Welcome to the ultimate guide on how to remove dents from cars! We’ve all been there – a runaway shopping cart or a rogue baseball leaves an unwelcome mark on your vehicle. But fear not because we’re about to spill the beans on DIY dent removal that won’t break the bank. Say goodbye to those unsightly bumps and hello to a smooth, dent-free ride. Grab your toolkit, channel your inner car wizard, and let’s get ready to make those dents disappear faster than a magic trick! Your car’s going to thank you for this one. Let’s dive into the world of dent-busting adventures!
What Are Car Dents?
Car dents are often mistaken for car dings. However, they’re not the same. Collisions and auto accidents—caused by another vehicle, an object, or something else entirely—often result in dent damage. Furthermore, dents usually require metal work and painting to be completely fixed because they cover a larger surface area than car dings.
Ways to Remove Dents from Your Car
There are numerous ways to eliminate car dents, from simple repairs to hiring professional services. Here are some common ways to remove those pesky dents from your car:
1. Push Out the Dent
Looking for how to remove dents from cars? Try this! By applying pressure or using leverage, you might be able to remove the dent if you can reach behind it. However, the degree of damage and the strength of the material affect how effective this procedure is. Another option is to use a tiny, rounded-headed ball-peen hammer. You can also try tapping out the dent from behind while holding a block of wood against the panel and putting the visible part of the dent on the outside. While you might not be able to get rid of the dent or the surface defects entirely, this could significantly lessen the amount of filling and repair that will later be needed. Applying some heat may help the procedure and will also help to warm the panel beforehand. Getting behind the dent often requires removing interior trim elements, which is the only inconvenience.
2. Use Hair Dryer
You can use a hair dryer to remove dents from cars. Find the dent and take measurements. Locate the following supplies: aluminum foil, hair dryer, dry ice package, can of compressed air, and rubber-coated gloves. The hair dryer should be held around 6 inches away from the surface of your car to heat the dent. Put some aluminum foil over the dent. Put on the rubber-coated gloves to prevent any harm to your hands. Over the aluminum foil that is covering the dent, rub some dry ice. The liquefied compressed air can also be used to cool the dented area. The dent will likely pop out after the first minute due to the sudden shift in temperature.
3. Use a Plunger
Using a plunger is one of the simple, fast, suction-based methods for dent repair. Remove the dent by pressing and pulling the plunger on the dented area, leaving a fairly unmarked panel in the process. To get the plunger to stick to the panel more consistently, though, don’t forget to clean the panel and plunger beforehand. You should also wet the plunger.
4. Use a Suction Cup or Vacuum
You can also purchase little suction cups to utilize for dent removal. Yes, they’re are a good idea if you’re looking for how to remove dents from cars. These dent pullers are reasonably affordable and can readily remove minor dents. Mix them with heat to make the panel more pliable, allowing the dent to come out more readily.
If you have more time, consider using a hoover. The purpose is to use the vacuum’s suction to remove the dent from the panel. However, you should not just place the vacuum’s nozzle against the panel because this may damage it. Instead, drill a hole in a bucket or pot and cover the dent with an improvised suction chamber secured with bodywork-friendly adhesive. Then, cover the hole with the vacuum’s nozzle and turn it on to draw out the air and dent.
5. Use Boiling Water
This technique is effective for dents on plastic bumpers and other plastic-made auto parts. Pour boiling water over the dented portion of your bumper. Grab the bumper from behind and remove the dent. You may also need to remove the bumper if you cannot reach the dent. Lastly, use a saucepan of cold water to chill and solidify the plastic part of the bumper.
6. Use a Slide Hammer
Use a slide hammer if you’re looking for how to remove dents from cars. For a low price, you may get dent-puller kits that include suction cups, a sliding hammer, and various other accessories. The dent is removed by placing the suction cup over it, fitting the slide hammer over the cup, and then using the hammer motion. It works similarly to a plunger but is more expensive and yields excellent results—especially on thicker panels.
Although it’s not always a delicate procedure, you may remove a dent from a panel swiftly and just with it. Additionally, more costly models with vacuum pumps to produce stronger suction that enables the tool to grasp the panel better are available.
You can try repairing dents on the edges of panels or in more difficult-to-reach places with the hooks or other attachments that are frequently included with either type. Recall that using heat will facilitate working with metal or plastic more easily than in any other way.
7. Using Wooden Dowels and Hot Glue
With a glue gun, screws, and wooden dowels, you can make an affordable dent puller on your own. It’s a good idea if you’re looking for how to remove dents from cars. Ensure you can remove the glue easily by rubbing alcohol from a dropper bottle and testing the glue gun and adhesive on a discrete section of your car’s bodywork. You should be able to remove the hot glue from the panel with ease and without causing any damage to the paint if you apply just a little of the adhesive.
After that, use some screws and a piece of dowel to create one or more T-shaped handles. Then after the glue has cured, use the hot glue gun to attach the dowels to the dented region or around it. Afterwards, you can remove the glue using a heat gun or hair dryer. Lastly, immediately remove any remaining glue with rubbing alcohol or something similar, then clean and polish the panel. However, exercise extreme caution because acetone and other glue-removing substances have the potential to damage the paint.
8. Fill It In
You could fill it in if you cannot remove the dent or if you have removed it, but the panel still has a flaw. Although automotive paint touch-up kits and body filler kits are inexpensive and simple to use, they demand some time and care, particularly during the preparation and painting stages. You can get these kits to your road trip checklist. However, if you want a decent outcome, the larger the dent, the more complex and complicated this job will be.
9. Use a Piece of Timber
Still looking for how to remove dents from cars? Try this! The next thing to try is a piece of timber with an end around the same size as the dent. Wrap a huge piece of fabric around the end of the piece of timber. Before you try this, make sure the wood is free of sharp edges. After that, you can use a hammer to gently pound the end of the wood until the dent disappears. Using a hammer directly on the dent is something you should never do. Instead, you’ll have numerous tiny dents inside of one large dent. That looks a lot worse than the original dent.
10. Use Rapid Cooling and Heating
Sometimes, removing a dent in a plastic bumper is easy by covering it with boiling water to make it more flexible, and then you can pop it out from the back. After that, cool it down, and the task is over.
Temperature changes can also remove dents from metal and plastic surfaces. Place a hair dryer at a safe distance from the dent to warm the panel and melt the dent without damaging the paint. Spray the dent with compressed air from a can once it’s heated. Due to the panel’s quick cooling, the dent will pop out as it contracts. If compressed air is unavailable, you can instead pour chilled water on the panel.
11. Hiring Professional Services
Last on our list of how to remove dents from cars is hiring professional services. Given how easy it is to accidentally worsen cosmetic damage, hiring a professional dent remover is logical. Thankfully, many companies offer paintless dent removal services, which allow you to reshape the panel without having to paint it. You should have no trouble finding a mobile service that can restore your automobile at your home.
Although the cost of professional dent repair from these businesses varies greatly based on the type of dent and its location, they frequently don’t charge that much. Still, you’ll have a rough idea of the total cost because the company you choose will be able to offer you a price.
Conclusion
So there you have it- how to remove dents from cars. From hot water miracles to plunger power, we’ve spilled the secrets. Say goodbye to those dents and hello to a sleek, dent-free car. Your wheels will thank you for the makeover!
