3 Ways to Fix Dents without Tampering with Your Car's Exterior Paint Coating

Posted on: 27 December 2018

In the past, performing dent repair on a car meant removing the old paint and using filler material as part of the auto body work process. These days, however, car owners can fix dents without paint removal, as long as the exterior paint finish remained intact after impact. This new repair process is called paintless dent repair.

There are many different ways to fix dents on a car without ruining the vehicle's exterior paint finish first. Check out these three highly effective paintless dent repair techniques you can try yourself. 

1. Suction cup dent remover

This dent removal tool works pretty much like a sink plunger. You simply place the cup over the dented area and plunge like you'd do when trying to clear a clogged drain. The plunging action will help pop out the dents. Before you start pushing and pulling, make sure you pour a little water on both the plunger and the dent. This will help create an airtight seal between the plunger and the body of your car.

Keep in mind that the effectiveness of this dent repair method is limited to the size of the dents it is used to repair. For effective repair, the cup should be able to cover the entire dent completely. Otherwise, there will be air leaks between the plunger and the dents. This may make it hard to achieve the desired results.

2. Glue puller tools

If you're not good at using a sink plunger, a suction cup dent remover may not be the best tool for your dent repair. However, a glue pulling tool may really come in handy. This dent repair method involves gluing a tool to the back of the dented surface and then pulling and twisting on the tool until the dent pops out. 

Working from the other end of the painted surface helps minimise potential damage to the finish. 

3. Using hot water

Another effective method of dent repair is simply pouring hot water on the dent and pushing the dent out.

The hot water helps make parts like plastic bumpers more pliable and easier to repair. As the effectiveness of this repair technique depends on the pliability of the dented material, you'll need to work fast. If you allow the material to cool down, you may not be able to fix the dents.

As a car owner, you can never completely rule out the possibility of needing dent repair work at some point. If you don't accidentally bump into another car or hit a hard object, hail can also leave unsightly dents on your car body. The good news is that you can actually fix the damage yourself if the dents are minor. All you need to do is to try any of the dent repair methods discussed above.

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