We spend hours a week in our automobiles, running errands, heading to work, and managing our social lives. With all this activity, it’s inevitable that something is going to go wrong eventually.
If you’ve backed into a light pole, been in a mild fender bender, or drove through a hail storm, you may discover that you’ve dented your vehicle. This can be extremely frustrating but there is hope for a simple fix.
If you can learn how to fix a small dent in a car, you can get your vehicle back to its proper state and back on the road. What steps do you need to take? Read on and we’ll walk you through what you need to know.
Try With a Plunger
The classic DIY trick to getting rid of dents requires you to walk into your bathroom and pull out a plunger. The suction power of a plunger can help to very literally suck the dent out of a car.
This trick works especially well on the doors or side panels of a vehicle.
How can you do this trick? Start by taking the rim of the plunger and wetting it down with a damp paper towel. Place it directly around the dent and give a few simple pulls — it should hopefully do the trick.
This method doesn’t always work, as some dents just need more suction than a plunger can provide.
Boiling Water Method
Most cars these days have more plastic in their exterior materials than ever before. The advantage of this use of plastic is that the material is more pliable, which can make it easier to remove dents on your own.
In order to make this easier, you’ll want to head to the kitchen and boil a pot of water. While the water is still hot, bring it out to the vehicle and pour it over the dented area.
While the spot is still warm, reach behind the impacted area and try to push the dent out with your hand. The boiling water should have made the plastic soft and easier to force back into place.
Dry Ice Method
If you happen to be in the possession of dry ice, you might be able to employ another DIY method to remove the dent from your car.
The extreme cold of dry ice will force the material of the car to contract. You will need to wear protection when handling dry ice as it can be dangerous to manage.
Rubbing the dry ice over the dent should hopefully see the dent pop back into place on its own. If that isn’t doing the trick, you can try heating the area with a blow dryer before attempting the rubdown with dry ice.
This will force the affected area to both expand and contract, potentially loosening things up enough to pop back into place. If you’re still having trouble, you can reach out to a hail damage repair shop to help resolve the problem through more professional means.
How to Fix a Small Dent In a Car
It can be frustrating to find a dent in your car no matter the reason. The above information can help you determine how to fix a small dent in a car without too much trouble. Getting rid of dents can be difficult but not impossible using the above DIY methods.
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