Even if you’re a careful driver, one thing is certain, you will probably get a dent in your car or truck at some point. You can always take your vehicle to an auto body shop and leave the dent repair to the professionals. However, sometimes that solution can be pretty expensive.
In this article, we will share some ideas on how to repair a minor dent by yourself, before taking your vehicle to a complete auto repair service.
Method 1: Use a Vacuum Cleaner & Pot
Save yourself some money by creating your own car dent puller from objects you already have at home. You will need a cooking pot, a vacuum cleaner, and some tape, and you can get that dent out of your car in no time. Start by drilling a hole in the bottom of the pot the same diameter as the vacuum hose. The mouth of the vacuum cleaner will need to be completely enclosed in it. Place the pot over the dent, secure with tape. Then put the vacuum cleaner hose in the hole and turn your vacuum on. The suction should pull the dent out.
Method 2: Hot Glue, Wooden Dowels, & Screws
Before heading to the car body shop, you can try to pull dents out of your car by using a hot glue gun. In professional car body shops, a glue pull involves attaching handles to a dent with hot glue and then tugging them out with specialized tools. But for small dents, you can perform a similar technique at home. You will need a hot glue gun, several wooden dowels, and a few screws.
For this method, place a screw into one end of the dowel and put hot glue on the screw head. Place the glue end in and around the dent and let them dry. Pull on each one until the dent is gone.
Method 3: Long Metal Rod & Knockdown
When a car gets a dent, the metal goes inward and the surrounding edges of the dent go upward. Therefore, popping the dent out from underneath would not be the best solution. The best way would be to work on both sides of the dent using a long metal rod/hammer on the inside and a knockdown/block on the outside. The knockdown/block should be wooden or rubber so it doesn’t damage the paint. Gently hammer the dent into the block until the dent flattens out.
Method 4: Use a Plunger
Another great technique for do-it-yourself dent removal, is a bathroom plunger. Believe it or not, you can use a plunger to remove small and medium-sized dents from your car. This method will not work for large dents, but for the small ones, it can do an amazing job. Put some water on a cup plunger and on the dent itself to create a seal. Then start pushing and pulling, just like you would a drain. The dent should pop out nicely.
Method 5: Use Boiling Water
Using a boiling water, is an easy solution to fix dents on plastic. Along with the boiling water, you will need gloves and another pot with cold water. Pour the hot water on the dent, pop it out from inside while it’s warm. And then, pour on the cold water to cool it down while it’s still in a proper shape. It is much cheaper than going for a complete auto repair.
Method 6: Use a Hair Dryer & Compressed Air
The hair dryer dent removal method works well on smaller dings and depressions. To repair a dent using this method, you would need a soft cloth, compressed air, hair dryer and gloves – to protect your hands. Heat up the dent with a hair dryer for a few minutes. Then, wearing gloves, assess the malleability of the metal by gently pressing on the underside of the dent. You should see the movement if the surface has been heated well. Shake the can of compressed air and spray the dent until the metal pops back into its original shape. Then gently wipe dry using a soft cloth.
All the methods we suggested need some time and patience, but if you are willing to try, they could definitely save you money. However, if the car dent is too damaged or you don’t want to risk of further damage to the paint, the final solution is a complete auto body repair service.