Some of you have been asking about this thing called “mobile dent repair,” and if it’s something we should be doing to our cars and bikes on our own…well, here’s a DIY article about it, but I honestly don’t recommend it…
Paintless dent repair is commonly used to avoid more time consuming and expensive repairing methods. When you get a small ding in your car try repairing it yourself rather than hiring a professional auto repairer. Here are a few basic steps to follow.
Step 1: Examine the dent
First of all, inspect the dent. Some dents may be fixed easily while others may require more extensive repairing. If the dent is caused due to hailstorms or other natural calamities, you might want to consider consulting a hail repair specialist. Once you find some potential options, you should ensure that they possess all the necessary credentials to provide accurate and reliable services. else, if it’s a dent that you can fix with your tools, you might want to go ahead with the next step.
Step 2: Acquire the Necessary Tools
Next, acquire the tools you will be needing to carry out the repair. Most of the tools can be found in any home toolkit. If not, you could purchase it from somewhere similar to a Home Depot. Sites like Raise may have coupon codes that could be used to buy these at a lower price. The methods are simple ways which have however been deemed successful in cases of small dents.
Step 3: Use Aluminum Foil, a Lighter and Canned Air
A basic method which could work is to place a piece of aluminum foil over the dent. Then, switch on a lighter and hold the flame right over the foil for half a minute or so. Then spray with some canned air for a few seconds. The sudden change from a high to a low temperature could help the metal change its form and the dent might be removed as a consequence. Wipe with a soft cloth to remove any traces.
Step 4: Use a Hair Dryer and an Air Duster
A similar method to apply a change in the metal’s temperature is to heat up the area where there is the dent with a hair dryer. Then, after about a minute spray the heated patch with an air duster. A layer of ice will form over the dent. When the ice begins to melt the dent should pop back and be fixed. Once the ice has melted up wipe completely dry with a soft cloth.
Step 5: Apply Suctioning
Purchase a dent removal kit from an auto trader. Place the suctioning tool found in the kit over the dent you wish to repair. This is often in the shape of a cup, with a string at the other end. Basically you have to pull the string in order to apply the pressure in the space encompassed between the cup’s interior and the vehicle’s metal. Alternatively, if you do not wish to buy such a kit you can always use a plunger which is a common tool found in every home. If the dent is not complicated this will lead to the metal to pop back in place linearly. You may try to repeat more than once so as to try and achieve a bigger suctioning. If not successful, you can proceed to more extensive DIY paintless dent repair methods.
Step 6: Using Other Tools from the Dent Repair Kit
Apart from the suctioning cup a dent repair kit will also contain a dent pulling tool. Place this over the dent. Then, pull hard so as to make the dent pop out. When this is achieved you may use a small hammer to push it back more linearly with the rest of the body as it may protrude a bit outwards at first. It is best to fix a board or a block of wood at the back of the metal while doing this.