Remove Car Dents With Apex Magnets
Whether you work at a body shop or are looking for an easy way to remove a car dent, you can purchase magnets from Apex Magnets. If the dent is not deep, you can use a horseshoe magnet. If you’re dealing with a deeper dent, we recommend ordering a custom AlNiCo Horseshoe magnet. Ultimately, the pull force needed depends on the surface area and depth of a particular dent, but you can try different pull forces, working up to the strongest one.
If you have any questions or need a magnet recommendation, dont hesitate to contact us at 1.304.257.1193 or send us a message.
How Do I Get The Indentations Off My Car
First, heat the dent with the hairdryer approximately six inches away for about 30 seconds. Then cover the dent with a piece of aluminum foil and rub dry ice over it. The rapid change from hot to cold should make the dent pop out within a minute or so. Another temperature trick involves boiling water.
Does Pouring Hot Water On A Dent Really Work
After boiling some hot water in a pot, he pours it over the dented areas. The heat makes the metal more expandable and malleable, allowing it to be pushed and pulled easily. Since the shape the parts conform to is the cars original design, it becomes much more likely they will pop back into position.
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Ready To Visit Our Vehicle Body Shop
We understand how costly and inconvenient it is for a vehicle to be off the road and therefore we use processes that ensure your vehicle is repaired quickly and efficiently. So whether you need minor scratch repairs, major body repair, or alloy wheel restoration, our van body shop and car body shop can guarantee a high-quality service. We also repair light commercial vehicles and motorhomes. Contact us today for a paint repair at our Car Body Shop!
How To Remove A Car Dent Yourself
We are sure many people can relate to that awful feeling that sits low in your stomach after realizing you just got a dent in your car, especially if it is a new car.
However, you got that dent the first thing on your mind is taking care of the dent removal and the cost behind doing so. You could take your car to an auto repair shop or even your friendly neighborhood mechanic, but the quote may be a bitter expense to swallow, especially if your budget is tight.
If you want to save yourself some hard-earned money, the other option is to tuck into your DIY skills and take care of the car dent repair yourself. This article shares some DIY methods to help you remove a dent and dings from your car yourself.
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How To Get Scratches Out Of A Car
Before you attempt to remove any surface scratches on your car you first need to see how deep they are. With paintwork, there are 3 layers:
If the scratch is in the top 2 layers – the base or clear coat then it could be worth trying to fix it yourself. If its gone through to the primer layer, or if you can see the metal bodywork, you probably need to get a professional car paint scratch repair.
There are a couple of easy – and cheap – ways to remove car scratches yourself, but how well they work depends on the damage.
Dry Ice Pop Out Method
Even dry ice can be used to release a dent from a car or truck. Just rubbing dry ice on the dent of your vehicle can cause it to pop out on its own. While you will need to wear hand protection when handling dry, you will be able to see results from this method fairly quickly. Apply the dry ice directly on the dent. Rub it all over the damaged area and wait to see if the dent pops out on its own. You can repeat the process until the dent is completely out or you can try using a hair dryer to heat the surface before you apply the dry ice. This will allow the plastic of the car to expand and contract with the heat of the hair dryer and the cold of the dry ice. Either method will help get a dent out of your vehicle with ease.
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When To Consider Diy Dent Removal For Your Car
Car owners can remove many types of dents at home, which might save some money on vehicle repairs. However, some dents do not respond well, especially where there is.
- cracks on the panel
If you notice any of the above issues, do not attempt to fix the dent it will only cause more damage. Instead, contact a local body shop for professional assistance. It is also best to seek professional help for dents in aluminum panels
It is a tricky material for correcting dents without the right equipment.
Fix A Car Dent Using A Plunger
Grab a plunger thats smaller than the dent. For small dents you can always try the suction cup from an in-car mobile phone cradle.
Put a little water on both the plunger or suction cup and the car to create a seal. Push it all the way down to get the air out and pull hard.
With a bit of luck, the dent should simply pop out!
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Can A Damaged Car Door Be Repaired
Repair The Damage As long as the door isnt warped out of shape and the seals are still good, then your door should be good as new once the cosmetic repairs are done by filling in the dent and painting the door to cover the damages. Another advantage to repairs over replacement is that they are usually less expensive.
How To Repair A Dent With A Plunger
It may look hopeful rather than practical, but with the right approach a plunger can provide enough suction for dents to pop out of place.
Be warned, this method should only be used on plastic parts of your car.
Youll need:
- a clean soft cloth
- insulated gloves
Step one Pour the boiling water over the dented area. This will soften the surface and make it more malleable.
Step two Place the plunger over the dent, ensuring its fixed into an air-tight position and pull.
Step three If the dent hasnt popped out of place try pushing it from behind, while wearing gloves.
Step four The damage should have disappeared thanks to your plunging and pushing efforts. Simply wipe the surface dry with your cloth.
Top tip: If you need to repeat the steps again try waiting 24 hours before exposing your car to extreme temperature changes.
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How Does Your Paint Affect The Pdr Process
Although it may seem like your paint has nothing to do with removing a dent from a metal or aluminum body panel, it actually has a lot to do with it and what the limits of the PDR process are!
As we previously mentioned, automotive paint has an elastic limit of how much it can stretch before cracking occurs. Some paints are more flexible than others and can sustain a larger, more severe dent before the paint is damaged or disturbed. If the paint has cracked or it has been scratched down to the metal, it is unlikely that the paintless dent repair process will repair your dent, and your vehicles body panel will need to be repainted.
The cool thing about modern automotive paint is that it provides more than just aesthetic value. It does a lot more than just make your vehicle look pretty! It acts as a protective layering and has many desirable properties.
Most water based acrylic polyurethane enamel paints have great elastic properties and are still very environmentally friendly. Because of their great elasticity and resilience, impacts and dents that would normally cause your paints elastic limit to be exceeded and crack or become damaged are now completely repairable by the PDR process.
Auto Body Shop Or Diy At Home
There are many paintless dent removal services scattered throughout the country that can fix your dent. Many of them are independent businesses, while others operate through car dealers.
However, these services are generally expensive. According to Angie’s List, the average price range for a professional to extract a one-inch dent from your car is between $50 to $120, and you can expect to pay a lot more for larger dents.
If you want to save money, rather tackle your car’s dent yourself, you will be surprised at how easy it is to remove a dent.
Below are examples of dents you can fix yourself with the right know-how:
- If the dent hasn’t scratched or chipped the car’s paint.
- Dents form a large depression on a body panel without sharp indents or cracks.
- Small dents which can be suctioned out.
- Dents formed in plastic, like plastic bumpers.
Before jumping right into your dent repair, assess the extent of the damage to determine if the DIY dent repair is possible and what method or tools you will need to get the dent out.
Ask yourself:
- How severe is the dent?
- Where is the dent located on your car?
- Is the dent in a plastic bumper, an aluminum hood, a sheet metal door or fender, or a carbon fiber panel?
- Is the paint scratched, and if so, how badly?
If the dented area is one you can tackle yourself, and the car’s paint is not damaged, then invest in a dent removal kit to do a paintless dent repair.
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Can I Repair A Dent Myself
Yes, but youll need to make sure that the damage isnt too extensive first.
Measure the dent and check that its no bigger than three inches in diameter and that its shallow, too. If the mark appears on a curve or a contour in the bodywork, a DIY approach probably isnt the best idea. Youll also need to be confident about working on your car and accessing the back of panels.
Now its time to choose your method. Our step-by-step guides below highlight some of the best ways to get the job done.
If you find the idea of a DIY fix too complicated, a body shop or RAC approved garage will be able to help.
Remember, damage to the paintwork will have to be repaired separately.
How Do You Get A Dent Out Of A Car With Hot Water
This can be accomplished by dousing the dent with hot water. Heat water to boiling in a pot or big tea kettle and pour it over the dent. Wearing gloves to protect your hands, quickly reach behind the bumper and push out the dent. If you cant get behind the bumper easily, remove it from the car for the procedure.
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Can You Get Small Dents Out Of Car Doors
Simply enter the inside of the door through the gap where the window sits and gently push the dent out from the inside. The same method can be done on bumper dents, by pouring hot water on the bumper first to make it more flexible then pushing it out from behind. A rapid change in temperature can lead to dent removal.
The Boiling Water Pliability Method
Todays vehicles have plastic bumpers that make them more pliable to releasing dents. If you have a dent in your cars or trucks bumper, you can remove it and apply boiling water to make it easier to push the dent out of the plastic. Just heat boiling water and pour it over the affected area. Reach your hand behind the dent and push it out with your hands. The plastic should be soft because it is warmed up and will be able to release the dent more easily.
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Use Hot Glue Wooden Dowels & Screws
When you attempt to take out dents yourself, you always put the risk that you might further damage your car, whether you make the dent worse or chip the paint. A safe way of trying to take out big dents on your car is by using several wooden dowels, a few screws, and a hot glue gun.
Simply place two nails into each side of the dowel and put the hot glue on the bottom. Place the dowels glue-side down in areas around the dent, repeat as many times as needed to cover the area, let them dry, and pull each one out until the dent is gone.
Place and pull the same dowels in several different places across the dent until most of it comes out. If you’re going to try this method, make sure that you have enough glue and some patience. Use rubbing alcohol or heat to detach the glue from the car.
How To Repair A Dent With A Repair Kit
Buying tools specially made for the job might be the most effective approach of them all.
There are three main types of dent repair kits:
- Pulling These kits use the same principle as the wooden dowel technique and work by gluing tabs to the dent and pulling.
- Tapping Some kits use metal pens designed to tap the dent out of your bodywork. They usually come with a range of heads to fix all kinds of damage.
- Pushing Alternatively, you could pick up tools designed to push dents outwards from the back of a panel. The kits usually supply different-sized rods but they dont come cheap.
Its important to read the instructions provided and if you dont feel confident about taking on the job you can always contact an RAC approved garage for help.
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Wooden Dowels And Hot Glue
Although applying hot glue to the surface of your car may seem like a terrible idea, this method isnât too far off what they do in professional body shops.
Youâll need wooden dowels that are anywhere from 1 to 2 inches in diameter and 3 to 4 inches in length. You can pick these up, along with the glue and glue gun, at any craft or hardware store. Next, youâll want to run a long wood screw through the middle of the dowel to give yourself something to grip when you pull. Glue on the dowels onto your car directly around the dent, not right on it. A good rule of thumb is to place a total of four dowels, above, below and to each side of the dent.
Next, let the glue cool for about 20 minutes. Once cool, youâll have to start the process of yanking the dowels to pop the dent. Do this systematically, starting with two opposite dowels at the same time. It may take some force and some time, but eventually, the dent may let go, and then you can pop off the hot glue with a plastic spatula or melt it off with a hair dryer.
The Paintless Dent Repair Assessment Process
Many of our customers wonder how the paintless dent repair damage assessment process works. Its really quite simple! Damage assessment needs to occur before we begin working on a customers vehicle to ensure we arent trying to repair a dent that cannot be repaired due to the severity of the dent or another roadblock.
The first step in the assessment process is to look closely at the dent and determine the severity of the damage. Our estimators will look for many of the signs we mentioned above that would indicate that your dent could not be repaired. They ensure the metal is not stretched, the paints elastic limit has not been exceeded, that there are no extreme ridges or creases in the dent, and that the impact scratching can be polished out. If the dent is within these parameters, the estimator moves onto the second step.
The second step in the paintless dent repair process has to do with accessing the area behind the dent. Given that your dent could be anywhere on your vehicle, it could be in a location where a PDR technician could not access the area behind the dent which will impede the ability to repair the dent. If it is impossible to access the area behind the dent for whatever reason, the dent cannot be repaired with PDR.
After this has been completed, a quote is created and reviewed with the customer or the insurance company. If the quote is approved, the repair is scheduled, and the PDR technicians will repair the vehicle.
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How Does Metal Memory Affect The Paintless Dent Repair Process
One of the things that the paintless dent repair process relies on is Metal Memory. This basically means that the metal has a tendency to want to return to its original shape. Normally, this can be attained with PDR as long as the dent hasnt exceeded one of the limits we have mentioned above.
The problem with larger dents is that sometimes the metal can become stretched. This is normally what has happened if your paint has started to crack. In these cases, it will no longer want to return to its original shape as it has been given a new memory.
When a dent has a sharp ridge, creasing, or anything that looks like it could cause the metal to twist or tear, the metal has almost certainly been stretched. This is why these cases make it extremely difficult to repair with the PDR process. Panels like this often require body filler or replacement to make the panel appear as if it still retains its original shape.
