No matter how careful you are or where you park to avoid damage, dents and dings are a fact of life. And if you’re like us, you can’t stand to walk out and see small imperfections on your car’s body. The paintless dent repair (PDR) business has catered to this vanity for more than 30 years and is now a common option for a lot of minor damage. But with the typical cost of professional dent repair ranging from around $100 to $300 or more, it’s natural to look for DIY solutions.
One such option for minor dents is a paintless dent repair kit, like this one from Eastwood. The kit consists of reusable glue-on repair button tabs in a variety of sizes, hot melt glue and glue gun, a tab puller, a small slide hammer, and a soft scraper. For less than the cost of having a single dent pulled by a pro, the kit can be reused countless times, allowing you to make multiple repairs.
The process is straightforward and simple, and requires only a clean paint surface and a well-lit space for working. Temperature will also play a minor factor, as you’ll see best results when working on panels above 60 degrees Fahrenheit.
Glue on a pull button
Once you’ve identified the dent you want to repair, the first step is to chose the appropriately sized pull button to fully cover the dent. With the glue gun at full operating temperature, apply a generous bead of hot glue to the button and immediately press it onto the dent. Let this cool down for a couple minutes so the glue can fully solidify.
Lift on the pull button
For small and shallow dents, the lever-type dent puller will be the right tool for the job. This allows you gently apply upward pressure in just the right amount to make the dent release. The sheet metal panel should have a ‘memory’ for its pressed shape and return to its former position naturally. The glue should release with a confident ‘pop’ when panel has returned to shape. This process may need to be repeated more than once if the dent is deeper or you are overly cautious about pulling too aggressively. Better to be safe than sorry.
Deeper dents or heavier-gauge panels may require a more assertive approach. This is where the included slide hammer comes in handy. If the lever puller doesn’t get the job done, simply swap it out for slide hammer. Pull firmly but gently to get a feel for the effort needed to make the pull, being careful not to overdo it too early. Apply more force gradually as needed.
Scrape the button
With the dent looks to be pulled, use the nylon scraper tool to separate the pull button from the paint surface. A little denatured alcohol sprayed on the glue will help soften it. Scrape and wipe any remaining glue from the paint and examine the repair from multiple angles, making sure to position yourself in a way that you can watch light reflect over the repair area. A line board comes in handy for aiding visibility of reflections.
If the dent is gone, you’re done. But it’s not uncommon to find a little bit of dent remaining after an initial pull. You can simply repeat the process to make subsequent pulls as required to bring the surface back to its original shape.
RESOURCES IN THIS ARTICLE
- Eastwood Paintless Dent Repair Kit – Item # 16145
- Eastwood Paintless Dent Removal Line Board – Item # 16185