Car dents are one of those annoying things in life that no matter how hard you try, you can’t always avoid them.
But when dings and dents happen, it’s often hard to tell what you should seek a professional for…
And what repairs you can probably swing yourself.
Today we will cover the types of dent repairs, and give you the scoop on when to seek expert help, and when to make a repair yourself.
Evaluate The Damage
The only dent repair you should even consider attempting on your own is a minor dent that has no resulting damage to your paint job.
If the dent caused your paint job to be scratched or cracked, you’re going to need a detailed repair. In this case, you should always seek out an experienced auto body shop.
Another factor to consider when evaluating the severity of your dent is the size of the damaged area. If you can’t cover the dent with your hand, it’s not advisable that you try to repair it on your own.
Very large or deep dents are risky to try to fix yourself. This type of damage requires specialized tools and techniques in order for the repair to not affect the integrity of your car’s body.
If your dent is very small and did not affect your paint job, it is possible to try and fix it on your own with a dent repair kit.
How To Try A Dent Repair On Your Own
There are many dent repair kits on the market that include the tools and instructions needed for very minor dent repairs.
If you’re intent on doing it yourself, make sure you spend time thoroughly researching the dent repair process, and be aware of the potential problems a DIY dent repair could cause.
It’s critical to understand what could go wrong and to not cause further damage to the body of your car.
If after your research, you still want to try and fix a dent yourself, Dealers Hail recommends the following tips to help you with DIY dent repair:
- Make sure you are working indoors out of the sun
- Make sure you have proper lighting to work in
- Order professional paintless dent repair tools
- Find a diagram of the vehicles trim components, to help you gain access to each panel
- When you start working on a dent, be mindful of the leverage created by most paintless dent removal tools and start out SLOW
- Be careful not to crack the paint, and stop if you do
Disclaimer
The cost of a DIY dent kit can range from a few dollars to over $100. Kits can contain a simple suction cup, or a wide range of specialty tools like a dent lifter, a glue dent puller, a rubber hammer, pumps, and wedges.
It’s important to understand that even for minor dings, you could end up causing more damage to your car in a DIY dent repair.
Most kits brace themselves against your vehicle as they pull on the dent, and this can harm the frame and body of your car, and require a professional auto body shop to fix.
When To Seek Help With A Dent Repair
If you’re concerned about saving money on your dent repair, understand this – even if you purchase a moderately priced dent repair kit, if you damage your car in the process, the time and money you spent trying to attempt the repair will not be worth it.
Minor paintless dent repairs done by a certified professional are not as expensive as purchasing a dent repair kit and then taking your car in for more extensive paint or bodywork if your DIY repair did not go as planned.
“Paintless dent repair sounds simple in theory. While DIY dent removal is a cheaper option because the tools are cheaper to buy, you can’t buy the finesse of an experienced dentology expert.
Applying too much pressure could send the dent in the opposite direction and there’s little room for error before it happens. Reversing the dent costs more to fix than PDR in the first place.
In other words, you can try to push the dent out yourself. However, you may actually make the situation worse.
Remember, paintless dent repair isn’t as simple as pushing the dent out. The technician also evens out the area as required and uses techniques to protect the paint along the way. You are more likely to restore your car (and its value) when you use a professional service.”
In closing, while it’s tempting to grab a suction tool and see if you can handle small dents yourself, you are never guaranteed good results.
If you want to ensure that the integrity of your vehicle is not compromised, it is always less risky to contact a reputable dent repair company and get things done right the first time.
If you’d like to get your dent evaluated, contact us as Pristine Dent Repair today!