Only three things in life are certain: death, taxes, and getting a dent in your car or truck. Even if you're as careful as possible, you can't always account for runaway shopping carts, wrongly thrown footballs, out-of-nowhere light posts, and other real-life annoyances.
However you got your dent or ding, the next thing on your mind is, undoubtedly, how to get it out. Sure, you can take it to a body shop or friendly neighborhood mechanic for repair, but their price quotes can be unbelievable, especially if they want to remove the paint first or use body filler. $200 for that tiny dent?! I don't think so.
Instead, save yourself some of that hard-earned money and do it yourself. There are plenty of ways to get a small dent or ding out of a vehicle at home without ruining your paint, and you don't need to be a gearhead to do it.
However, not all of these tricks will work on your particular automobile; your mileage may vary depending on where the dent is exactly, and what your body panel, hood, or bumper is made out of (aluminum, carbon fiber, plastic, fiberglass, steel, etc.). For instance, aluminum has little memory properties, so paintless dent removal is much more difficult.
Method 1: Use a Plunger
Not only can you unclog a drain with a plunger, you can get out small- to medium-sized dents out of your car too. Just splash some water on both the plunger and the dent and start pushing and pulling until it pops out. Make sure to use a cup plunger (for sinks), not a flange one (for toilets).
- How to Get a Dent Out of a Car Using Just a Plunger
Method 2: Use Boiling Water
Reversing into an object is one of the easiest ways to get a dent. So for plastic bumpers, even if you attempt to take off the bumper, it might still be difficult to push out the dent because of how stiff the plastic is. Solve this issue by boiling some water in a pot and throwing it on the dent.
- How to Remove Dents from a Car Bumper with Boiled Water
As soon as the water has been poured, reach behind the bumper and try to pop the dent back in. Thanks to heat of the water, the plastic should be a bit more flexible, making it easier to put back into place.
Since the heat won't last very long, you'll have to work quickly. If the dent doesn't completely go out, keep dumping boiling water on it until you're finished.
Method 3: Use a Hair Dryer & Compressed Air
Another popular method for removing car dents out of plastic material involves using two popular household products: a hair dryer and compressed air.
Start off by heating the car dent with the hair dryer at its highest temperature, which will expand the plastic of the car. As soon as it's hot enough, grab the can of compressed air, turn it upside down, and begin spraying that same area. Since the cold air will cause the plastic to contract, the dent will pop out.
