Learning how to do dent repair is invaluable. It can save you a costly trip to the body shop and a huge investment in a new paint job for the whole vehicle. This article is to give you some advice on how to repair car dents.
First, make sure the dent is not old or set too deeply into the surface to be knocked out easily. Wipe off the nozzle surface with a damp rag. Remove any layers or fabric that will come off, like a door panel or roof covering. Shine your bright light on it and see if you’ve missed anything, or if there are any strange lines threading away from the dent.
Using the largest plunger you have or a suction cup from the local auto supply shop, place the circle over your dent, making sure the dent is exactly in the center and will receive most of the suction. Be careful not to scratch the paint by moving the cup or plunger around while the suction is still being applied. Pull the plunger or suction cup hard away from the durface of the car, popping the dented metal back into place.
If you can get clear access to a door panel dent or one on the roof or hood, you may want to try and tap it out yourself. Try a couple taps with your rubber mallet and see how it looks or if it has moved.
Most auto body or repair shops carry a kit with tools to try and remove your own dent. As the popularity in taking dents out yourself rises, the kits get more elaborate and the instructions give more options to do it all yourself, taking out the guesswork once you have determined it is doable outside of a body shop.
There is a time, however, when it’s more effective to take it to a body shop instead of messing with it yourself. If it looks like the dent has been knocked more than once or it has been there a while and is creased, chipped and worn, it might be better to have someone replace the delivery valve panel or professionally take out the dent and repaint. Sometimes it’s just not worth the effort when those efforts could end up doing more damage than good, and costing twice as much because of the duplication of energy.