The last hail storm here in Oklahoma City got my truck hood and I was wondering about repairing the dents myself. My Nissan Titan is 9 years old so I don't really care about getting it perfect just getting some or most of the dents out. They are not very big or deep and I have seen the dry ice methods and glue pulling methods on Youtube, but I was also thinking of pushing or hammering the dents out from the bottom side of the hood. Anyone have any experience or success removing hail dings and dents?
Do it yourself hail dent removal?
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Hail dents
I am an insurance adjuster and have seen more than my fair share of hail damage all over the country. The best method for small to medium dents is paintless dent removal. They understand how the dents have to be pushed or pulled to make it right. If you try to do it yourself you probably will not be happy with the results. If you live in an area that gets relatively hot then some will pop after a real hot day when it cools off at night but just the real small ones. I have seen really good PDR techs and really bad ones too. It is really an art and some people just don't have the patience or the eye to do it. If the dents are really big then conventional body repair is the best method or panel replacement is called for. I hate this time of the year, we get the most hail claims during the spring. Good luck.
I am an insurance adjuster and have seen more than my fair share of hail damage all over the country. The best method for small to medium dents is paintless dent removal. They understand how the dents have to be pushed or pulled to make it right. If you try to do it yourself you probably will not be happy with the results. If you live in an area that gets relatively hot then some will pop after a real hot day when it cools off at night but just the real small ones. I have seen really good PDR techs and really bad ones too. It is really an art and some people just don't have the patience or the eye to do it. If the dents are really big then conventional body repair is the best method or panel replacement is called for. I hate this time of the year, we get the most hail claims during the spring. Good luck.
feralmerril
Absent Comrade
Wait until it snows and sell it.
Try heating the metal around the dents with a hairdryer or heat gun. They won't all come out, but some will.
Hot sun, dry ice. They squeal when they shrink out.
-don
-don
You're right, those PDR techs are very good at what they do. When I lived in FLA someone hit the drivers door of my pickup in a parking lot, putting two small but very noticeable dents in it. Took it to one of those PDR-type places and left it for four hours, came back and it looked like new! I think I paid around $80 at the time, around 1997.
I have a friend that does this. On the weekends he gets invited to parties where he will fix people's dents while the beer flows. They pay him cash, about $250 an hour. It's absolutely amazing how he can remove dents and how fussy he is.
The tools aren't much and can be carried anywhere. I bet he makes more working on the side than for his day job....
The tools aren't much and can be carried anywhere. I bet he makes more working on the side than for his day job....
bobelk99
Member
I am not an insurance adjustor, but I did work on my truck hood to take the dents out working from the underside.
Rather than say I was not pleased: It was a disaster.
Rather than say I was not pleased: It was a disaster.
TAROMAN
US Veteran
In high school in Nebraska, I worked in a body shop part time.
Summer, full time. We did exactly this. Maybe 70% came out. Then the body men finished the job.
kamloops67
Member
leave the dents, they are like the dents in a golf ball...probably makes your truck faster, or at least more fuel efficient
s1mp13m4n
Member
I am not a bodyshop guy but my uncle was, my dad and I painted his 1961 Ford Galaxie, and my dad's son in law was a bodyshop guy for many years. I can tell you this.....if you do not have the right professional tools you WILL make it worse and create more of a mess. It is an art and what ever you do please do not use a dedicated heat gun....you can burn your paint because they get very hot.
MK
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A "good" PDR person could probably get them fairly well.
I guess the trick is finding a good one.
What I would do is go to a few dealers and see who they
use. I was looking into this for a small door ding, and found
one guy here that does work for a few dealers. He had a web site.
But I ended up just leaving it, as it's real small and only noticeable
at certain angles with the right light..
But if a dealer uses one, they likely do fairly good work.
I looked into doing it myself too. Watched a few videos, etc..
They say to "massage" the dent out slow. That helps avoid poking
too far outwards and creating a wart instead of a dent.
And you need the lights and mirror rig to be able to really see what
you are doing. But with top dents I guess you could get fairly close
by eyeballing it at various angles.
I guess the trick is finding a good one.
What I would do is go to a few dealers and see who they
use. I was looking into this for a small door ding, and found
one guy here that does work for a few dealers. He had a web site.
But I ended up just leaving it, as it's real small and only noticeable
at certain angles with the right light..
But if a dealer uses one, they likely do fairly good work.
I looked into doing it myself too. Watched a few videos, etc..
They say to "massage" the dent out slow. That helps avoid poking
too far outwards and creating a wart instead of a dent.
And you need the lights and mirror rig to be able to really see what
you are doing. But with top dents I guess you could get fairly close
by eyeballing it at various angles.
quneur
Member
It would depend upon the extent of the damage. It may not be feasible to take it to a shop and have it repaired. It may be that replacement may be in order. Look at local junkyards. Then it would be a matter of matching paint.
gjamison
Member
I'm a pdr tech, have 6 employees and do hale damage all the time. Leave it to a pro, not as easy as it looks.
Call your insurance company, a lot of this is covered. Out of pocket can be very expensive.
Call your insurance company, a lot of this is covered. Out of pocket can be very expensive.
silentflyer
Member
I have had good luck on a hot day with a rag and a chunck of dry ice in it applied to the dent area, it "pops' right out.
4barrel
Member
NO-THEY WILL NOT.
I think PM Lostlake, buy a coupla cases of beer, and attend a party in Wisconsin....
gunlovingirl
Member
I took my car to a dent Dr to have the door dings taken out. He did great work. I couldn't even tell where they were. Pretty reasonable price too.
feralmerril
Absent Comrade
Around 2001 I flew home to wisconsin. Dad and I drove to the cemitary and got caught in the largest hail storm I seen in my life. It distroyed miles of roofs and damaged many cars. I seen ice the size of my fist! It knocked some people out. Dad got about $4,000s to fix his crown vic. He didnt fix it.
Later he had to go to assisted living and we had a auction. When the car come up the top bid was about $2,000s. Dad bellered out to the auctioneer he wouldnt take less than $4,000s! A lady friend of his yelled out $4,000 dollars! The auctioneer looked at me and rolled his eyes back in his head in disbelief! He didnt know about a year prior the lady and her husband that dad went to church with had him over to their house. Dad had asked them where the bathroom was and took the wrong door and fell down to the basement floor. He was hurt pretty bad. The couple begged him to sue them saying they had good insurance. Dad wouldnt sue. They remembered that!
Later he had to go to assisted living and we had a auction. When the car come up the top bid was about $2,000s. Dad bellered out to the auctioneer he wouldnt take less than $4,000s! A lady friend of his yelled out $4,000 dollars! The auctioneer looked at me and rolled his eyes back in his head in disbelief! He didnt know about a year prior the lady and her husband that dad went to church with had him over to their house. Dad had asked them where the bathroom was and took the wrong door and fell down to the basement floor. He was hurt pretty bad. The couple begged him to sue them saying they had good insurance. Dad wouldnt sue. They remembered that!
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I use "Dr. Dent" - a guy who goes from Body Shop to Body Shop and charges a reasonable price to remove dents, creases, and minor damage as long as it can be done without painting. He usually charges between $75 and $100 per dent depending on how difficult an area it is to work on. The plus side is that there is no painting, body filler and the results are instant & permanent.
My wife always makes SURE he always has some business from us too!
My wife always makes SURE he always has some business from us too!
