What are the solutions for dents in car body panels?
2 Answers
There are two main methods to fix dents in car body panels: 1. Traditional metal sheet repair: This involves restoring the deformed metal shell of the car. For example, if the car body shell has a dent from a collision, metal sheet repair can restore it to its original shape. Then, specialized paint is sprayed to make the repaired metal surface look as good as new, matching the undamaged areas. 2. Paintless dent repair (PDR): Also known as paintless dent removal, PDR is based on optical, physical, and mechanical principles, using leverage to repair dents of various sizes and depths caused by external factors. The prerequisite is that the car's paint surface is not damaged and the metal surface has not been overly stretched. This is a modern repair technique.
Last time my car got a dent when the neighboring car door hit it, totally heartbreaking. I tried pouring hot water and using a toilet plunger to pull it out, but instead of flattening the dent, it created a small bump. Later, I went to a professional repair shop where the technician used an iron hook to gently push from inside the door panel, and it was restored in half an hour without needing a paint job. They said this method works best for areas like doors and hoods where the inner lining can be removed. If the dent is on the frame beam, it's a bit more troublesome. The price depends on the size of the dent—mine was palm-sized and cost 200 yuan, much cheaper than a paint job at the 4S shop, and most importantly, the original factory paint was preserved, avoiding depreciation.
