You may still notice some slight damage from home repairs, which could affect the resale value and overall look of your vehicle. Dents that are on the edges of a panel or creases are more difficult to repair on your own. Depending on the location and on the structural damage, it might not be able to repair it.
You should also take your vehicle into a shop if you don’t feel comfortable working on it yourself.
You can buy dent remover kits online or at your local automotive supply store. They usually cost around $30–50 USD. If your removal tool doesn’t come with a hot glue gun, you may not need to glue the suction cup down. Just push the suction cup hard against the center of the dent so it sticks to your panel.
If you don’t put the feet on a flat surface, they may slide around and won’t pull the dent out.
If you have glue residue on the panel, heat it up with a hairdryer or heat gun until the glue softens. Then, you can easily wipe or peel the glue off of the panel. [7] X Research source Sometimes, the removal tool will only pop out a portion of a larger dent. If you can still see damage, reposition the tool’s suction cup to the lowest section of the dent and repeat the process.
You may need to try pulling out the dent with your plunger multiple times. Stick with a basic cup plunger used for sinks and drains since a flange plunger used for toilets won’t get good suction.
It may take a few full pots of water to heat the panel enough so you can reshape it. Instead of using water, you could also try heating the panel with a blow dryer or heat gun. If spraying the dent with compressed air doesn’t work, look for a way to access the area behind the dent. After you heat up the panel, use your hands to push the dent out from the inside.
Be careful not to hit too hard since you could break through the panel or cause it to bow out. [13] X Research source
If you have multiple dents, ask if the auto body shop offers any discounts so you don’t have to pay the full price for each one. You may be able to find paintless dent repair services in your area if there’s no damage to your vehicle’s paint job. They usually will come to you so you don’t have to take your vehicle into the shop.
Larger dents may take around 2–4 hours to repair. For more severe damage, you may need to have your quarter panel repainted or replaced entirely. Sometimes, larger dents affect the structural integrity of your vehicle, which may end up costing you more.
