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Do-it-Yourself Dent Removal

Certain things can get dimples on your smiling new car. These dimples are surely not the ones that you would want. Yes, nobody would want the surprise of an unexpected dent in the car. Whether the dent originated from a runaway shopping cart at the supermarket or from a careless driver on the highway, having a dented car is certainly no fun, and repairing those dents can be very expensive.

While not all dents respond to the do-it-yourself approach, it is indeed worth a try, and it may end up saving you a great deal of money. The process may not be as easy as just paying off the garage mechanic, but it's certainly going to give you a lot of satisfaction. You would have to keep a few things ready before beginning to work on the dents. First of all, buy a dent repair kit. Plenty of such kits that help one remove and repair dents quickly and easily are available in the market. Most of these kits use suction cups and similar implements, and thus have the advantage of eliminating the need to drill holes in the process of removing the dent.

Keep ready a dent-pulling kit or dent-pulling tool along with a dolly. This is a specifically designed tool made for flattening and reshaping metal. A metalworking hammer too would be needed. You may now start off with the repair.

Take out the drill bit, plastic adapter and glue gun from your dent removal kit. Now, locate the center of the dent, and drill a hole in the dent with a 1/8" drill bit. Alternatively, you can use a hot glue gun to glue a plastic adapter to the center of the dent.
Thread the dent pulling tool into the newly drilled hole, or attach the dent pulling tool to the plastic circle that is glued on the dent. After placing it in the right place, pull it out to so that the dent gets flattened.
Carefully hammer the front of the dent using the metalworking hammer, while at the same time holding the dolly firmly against the back of the dent. It may be necessary to go underneath the car, or to open the trunk or hood of the car, in order to reach the back of the dent.
Use a medium gravel disk mounted on a drill to grind the paint down to the bare metal, extending the area out at least one inch around the dent itself. Then fill the entire area with quality body filler.
Now, let it dry completely. Once it is completely dry, wrap sandpaper around a block of wood and carefully sand the area with the sandpaper. When sanding, begin with a 36-grit sandpaper and work up to a 120-grit sandpaper.

Next, with a spray primer to prime the area. But be careful to use a primer that's specially designed just for automotive use. Six coats of primer need to be used. Wait for each coat of primer to dry completely before applying the next coat.
Sand the primer using a 600-grit wet and dry sandpaper. This will help to remove any scratches. The area should then be touched up with a matching automotive paint. If the paint is not smooth, re-sand and re-paint the area until you get back your car's smooth surface.

There is yet another risk-free dent removal method. You can remove dents with a hot air gun or hair drier. Heat up the panel as much as possible and then spray on CO2. Doing so will freeze the panel and the sudden temperature change will often cause the panel to flex back into shape. This will not damage the paint and will either work well or not at all so you will not risk damaging the panel. A fire extinguisher, or an inverted camera air spray cleaner which contains CO2 can be used. But bear in mind; do not touch the liquid CO2 or nozzle of the sprayer.

Now, let's discuss the removal of dents from wheel arches. Removing these dents is trickier as the curvature of the panel means that a closure is often created and paint is broken. First, fix the paint with a touch up pen so that rust does not form in the area. Next, remove the inner wing lining. Carefully place a block of wood and a clamp or two to put pressure on a wide area. Careful placement of the clamp may mean that the dent pulls straight out. But, be careful to not create more dents. It can become almost impossible to get a perfect finish.

While removing dents, do not use any sharp-edged object as it could dent the metal or even cut through it. You can use a hammer with a rubber coating to avoid scratching the back of the panel and causing rust. Push out the dent and try to let the panel flexing do the work rather that hitting it. A dent in the wing will usually mean that the wheel too has been hit. It is advisable to get the bearings and wheel alignment checked or you could be paying out for new tyres more frequently than you need to. Scratch marks can be removed with a good quality polish. Remember, the polish should be a cutting paste and not wax. If you are lucky the panel will just ping back into shape and require on minimal beating and shaping.

If the dent is very small, you may even try using dry ice to remove it and if none of the methods work, do visit a body shop or garage to get the dent fixed.

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