anyone done any paintless dent removal?

[slutvs]

hey guys, im a newby on here but was just wondering has anyone ever removed a dent themself without boggin it up and just painting over it? some idiot reversed into me in a carpark , copped a small dent in my front guard bout the size of a soccer ball , fortunately didnt crack it or remove any paint.panel beaters are just tryin to force me to get them to do it with quotes no less then about 600 bucks, rather try it myself even if it does require a little bit of bogging and painting, keen to give it a try!

would be a massive help to hear from people who have tried it themself.

cheers!

[Reaper]

I've paid the paintless dent repair guy to do a few bits and pieces over the years and found them excellent. Insurance paid for my car to be fixed this way after hail damage (about 60 dents all up) and it's impossible to see where all but 2 were. The two that are detectable is very slight and unless you knew where to look it'd take quite a while to find (if at all).

Reaper

[Philthy]

I do it for a living...

A dent the size of a soccer ball will be stretched to buggery. Your best bet is to get the guard liner off, and get in behind it (maybe even just with your hands) and try to "pop" it back out. It'll probably take a fair bit of moving though.
You could try getting a crowbar or something similar behind there and levering off your tyre, but you are likely to end up with a big high spot wherever you are pushing on it if you don't really know what you are doing.

Chances are you won't get it out that well, but you might be able to get it out well enough to bog it up. Just take your time. Lack of patience is what'll kill it for you

[cracker]

whats it worth for you too remove dints?
obviously would depend on size etc and where, but the average golf ball size dint or minor car door hit ?
sorry if its very vague always been very interested in paintless dint removal but never had a clue what it costs!

[Philthy]

Last time I looked at a quoting guide (months ago), small dents started at around $50-60, then up to $150 or so if they take a bit more work.
I did 2 roughly post-it sized dents in a 60's car roof for $250 the other day.

Insider secret: the repairer will probably charge more for a more expensive car, when in fact the better steel is easier to work with

[VooDooWagon]

I had a dent the size of a 10c piece removed. It cost me $50 and you can't pick it. This was using the paintless dent removal technique.

Luckily the paint wasn't chipped or scratched. I had this done about 3 months ago, cause some prick decided to open their car door on mine.

[Claudy]

So for hail damage, 50 bucks a ding sound bout right or?

[Philthy]

Hail is different. They will charge per panel, based on roughly how many dents are in each one. I know the roof I repaired with over 600 dents didn't cost them $3000!!
Could be anywhere from $150-500 per panel. Very hard to say without seeing it

[edals]

The Guys that repaired my car after cricket sized hail trashed it did a fantastic job, cant even tell, even removed the boot dents from the previous owner even though they knew it was not hail. Called Aussie Hail dent removals. These guys travel world wide following the hail seasons
Theres another group called dent wizard.

[slutvs]

thanks philthy. the person who hit me just drove off so i woulda got a panel beater to do it through insurance if they left their info like an honest person would. but as you said i hear it stretches a fair bit and can be lumpy if its nt done right the first go so im just thinkin of buyin a new guard, found one for 40 bucks looks brand new!! all i need is paint, how much roughly would it be to get sprayed in your opinion?

[greenacc]

You should be able to pick up decent panels in the right colour for any VS with original paint.

[Krilnik]

Yo Philthy - or anyone else, heres a dent on my front right quarter panel. Its about the size of a 20c coin. I should be able to push this out with my fingers right? Im going to have to remove the inner guard lining i assume. Ive never done that before - should be a coupla screws to undo under the guard there right?????

There is no cracked paint in or around the dent.

[2DIE]

You should be able to pick up decent panels in the right colour for any VS with original paint.

^^ What he said, try ebay, wreckers, post in the wanted section of the forum. If that fails, yeah new guard and paint it your self will probably be the next cheapest option.

[Krilnik]

Wouldn't it be easier to reach underneath the guard and push the dent out?

Your method requires a lot of work:

1. Have to find a new panel on eBay first or drive around wreckers for a couple weekends.
2. Spend money on a new panel. Missus will curse.
3. Paint guard, more money. Missus will curse even more.
4. Spend a day trying to work out how to remove existing panel.
5. Spend half a day sweating and cursing trying to fit new panel.

I was just thinking of:

1. Remove panel liner.
2. Push small dent out.
3. Have a beer.

[2DIE]

That was for the soccer ball sized one I was talking about, larger dents will be harder to fix.

For your smaller one might want to try something like this

4-1/2" Dent Puller Suction Cup Handle Lifetime Warranty - eBay (item 170527203948 end time Dec-12-10 05:08:47 PST)

Thats a cheap crappy one, but you get the idea.

[FIRSTINFO] Air Suction Dent Puller for car body (eBay item 280550442564 end time 16-Dec-10 15:03:40 AEDST) : Cars, Bikes, Boats

That one seems to be a lot better but quite expensive.

I don't think just pushing it from the back will make it perfect but give it a go if you like, I couldnt recommend any type the suction dent removing tools as I have never used any.

Could ask Philthy what he uses but he might go out of biz if everyone starts doing there own :P

[Krilnik]

Ok cool, thanks.

Philthy, spill ya secrets!

Kidding, i think i can get it out just by pushing it out or something....

[kuzman89]

heard dry ice works??

Secret Paintless Dent Removal Technique - Easy And Cheap! - Video

[slutvs]

@krilnik your too right the misus already said to me "who gives a F*** its only a dent" she wouldnt of even noticed if i didnt tell her haha. but yeh i really cant be bothered fittin the thing, the panels are all pretty much perfect as it is i dont wanna be unscrewin it and makin it look like crap

i tried the whole dry ice thing numerous times. i think my dent isnt stretched enough its probly bout the size of a 8inch wheel. ive seen some of them videos on youtube and they seem to be pretty big.

an thanks for the link 2DIE im seriously buying one hahaha. ill do some before and after pics for youse when i get round to it :]

[Krilnik]

Hey Slut, i tried the ice thing. Didn't work.

Tried normal ice and a hairdryer though. I swear the panel looked at me and said "WTF are you doing you idiot".

[Philthy]

Yo Philthy - or anyone else, heres a dent on my front right quarter panel. Its about the size of a 20c coin. I should be able to push this out with my fingers right? Im going to have to remove the inner guard lining i assume. Ive never done that before - should be a coupla screws to undo under the guard there right?????

There is no cracked paint in or around the dent.

Good luck pushing it out with your fingers. Little ones won't "pop" like the massive one might, and commodores are made of pretty solid steel.
If you can get the guard liner out, you might be able to use the tyre as a lever and massage it out GENTLY with the BACK of a wrecking bar or similar.

The guard liner comes out pretty easily. You should be able to see most of the screws/clip if you get in there with a torch. Turning the wheel full lock one way or the other will give you a lot more room to move as well.

If you park the car next to a corrigated iron fence, or small picket fence etc on a sunny day, you should be able to see the reflection of the dent quite clearly, and when you push on the lever you should be able to spot exactly where your tool is. Remember to go very gently, and if you see the reflection start to pinch together (even slightly) once you release pressure on the lever, it means you are pushing too hard (trying to bring it up too fast) and have left a high spot that needs to be tapped GENTLY back down.

If you want that dent to look any good, expect to spend a few hours slowly pushing it up bit by bit, and you won't get it perfect.

Also, watch carefully for cracks in the paint as you are pushing up. That guard looks like it has been repaired/painted before, so there could be bog in there somewhere.

[Philthy]

I don't think just pushing it from the back will make it perfect but give it a go if you like, I couldnt recommend any type the suction dent removing tools as I have never used any.

Could ask Philthy what he uses but he might go out of biz if everyone starts doing there own :P

Pushing from the back is the way almost every pro will try and get it out, except we have special tools to make it easier and to get in behind all the panels. Suction tools might make it look better, but won't get anything out perfect.

I'm not worried about going out of business just yet. It's a bit of an artform and takes years to perfect - I'm definately still learning.

[Krilnik]

You're right Philthy. The guard was repainted.

Thanks for the tips! Im gonna try and get the guard liner out and give it a shot. I'll follow your directions and see how i go.

Once again - thanks heaps!!!