Every week we have new customers come in to schedule an appointment for their car dents to be fixed. Many times these dents are extremely minor and could be easliy fixed for less than $30 if done by the customer. We know, it can be intimidating to work on your car if you’re not trained to do so. Therefore, our blog this month is about the tools you can use to fix minor car dents on your own. Don’t spend several hundred dollars to get a dent fixed, when you can do it for a lot less. You don’t have to be a car expert to successfully restore your car’s minor dents. Restore your vehicle’s appearance, value and curb appeal yourself with these 4 helpful tools:
Plunger: If your notice that your car dent is large but there is no other damage (like a hole, crease, or cracked paint), use either your basic household plunger or a specialized car dent plunger to pop the dent out. There are countless youtube examples of this very tool/method being used.
Mallet: If you have a large dent and you have access to the back of the dent (the hood, for instance), gently tap the metal back into place with a mallet. Caution: make sure you frequently look at the front of the dent to make sure you’re not pushing the metal too far.
Metal work hammer: If you have access to the back of a small or uneven dent, use a metal work hammer, buffered with cloth so you don’t damage the metal. Just as with the mallet, tap the metal gently back into place, checking to make sure you’re not pushing the metal out of shape.
Dent Puller: If you can’t get at the back of the dent, you can buy a dent puller at your local hardware store. This gadget requires you to drill (very, very carefully) a hole into the dent. It should be just large enough to fit the wire part of the dent puller. Then, insert the wire into the hole and pull the metal back into place. You will then need to fill the hole, sand it and paint it. This method is a little more difficult, but works well.
We hope this short article can help give you the courage to work out these minor dents on your own. However, if you’ve been in a major collision, or can’t seem to fix your dent by yourself, please call us today. We would love take a look at your vehicle and make sure you get back on the road in no time.