Do It Yourself (DIY) Ideas for Dent Repair (Part -1)

Besides death and taxes, there is a third inescapable thing in life – getting a dent in your car or truck. It may not have been your fault (it NEVER is!), but even a small scratch can cause you a heartburn. Once you get over the initial shock, your thoughts will turn to fixing the damage quickly. The obvious solution for you is to take the car to a body shop to allow professionals to do the repair. However, if the damage is only very minor, and you feel that your DIY skills are up to it, here are a few ideas you can try to fix the dent yourself.

Boiling Water

Dents in plastic bumpers can often be pushed out by hand. Some grades of plastic are very stiff, and so they need to be softened before you attempt to push out the dent. To do this, pour boiling water on the dented plastic. This will heat the material and make it more pliable so that pushing out the dent becomes easier. Take care not to burn yourself with the hot water. Because the heat will dissipate quickly, multiple pours of hot water and pushing may be required before the dent is fully out.

Compressed air can and hair dryer

Another way of removing dents from plastic is by using these two common household articles. Use the hair dryer, on the highest setting, to heat the plastic as much as possible while taking care not to melt or damage the painted area; this will cause it to expand and soften. Then use a can of compressed air, held upside down, to spray the area. The cold air will cause the plastic to quickly cool and contract and may result in the dent popping out. Like the hot water technique, multiple attempts may be required to fully remove the dent.

Dry ice

This can be used to remove small dents from metal. Dry ice can cause burns, and so always wear protective gloves, glasses and personal protection when handling it. Hold a piece of dry ice on the dented surface and rub it around until the dent pops back up. Heating the area next with a hair dryer, as described above, will increase the chances of the dent popping out.

You can try out these ideas the next time your car gets dented (Hopefully, it doesn’t!) – many people have. But remember that dents can often be worse than what they appear to be to the untrained eye. A dent could also be just the visible indication of other damages that the untrained eye cannot see.  Modern vehicles are often constructed with high-strength metals that have specific factory repair procedures to properly restore them to pre-loss condition.  

DIY is good, but taking the car to a body shop would certainly be better: A Factory Certified Collision center with experienced professionals, the skills, the training, and state of the art equipment needed to do the repairs will always be safer. You can be sure of the quality of the repair and finish.  Hidden damage will be repaired properly making sure your vehicle is safe for yourself and your family in the future.