Do-it-yourself dent removal after hail

Removing dents after hail - this is a completely solvable problem for every car owner whose car has been exposed to this atmospheric phenomenon. To do this, one of four methods of paintless body repair can be used. each of them has its advantages and disadvantages, as well as the level of complexity of their implementation. In addition, they use different tools that should be available to the masters. In the following, we will discuss these repair methods in detail.

Existing hail dent removal methods

The procedure for removing dents without painting is fundamentally different from body repair with restoration of the paintwork. Indeed, in the case of the latter, the car body undergoes partial disassembly, which requires a significant amount of time and effort. The process of removing dents takes place precisely on the body without the need to dismantle its individual parts. Currently, experts use four basic methods:

• lever;
• adhesive;
• vacuum;
• thermal.

All of them belong to the so-called PDR methods, that is, paintless methods for removing dents (Paintless Dent Removal - English). Let's analyze each of them separately:

• Lever method - the most popular in the service station, since it involves the use of special levers. Repairs can sometimes be difficult because there is no way to position the levers exactly under the affected areas of the car body. In addition, often, in order to get to individual surfaces of the body, it is necessary to dismantle the interior trim elements or technological mechanisms.
• glue method carried out with the help of special tools that literally pull the indented surface back. To do this, special caps are glued to the damaged area, which are subsequently pulled up, and they, in turn, pull the surface of the body along with them.
• vacuum method. This method is similar to glue. Its only difference is that instead of glued caps, vacuum suction cups are used.
• Thermal method removal of dents after hail without painting is based on a sharp heating of the damaged surface with its subsequent sharp cooling. As a result of this approach, the body is deformed and takes its original shape. They are usually heated with a building hair dryer, and cooled with compressed air.

Do not delay with repairs after deformation of the surface of the case, since the metal tends to remember the new shape. Therefore, the more time passes, the more difficult it will be to correct the situation. In addition, during deformation, there is a risk of damage to the paintwork. If it is not restored, then there is a threat of corrosion.

Lever dent removal method

Hooks for lever dent removal

This method is most common in service stations. It works best on large surfaces, away from stiffeners. To perform the procedure, special tools are used - long levers, one end of which acts pointwise on the dents from the inside.

If a dent has formed in a place where there is a stiffener on the inside, then there is an option when the sealant on which the booster is fixed is heated with a building hair dryer, after which it is bent back, giving access to the damaged surface from the inside. further procedure is carried out similarly.

Often, after straightening dents, it is necessary to polish the paintwork. How to do this you can read in the additional material.

Currently, there are whole sets of levers for removing dents on sale. They can include from 10 to 40 (and sometimes more) different hooks and levers, with which you can remove most of the dents on the surface of the car body. However, in fairness, it should be noted that such kits will be of no use to a private car owner. After all, they cost a lot of money, and you will have to use them, to put it mildly, rarely. Therefore, they are more suitable for professional service stations.

However, if you still have such levers, then you can try to carry out the repair procedure yourself. The process depends on the specific situation and the degree of damage, however, on average, the following algorithm is applied:

1. Thoroughly wash the surface of the body in order to better see the level of damage to the paintwork (if any), as well as the depth of the dent.

   Correction panel for removing dents

2. For repair work, in addition to the tool, it is advisable to use a special panel with yellow and black alternating stripes. Thanks to her, it will be easier for you to find the smallest dents. And in the process of their deformation, you will know to what level to extrude the damaged metal of the car body (see figure).
3. If necessary, it is necessary to dismantle the interior trim elements that interfere with work (most often, this is a ceiling panel, as well as stiffeners on the hood or trunk lid).
4. then you should choose a hook of the right size and shape and take care of finding a reliable support for the lever. You can use individual elements of the car body or improvised tools available in the garage as this. Be careful not to damage other elements of the car body, work carefully!
5. The metal of the case is usually soft, so when choosing a significant lever, the work of removing dents is not difficult. It is only necessary to conveniently insert the lever, which in some situations can be problematic.
6. If you use a yellow and black correction panel, then by its reflection on the varnished surface of the body, it will be easy for you to estimate to what level the dent will need to be squeezed out. If you do not have a panel, then put some object with a flat surface on the dent, which will help you find the same landmarks.
7. When you're done with one dent, move on to the next. If necessary, use a hook of other sizes.

In the process, be sure to check the condition of the paintwork at the site of damage. If necessary, restore it in order to prevent the appearance of rust. You can see how to do it in the next video.

Before you perform the described procedures yourself, it will be useful for you to practice on some old body parts. The process is simple, but requires some skill.

Removing dents from hail using adhesive and vacuum methods

It should immediately be noted that these methods can only be used if when the integrity of the paintwork is not violated at the place of deformation. If there are chips or scratches, then you need to get rid of them. You can read how to do this in a separate article on our website. The fact is that the tools described below have a strong mechanical effect on the surface, which can lead to delamination of the paintwork.

To remove dents from hail with your own hands using the adhesive method, you need the following tools:

Dent removal kit

• minilifter (it is also called a reverse hammer);
• glue fungi (caps) of various diameters;
• glue;
• glue heat gun;
• liquid to remove adhesive residue;
• a hammer;
• teflon core with a blunt tip.

Professional minilifters designed to lift dents up to 2 cm in diameter are expensive. However, today on the market there are simpler and cheaper designs, which are a clamp with suction cups, which can functionally be used instead of minilifters. The price of such devices is much lower. An example of this is the Dent Remover kit.

Body repair

Tips on how to correctly carry out car body repairs with your own hands. TOP 10 common mistakes when performing body repairs. More details

 

Paintless dent repair. Educational film

Got a small dent on your car body? Watch an instructional film demonstrating how to carefully correct deformation using suction cups without subsequent painting Read more

 

Paintless dent repair technology

One of the PDR technologies is the use of “fungi”. By gluing small suction cups with a hard center but soft edges, you can quickly pull out a dent without painting. The master will show and tell with a visual demonstration. Read more

 

Hail Dent Removal adhesive method is performed according to the following algorithm:

Adhesive dent removal

1. First, the body must be washed, and the damaged area must be degreased. This can be done with various means - alcohol or white spirit (do not use solvents for degreasing, as they may damage the paintwork).
2. Glue is applied to the piston of the desired diameter, after which it is installed in the center of the recess on the body. Leave for about 10 minutes to allow the glue to dry.
3. After that, you need to take a minilifter or clamp and place the other edge of the piston in its groove. First you need to tighten the upper screw in order to exclude its free play.
4. then begin to clamp the handle of the device. In this case, a smooth leveling of the surface of the damaged section of the body occurs.
5. When the work is completed, the piston comes off and the adhesive residue is removed using the available liquid.

Removing dents with glue

usually, after performing the above procedures, a bulge with a depression in the center remains. You also need to get rid of it - using a fluoroplastic or Teflon core with a blunt tip by gently tapping on the edges of the bulge. After that, the bulge will disappear, instead a dent of a smaller diameter will appear. To remove it, you need to perform the actions described in paragraphs 1-5 of the previous list, however, using smaller diameter piston. In some cases, the procedure will need to be carried out three or more times in a row to completely eliminate the defect on the car body.

Professional kits have a large number of caps of various diameters, thanks to which the masters get rid of any dents. Most cheap kits are limited to two or three pistons, which do not make it possible to get rid of dents of small diameter.

Work vacuum method similar in general terms to the method described above. The sequence of work will be as follows:

Using a suction cup to remove dents from a car body

1. Wash the surface of the car body and remove all debris and small particles from the places where the dent is located.
2. Attach the suction cup to the dent to be repaired.
3. Fix the suction cup in place (some models have special tools that allow you to move the suction cup on the surface of the body).
4. Pump out all the air between the suction cup and the body, thus ensuring a high level of vacuum.
5. After fixing the suction cup in place, you need to pull on it. Depending on the specific model, you can pull directly on the suction cup body, or you can rotate a special threaded handle.
6. The suction cup will move and pull the surface of the car body along with it.

The vacuum hail dent removal method is the most gentle in relation to the paint and varnish coating of the car. Therefore, if the paintwork of your car is not of the best quality or it has been applied for a long time, then the vacuum method will suit you better than others.

Thermal method of removing dents after hail

The alignment process in this case involves heating the damaged area of ​​\uXNUMXb\uXNUMXbthe body to a high temperature, followed by cooling, for which special tools are used. It is worth mentioning right away that exposure to high temperatures adversely affects the paintwork of the body. Therefore, after returning its geometry, it is often necessary to repaint the treated area.

A powerful building hair dryer is often used to heat the metal. And for cooling - the flow of cold air from the compressor.

When performing the procedure yourself, remember about personal precautions, as well as compliance with fire safety rules.

The thermal repair method is ineffective for very large and small, but deep damage. With it, you can only get rid of medium-sized dents that have a small depth. Besides, using this method may not always lead to the desired results.. The fact is that it all depends on the thickness and grade of the metal from which the car body is made. If it is thick enough, then even heating it to a significant temperature will not achieve a satisfactory result. Therefore, the thermal method of removing dents from hail is rarely used.

Results

The first thing the owner of a car that has been damaged by hail should remember is what to carry out repairs as soon as possible. The metal has a “memory”, due to which, after a long time, the deformation will take on a permanent basis, and it will be difficult to return to its original form.

The most convenient ways to remove dents with your own hands - this is glue and vacuum. However, for their implementation, you need to buy the tools and materials described above. In addition, inexpensive dent removal kits have 2-3 pistons, which is sometimes not enough to repair damage with a small diameter. BUT the most effective method is leverage. However, we do not recommend that you do it yourself without proper skill, it is better to seek help from a service station.