Dent Removal Tips: The Successful And The Not-So Successful

If your car has recently been in an accident and suffered some body damage as a result, you might be wondering about the quickest and easiest ways to get that damage repaired. For dents in the body panels, there are all sorts of recommendations for do-it-yourself removal. However, not all of the theories that circulate online are true. Here are a few of the most common methods recommended for dent removal and the facts about whether or not they work.

Can Your Hair Dryer Remove A Dent?

Originating from the idea that if a heat gun works, anything that produces heat should work, many people recommend using your hairdryer to remove a dent in your car's body panel. The fact is that most modern cars are not going to respond to this type of treatment. 

The theory is that you can heat the body panel with a hairdryer, then rapidly cool that panel with a can of compressed air. The heating and rapid cooling should cause the metal body panels to expand, then contract. This should, in theory, remove any dents.

However, while it is a great concept in theory, it does not actually work in practice. Car body panels are made of so many different materials and blends that the heating and rapid cooling cycles aren't really an effective means of dent removal.

Can You Use Suction To Remove A Dent?

Some homeowners wonder if there's some form of suction that can be used to pop out a dent in a body panel. Many people recommend using a plunger to create suction because it operates in much the same manner as your auto body repair shop's plunger and suction system. 

The key to getting this method to work is to not only use the right type of plunger but also to expose the area to a significant amount of hot water immediately beforehand. After pouring the hot water over the body panel, use a toilet plunger to create suction against the body panel and pull the dent out. A few tries and you should have a dent-free surface.

No matter how many do-it-yourself dent removal ideas there are, none of these ideas are going to prove as effective as working with a professional collision repair contractor like Select Collision Group. Contact a company near you today for an assessment of your car's body damage and tips to help you address that damage.