Dents can lower the value of your car, no matter what caused them – rogue shopping trolleys or a careless passenger in a parking lot. They also usually take weeks at the body shop to correct, patch and sand.

Heat the dent (and an area a couple of inches around it) with a hairdryer or a heat gun, then quench it with cold compressed air. This may help pop the metal back into place.

Taking on the challenge of DIY dent repair may seem like a cost-saving move, but it can also lead to subpar results and further damage. Unless you are an experienced car body mechanic, it’s best to leave DIY dent repair to professionals.

To start with, you’ll need a mallet (appropriately sized for the ding), an old towel to minimize paint damage, and some basic tools. You’ll also need a heat source, such as a hairdryer or propane torch, but be cautious to avoid overheating the area. Once the area is warm, you can apply cold compressed air to cool it. This can help prevent your vehicle from overheating and damaging the metal.

There are various do-it-yourself kits available that contain a variety of tools for tapping, pulling, or pushing dents out of the body panel. Some kits include a bridge puller that glues to the deepest point of the dent and then uses it to gently lift the metal back into place. The kits typically come with instructions for using them and are best suited for smaller dings in areas that haven’t been painted over.

You can also try pouring boiling water over the dent to make it more pliable and easier to pop out. You can also use a hot glue gun to affix small wooden dowels on and around the dent in evenly spaced areas. You can then attach a screw at each end of the dowels to create handles that you can pull on. If you do this multiple times over the dent, it should gradually pop out of the body panel. Alternatively, you can purchase tools specially made for this purpose that work by gluing tabs to the surface of the dent and then pulling or tapping them out.

Paintless Dent Removal

When you drive a car, there is a good chance that at some point it will be dented. It could be a minor ding or even a deep football-sized dent caused by an accident or some other kind of incident. The good news is that most of these types of dents and dings can be fixed with paintless dent repair (PDR). PDR is an innovative process that allows the technicians to coax your vehicle back into place without the need for body filler or repainting. It’s a more affordable option and it also preserves the value of your vehicle, since changing the paint can lower resale value.

When your vehicle gets damaged, a technician can use specialized tools to massage the metal back into place and restore its original shape. These tools are usually metal rods and body picks that are shaped and sized to access the area behind the dent. They can be used to press, tap, and massage the dented metal in a controlled manner. This technique is often used to fix hail damage or other dents that have stretched the metal beyond what it was stamped into when your car was built.

Depending on the size of the dent, accessing the area may require removing a window or some inner panels to gain full accessibility. The technician then carefully massages the damaged metal with these tools and a tapping technique to ease it back into position. They can also apply heat to the metal to make it more flexible for easier manipulation.

The main reason to opt for a professional for repairing your damaged car is that they will have experience in using these techniques and can determine if your car’s dent or ding is a candidate for PDR. A skilled technician will know what the best tool to use for your car’s specific needs is and can spot when the damaged metal has been stretched or creased to a point where it cannot be repaired using this method. A trained technician will also be better able to assess whether your damaged panel is a good candidate for painting.

Dealerships and Franchise Body Shops

If you have a passion for cars, you can turn it into a thriving business by launching your own auto body shop. Whether you have a little money or a lot, there’s plenty of ways to get started. Here are some of the most popular options:

Franchise Shops

Both Pierce and Mullett say a big part of their success in starting an auto body shop was deciding to join a franchise network. Both said that they did a lot of research before making a decision and talked to several other franchise owners about their experiences.

One of the biggest benefits of joining a franchise network is the support that they provide to their owners. Many franchises offer software for inventory management, scheduling, and financial tracking. They also typically have technical support hotlines and troubleshooting guides.

Other advantages of joining a franchise network include brand recognition and marketing assistance. Mullett says that joining a well-known network has helped his shop attract customers and grow his client base. He also notes that working for a recognized brand has helped him build his own credibility as an auto body repair shop owner.

Mobile Dent Repair

Mobile dent repair services allow vehicle owners to get dents and other damage repaired on their own premises, eliminating the need to drive a damaged car to an auto body shop. This is a huge convenience for busy customers, particularly those who have erratic schedules and might find it difficult to leave their cars at a repair shop during normal business hours.

In addition to convenience, mobile dent repair is often more affordable than traditional auto body work. Using their own tools and materials, mobile dent repair technicians can typically fix a minor dent in less than an hour, making them a great choice for those with limited time and resources.

Depending on the severity of the dents and other damage, mobile repair services may offer different repair methods. Paintless dent removal techniques, for example, are typically most effective for repairing minor to moderate dents and dings. However, more severe damage and dents that are located in hard-to-reach areas, such as behind panels or near complex vehicle components, might require more extensive repairs that cannot be performed on site.

Some mobile repair service providers also offer paint-matching services to restore your car’s original paint finish. This technology has come a long way in recent years and can be quite accurate, particularly for newer vehicles. However, some damaged vehicles require more specialized color-matching that can only be accomplished in a professional paint booth.

When choosing a mobile dent repair service, it is important to choose one that offers flexible scheduling to accommodate your unique lifestyle. Many companies offer evening and weekend hours to make it easier for busy customers to get their vehicles repaired, reducing the need to take time off from work. Additionally, the best mobile repair services will provide a free consultation before starting any work on your vehicle, giving you a chance to ask questions and decide whether or not this type of auto body repair is right for you.

For those looking to sell their car, a professional mobile repair service can help you remove the dents and other damage and restore your vehicle to its pre-accident condition. This can increase the resale value of your car and make it look much more appealing to potential buyers.