Fixing a Dent at Home: Easy and Simple Tips

No matter how careful you are, there’s always the risk of getting a dent in your vehicle. Whether it’s a runaway shopping cart or backing into a fence, accidents can happen to even the most cautious driver. Regardless of how you got the dent, you must be thinking about getting it out without putting a dent in your savings as well! Even the smallest of dings can turn into a financial burden if you have to take it to the body shop to remove the paint or use body filler. All for a minor dent!

But here’s the thing. If you have money to spare, consider taking your car or truck to a professional auto body repair service or a friendly neighborhood mechanic for repair. Letting experts handle this means that they will not only remove the indentation but also repair any paint damage that may have happened as a result of the dent, leaving your vehicle looking as good as new. Or at least as good as it looked prior to that small accident! But if paying someone to get that dent bumped out is too expensive, we are here to the rescue!

We’ll show you five ways of repairing your car to help you save your hard-earned money while also erase every trace of that one mistake. None of the solutions we’ll propose will require you to be a gearhead nor will it require you to remove the paint. The methods we’ll suggest will only work on relatively small dints or will only be effective on certain types of cars. For larger and sharper dents, or for bumpers that are made out of aluminum or chrome, we’d recommend going to renown repair shops, such as Melton Smash Repairs.

Before Starting

Before even beginning, there’re two things you’ll have to do:

1. Clean the area you are about to repair. Accumulated dust and grime might just lead to more damage – scrub that area clean if you don’t want to scratch the paint.
2. Read the whole post, decide on which method you want to try and get all the materials you’ll need ready. Since perfect timing is key for certain of those methods, you don’t want to stop mid-process to hunt for a missing tool. Instead of helping, you might just end up with an even bigger mess on your hands.

Do It Yourself Dent Repair

There are many ways of fixing and repairing a dint in a car at home:

Method 1: Make use of a plunger

When to use:
It will work on large and shallow dimples that are on the hood or on one of the doors of the vehicle.

How to do it:

1. Moisten both the area you’ll be repairing and the cup plunger.
2. Press the plunger on the dent.
3. Pull back.
4. Repeat as many times as needed.

Method 2: Repair using dry ice

When to use:
This method is effective on small to medium-sized dents.

How to do it:

1. Wear protective gloves and safety glasses.
2. Using tongs, place a piece of dry ice on the cavity.
3. Hold it in place for one minute at a time.
4. Repeat until the dent pops back in place.

Method 3: Pop with Glue Dent Pullers

When to use:
This easy dent removal method can work on larger cavities.

How to do it:

1. Select a tab that either covers the pit or is slightly larger than the damaged area in size.
2. Using a hot glue gun, apply generous amounts of glue on the tab.
3. Quickly but gently press it in the middle of the cavity.
4. Wait until the glue sets.
5. Attach a pulling tool to the tab.
6. Turn the knob until the dimple bumps out.
7. If you are left with a sticky mess, wax your car.

Method 4: Pop the dents using a hairdryer

When to use:
This technique works on raised areas.

How to do it:

1. Wear safety glasses and gloves.
2. Place a hairdryer about 5 to 7 inches away from the damaged area.
3. Apply heat on the bulging area.
4. Keep the hairdryer on for about two minutes before checking the flexibility of the metal.
5. If the metal feels malleable, spray on the area using a can of compressed air.
6. Keep this up until the raised area goes back to its original shape.

Method 5: Pour boiling water

When to use:
This will work especially well on plastic bumpers. It may not be as efficient on older cars though and may even spoil the paint.

How to do it:

1. Put some water to boil.
2. Wear gloves if necessary
3. Pour the boiling water on the damaged area.
4. Immediately reach behind the bumper to bump out the dent back in.
5. Thanks to the heat of the water, the plastic should be a bit more flexible, making it easier to put back into place.

All the methods we’ve suggested are quite simple and can remedy small depressions that can appear in the doors, hood, and bumper. If they don’t seem to be working, consider going to a mechanic.