Dents on your car can be fixed through various means, whether you seek professional help or opt for a do-it-yourself approach. We’ll tell you which dents can be repaired by yourself and which popular methods from the Internet are just nothing more than myths.
Everything discussed in this article can be applied to fixing any type of vehicle that has a metal body, including rebuildable cars pa or your current car, irrespective of its age, metal composition and thickness.
What Works – The Truth
The following two methods are known to bring quick and feasible results.
The Impact from the Back Side of the Panel
Difficulty – low. Suitable for repairing hood, doors, and trunk lid – the easiest-to-reach places.
- First, remove the trim from the inside.
- Then apply force from the inside so that the metal returns to its original shape. If the dent is wide (about 7–12 inches), shallow, and located exactly in the center of the car’s body panel, i.e., away from the stiffeners, to straighten it – just slap it with your palm.
- If the dent is bigger or deeper, it is advisable to use a rubber mallet. Place a soft cloth on the inside of the damaged area and gently tap the dent from the edges to the center.
Always start with very light taps and increase the force until the metal begins to give way.
Inflatable Chamber
Difficulty – medium.
Deflate the chamber, place it on the back side of the damaged panel, and incrementally inflate it with a hand pump. If it slips to the wrong area of the panel, deflate it, return to the right place, and start the procedure again.
What Doesn’t Work – The Myths
Heating and Cooling
YouTubers promise that by using this method, you can fix any dents on the car’s stiffeners, edges, and stampings. The instructions say to first heat the damaged area with a high-powered hair dryer, then cool it with compressed air or dry ice.
In reality, sudden temperature changes lead to damage to the paintwork. A positive result can only be obtained in 5–10% of cases, where the dent could just as easily be fixed by pressing it out from the inside with your palm.
Vacuum Cleaner
There is an opinion that to repair a dent in a car, you can use an improvised “suction cup” made from a vacuum cleaner and a bucket with a hole in the bottom.
In practice, the traction of the device is not enough to pull out the metal – you will simply waste time.
Magnet
The idea of using a magnet to straighten dents on cars has been floating around for 30–50 years. All you need is a powerful search magnet with a pulling force of more than 220 pounds. Unfortunately, it’s tough to acquire, costly and requires skillful use.
Even if safety precautions are followed, in 95% of cases it is only possible to damage the paintwork and bend the affected area even more.
The Bottom Line
Removing dents on a car without spending much money is accessible to every car enthusiast. Key to success are the right tools and the knowledge of how to use them.
Encountering this problem? Don’t immediately seek out professionals and overpay. Instead, try fixing your car yourself using the recommendations from this article.