunger
Method 2: use boiling water
Reverse to object is one of the easiest ways to get a dent. So for plastic bumpers, even if you try to remove the bumper, it can still be difficult to push the dent out due to the hardness of the plastic. Solve this problem by boiling some water in a pot and throwing it over the dent.
- How to remove dents on a car bumper with boiled water
As soon as you pour out the water, pull your hand on the bumper and try to push the dent back. The heat from the water should make the plastic a little more flexible and easier to put back in place.
Since the heat won't last very long, you'll have to work fast. If the dent hasn't gone completely, keep pouring boiling water over the dent until it's completely popped out.
Method 3: Use a hair dryer and compressed air
Another popular plastic car dent removal method involves using two popular household items: a hair dryer and compressed air.
Start by heating the car dent with a hair dryer to a maximum temperature that will expand the car's plastic. Once it gets hot enough, take a can of compressed air, turn it upside down and start spraying on the same area. Because the cold air will cause the plastic to shrink, the dent will pop out.
- How to remove a dent in a car with a hair dryer and compressed air
- How to fix a dent in a car with a hair dryer and a can of air
- How to fix a car dent with a hair dryer and a freezing agent
Method 4: Use dry ice
Primarily used as a cooling agent, dry ice can be used to remove small dents from your car. While you are wearing protective gloves, place a piece of dry ice on the dent and rub it until you hear the dent click into place.
- How to fix a car dent with dry ice
Apply dry ice as many times as you need, but it should eventually pop out if the dent isn't too deep. You can also try first heating the dent with something like a hair dryer (similar to the hair dryer and compressed air nozzle above) and then applying dry ice to it.
Method 5: Use a Vacuum Cleaner and a Pot
Suction is one way to remove a dent, but the challenge is finding a dent remover with the right power. Well, why not just create your own? All you need is a pot (or bucket), a vacuum cleaner and some tape and you can get that dent out of your car in no time.
- How to remove a dent in a car with a pot and a vacuum cleaner
Just make a small hole under the pot, fasten it around the dent, put the hose of the vacuum cleaner over the hole under the pot, and turn on the vacuum. If the dent is not too shallow, the suction created should push your dent out.
Method 6: Use hot glue, wood dowels and screws
When you try to remove dents yourself, you always run the risk of causing more damage to your car, whether you make the dent worse or chip the paint. A safe way to get rid of large dents on your car is to use some wood dowels, some wood screws and a hot glue gun.
- How to fix a huge dent in a car without ruining the paint
Simply insert two nails into each side of the dowel and apply hot glue to the bottom. Place the dowels adhesive side down in the area around the dent, repeat as many times as needed to cover the area, let them dry and pull each one out until the dent is gone.
Place and pull the same pins in several different places throughout the dent until most of it is out. If you're going to try this method, make sure you have enough glue and some patience. Use rubbing alcohol or heat to separate the adhesive from the car.
Method 7: Use a long metal rod and knock it down
When a dent appears on your car, not only does the metal go in, but the surrounding edges of the dent also rise up, creating something like a small volcano. This means that squeezing a dent from below is not an option.
- How to remove car dents and dents without damaging the paintwork
George Jokai, a paintless dent repair (PDR), fixes dents by working on both sides of the dent. Using a combination of a long metal bar underneath and a knocking or hammering tool (wooden or rubber) on the top side, it can completely remove a dent from a car. And boy, it works.
Method 8: use a special tool
If you haven't been successful with any of the above methods, you can also try the Pops-a-Dent tool or a suction cup dent remover.
Which method worked best for you?
If you want to try something and don't have a ton of tools at home, grab a dent removal kit that contains tools specially made to remove dents from your car using many of the methods above.
Have you tried any of these methods, or did you end up gritting your teeth and hiring an auto repair shop to do all the work for you? If you have used another DIY method to remove dents and dents from your car, be sure to let us know below!
