How to Repair Small Dents on a Car?
2 Answers
There are 5 methods to repair small dents on a car: 1. Maintain an appropriate distance between the hair dryer nozzle and the car dent: Point the hair dryer nozzle at the car dent, keeping it not too close to avoid melting the paint due to high temperature, nor too far to ensure effective repair; 2. After using the hair dryer, prepare a cover for the dent: Aluminum foil is recommended due to its excellent heat insulation, which helps maintain the temperature at the dent area; 3. Place dry ice on the aluminum foil: Wear thick gloves to prevent burns and use a clamp to place the dry ice on the foil; 4. If the dent is small, there's no need to move the dry ice back and forth: For larger dents, move the dry ice back and forth to ensure even cooling of the dented area; 5. If a metallic sound is heard after some time, it indicates the car dent is returning to its original shape: Utilizing the principle of thermal expansion and contraction, the significant temperature difference between high and low causes the car metal to deform, thereby restoring the dent.
Last time my car door got a small dent, I tried hot water and a toilet plunger to fix it. The method is simple: first pour boiling water over the dent to soften the paint using thermal expansion and contraction. Then quickly align the plunger over the dent and pull hard, repeating several times to gradually restore the shape. The key is to use a metal plunger with strong suction—plastic ones tend to slip. Apply moderate force to avoid over-pulling; my fingernail-sized dent took three attempts to flatten. However, this doesn’t work for deep or sharp-edged dents—those require professional tools to push from the inside. DIY attempts on such dents can easily damage the paint.
