Nothing can disrupt the look of a beautiful car quite like an unsightly dent. Whether from a minor fender bender with another car or from a rogue shopping cart or errant door in the middle of a crowded parking lot, a dent of any size is an inconvenience to any driver subjected to them in their car. Fortunately, depending on the size and severity of the dent in your vehicle and wherever it occurred, it’s easier than ever to repair dents at home with minimal tools in the comfort of your own home. If you’ve noticed a dent in your vehicle, no matter where it may be on the car, try these simple methods at home to see if you can repair it on your own before consulting a mechanic for a more costly fix.
Some simple methods to follow
- Boiling Hot Water– If it’s the plastic paneling on your vehicle that’s dented, specifically one of the bumpers, than this unconventional method may work for repairing those dents. Pour boiling hot water onto the outside of the affected bumper or paneling and then from the inside of it, you’ll be able to push the dent in the panel back out. The boiling water will make the paneling pliable enough to reform it and get rid of the dent without cracking the paint or damaging the bumper itself.
- Suction Cups– One popular method of pulling small and medium dents out of your car’s body is to use suction cups or a plunger to suck the body back into shape. Splash water onto both the dent and the plunger and simply pull and push until the dent pops out. If you choose to use a plunger though make sure to use a cup plunger like you would for a sink and not a flange one which is the traditional one you use for toilets.
- A Hair Dryer and Compressed Air– Another common way to pull dents out of plastic materials on your car is by using a hair dryer and a can of compressed air. Use the hair dryer at the highest setting to heat the dent up and as soon as it’s hot enough, turn the compressed air can upside down and spray the dent at the same time. This will cause the compressed air to be freezing cold and the contrast from the cold air to the hot dent will cause the plastic to contract and the dent to pop back out into place.
- Hammer them Out– If you notice small dents in steel parts on your car, then you can attempt to hammer them out and back into place. Place a flat piece of metal on the outer side of the vehicle and from the underside; hit the dent with a flat-ended hammer. Be very careful when doing this that you only hit the dent as if you don’t you may actually cause new dents to be formed. Be sure to work from the shallower ends of the dent into the deeper portions near the center to avoid overworking and damaging the metal surrounding the dent.
- Dry Ice– You can use dry ice to get small dents out of your car. As long as you have gloves on, hold a piece of dry ice and rub it around on the dent until you hear it or see it pop back into place. If the dent isn’t too deep than putting dry ice on it should prove effective though it may take a few tries.
- Use a Tool That’s Made For It– When all else fails, specialty tools like the Pops-a-Dent kit or the Ding King represent iffy but inexpensive ways to try and fix shallow to medium dents. They usually come with mixed reviews so your results may be inconsistent but for as inexpensive as they are, it’s worth a shot to avoid expensive bodywork repairs.
Conclusion
Don’t let your vehicle collect unsightly dings and dents from various hazards or other vehicles; fixing them right at home is easier than ever now, especially if the paint isn’t damaged or cracked along with the dent. By simply following these and other basic at home remedies, you will have your vehicle dent free again in no time.