Repair a Dent in Your Car

By B. E. Conrad

There are few things that can ruin the good looks of a car quite as fast as an unexpected dent or ding. Whether the dent originated from a runaway shopping cart at the supermarket or from a careless driver on the freeway, having a dented car is certainly no fun, and repairing those dents at the local body shop can be very expensive indeed.

Fortunately for drivers with dented cars and dented wallets, there are some methods you can use to remove those inevitable dents, dings and scrapes with little out of pocket costs. While not all dents and dings will respond to the do-it-yourself approach, it is certainly worth a try, and it may end up saving you a great deal of money.

There are a number of things you will need in order to attempt these do-it-yourself dent repairs. There are a number of dent repair kits on the market, and many of these kits include everything you need to remove and repair small dents quickly and easily. Many of these kits use suction cups and similar implements, and thus have the advantage of eliminating the need to drill holes in the finish to remove a dent.

Before getting started, be sure to borrow or purchase a dent pulling kit or dent pulling tool, along with a dolly, which is a specially designed tool made for flattening and reshaping metal. A metalworking hammer will be necessary as well.

The steps needed to complete the dent reapir are as follows:

1. Locate the center of the dent, and drill a hole in the dent with a 1/8" drill bit. Alternatively, you can use a hot glue gun to glue a plastic adapter to the center of the dent. These plastic adapters and glue guns are included in many dent removal kits.
   
   
2. Thread the dent pulling tool into the newly dilled hole, or attach the dent pulling tool to the plastic circle that is glued on the dent. After the dent pulling tool is in palce, pull on it to flatten the dent or pull it out.
   
   
3. Carefully hammer the front of the dent using the metalworking hammer, while at the same time holding the dolly firmly against the back of the dent. It may be necessary to go underneath the car, or to open the trunk or hood of the car, in order to reach the back of the dent.
   
   
4. Use a medium grit disk mounted on a drill to grind the paint down to the bare metal, extending the area out at least one inch around the dent itself. Then fill the entire area with a good quality body filler.
   
   
5. Allow the body filler to dry completely, then carefully sand the area with sandpaper which has been wrapped around a block of wood. When sanding, begin with a 36-grit sandpaper and work up to a 120-grit sandpaper.
   
   
6. Use a spray primer to prime the area, being sure to use a primer specially designed for automotive use. Six coats of primer should be used, allowing each coat of primer to dry completely before applying the next coat.
   
   
7. Sand the primer using a 600-grit wet and dry sandpaper. This will help to remove any scratches. The area should then be touched up with a matching automotive paint. If the paint is not smooth, resand and repaint the area until you have a smooth surface.

© 2006 Doityourself.com