Popping Out a Small Dent In My Car

[Augie]

8 hours ago, ExiledInIllinois said:

Last year, my son backed into my brother's truck with my truck.  Damn kids.   My brother had his fender fixed with paintless dent repair.   No damage  to my rice burner.  But my brother's American 🇺🇸 Ram needed it.

 

As long as paint ain't  broken, they can do it.  Check it out, the process.  I was amazed.   I think they heat it. ?? Can't  tell his whole  fender had huge dent.  $400 bucks and my brother paid it.  He felt bad for his nephew.   I wanted to go heavy on son, but hey, my truck wasn't  damaged.  LoL... I got a new one in February anyway 🤪  

 

That’s what kids are for! If that’s as bad as it gets, count yourself among the Big Winners! 

[ExiledInIllinois]

1 minute ago, Augie said:

 

That’s what kids are for! If that’s as bad as it gets, count yourself among the Big Winners! 

Well not quite,  but that's  for  other stories. 

 

@Gugny try and get a PDR estimate, see what they say.  May be worth it...

[apuszczalowski]

9 hours ago, Sig1Hunter said:

Is this at all related to the bicyclist/bike path thread? I think its important that we all understand so that we dont unwittingly become accessories after the fact of you mowing down a bicyclist that was hogging the road.

Very good point, for all we know the next day your going to end up with an email from the police asking you to come in and speak to them after becoming an accessory to a Hit and Run!

 

10 hours ago, WhoTom said:

Unless the paint is damaged, leave it alone. That first dent is liberating - anything that happens after that isn't marring an otherwise perfect car.

I agree with this too. For me, brand new or 'new to me' once you get that first scratch or ding it feels like a weight was lifted off your shoulders because it got a small ding or dent and is no longer 'perfect' so anything else won't matter as much

 

As for the dent, if its small and no damage to the paint, go to a local auto parts store or somewhere like Harbour Freight and pick up a small set of suction cup dent pullers. You can get some cheap that you can try to pull it out yourself. Just go around the edges of the dent and pull and it should eventually pop back out. Otherwise you want to get behind it and lightly tap on it from behind to push it back out, but its rarely in a spot you can get to without removing things.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

52 minutes ago, BeerLeagueHockey said:

I've tried this on many cars thru the years with various results anywhere between NICE! to OH SH*T!  The hired guns (paintless dent removal guys) will ding you probably $100 to make that ding go away 100%.  Dealerships can point you in the right direction, just give them a call or stop by.

 

I’m with @BeerLeagueHockey here.  I’ve messed around with a Harbor Freight dent puller, with dry ice, and with a hair dryer at various times.  Results have ....varied, as he says.

 

For a brand new car, I’d at least get a Paintless Dent Removal estimate and the dealer would surely know who the reliable locals are.

[Gugny]

On 9/14/2020 at 12:26 PM, teef said:

is it too small for a suction cup to pull out?

 

On 9/14/2020 at 1:34 PM, Just Jack said:

Is the car brand new, or new to you/used? Brand new I would take it to the dealer and ask them if their body shop can get it out. That way you're not voiding any warranty.  New to you/used, see if there are any of those dent removal places in your area, they'll have the expertise to do it. 

 

On 9/14/2020 at 1:45 PM, ExiledInIllinois said:

Last year, my son backed into my brother's truck with my truck.  Damn kids.   My brother had his fender fixed with paintless dent repair.   No damage  to my rice burner.  But my brother's American 🇺🇸 Ram needed it.

 

As long as paint ain't  broken, they can do it.  Check it out, the process.  I was amazed.   I think they heat it. ?? Can't  tell his whole  fender had huge dent.  $400 bucks and my brother paid it.  He felt bad for his nephew.   I wanted to go heavy on son, but hey, my truck wasn't  damaged.  LoL... I got a new one in February anyway 🤪  

 

22 hours ago, Another Fan said:

That sucks.  Tough break.  Maybe there's something in this article that can help even though it references the roof?

 

https://www.autohailhq.com/blog/2019/7/8/5-tricks-you-can-use-to-remove-dents-on-your-car-roof

 

If you have a trusted auto mechanic I'd just bite the bullet and go that route.  I'd probably wind up making it worse if I tried to fix it 

 

 

20 hours ago, Greybeard said:

       I would check out the multiple methods on Youtube.  I have a 10 year old car and 60 year old oak trees overhanging my driveway.  Parts of my roof look like a golf ball.  I would be tempted to try the Harbor Freight tool but my car is old enough that I don't think it is worth the effort.

 

19 hours ago, CLTbills said:

The guys that do PDR are amazing. It's an art form. I've worked in car dealerships for a long time and seen some of those guys at work.

 

19 hours ago, BeerLeagueHockey said:

I've tried this on many cars thru the years with various results anywhere between NICE! to OH SH*T!  The hired guns (paintless dent removal guys) will ding you probably $100 to make that ding go away 100%.  Dealerships can point you in the right direction, just give them a call or stop by.

 

 

 

18 hours ago, apuszczalowski said:

Very good point, for all we know the next day your going to end up with an email from the police asking you to come in and speak to them after becoming an accessory to a Hit and Run!

 

I agree with this too. For me, brand new or 'new to me' once you get that first scratch or ding it feels like a weight was lifted off your shoulders because it got a small ding or dent and is no longer 'perfect' so anything else won't matter as much

 

As for the dent, if its small and no damage to the paint, go to a local auto parts store or somewhere like Harbour Freight and pick up a small set of suction cup dent pullers. You can get some cheap that you can try to pull it out yourself. Just go around the edges of the dent and pull and it should eventually pop back out. Otherwise you want to get behind it and lightly tap on it from behind to push it back out, but its rarely in a spot you can get to without removing things.

 

18 hours ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

I’m with @BeerLeagueHockey here.  I’ve messed around with a Harbor Freight dent puller, with dry ice, and with a hair dryer at various times.  Results have ....varied, as he says.

 

For a brand new car, I’d at least get a Paintless Dent Removal estimate and the dealer would surely know who the reliable locals are.

 

Thanks for the input, guys and gals.

 

I had every intention of using the boiling water/plunger method when I got home from work yesterday.  I could not find the small plunger and I was really nervous about pouring boiling water on my brand new car, anyway.

 

I was going to buy DIY kit from Amazon, but the more I researched, the more I realized that many/most people get "great" results ... but not perfect.

 

I just got off the phone with a PDR guy.  Excellent reviews and close to work.  He's charging me $160.  He said his rate for a quarter-sized dent is $140, so I think this is fair, since this is more of a tennis ball-sized dent.

 

Getting it done Friday morning.  Dropping it off on the way to work and I'll pick it up at lunch.  It'll cost me the extra expense of buying lunch for whomever is kind enough to be my taxi, but that's worth it, too.

 

Thanks, again, for your serious input!!!

 

Gug

[Johnny Hammersticks]

Good luck pooping out a small dent in your car @Gugny!!  I only skim the thread titles.

[Captain_Quint]

All this for a ******* Versa Note??

[Gugny]

9 hours ago, Captain_Quint said:

All this for a ******* Versa Note??

 

The Note is sitting in the driveway, waiting for Lil' Gug to get his license.  The dent is in my 2020 Honda Fit that I bought on September 5th!

[apuszczalowski]

A Honda Fit? I thought you said you had damage to your car?

And a golf ball size dent? Isn't that like half the fender?

[Gugny]

4 minutes ago, apuszczalowski said:

A Honda Fit? I thought you said you had damage to your car?

And a golf ball size dent? Isn't that like half the fender?

 

I'm' afraid to pop it out myself because I'm worried that the entire car will turn inside out.

[Doc]

1 hour ago, Gugny said:

 

The Note is sitting in the driveway, waiting for Lil' Gug to get his license.  The dent is in my 2020 Honda Fit that I bought on September 5th!

 

All this for a ******* Honda Fit??

[Uncle Joe]

 

 

 

Slap this sucker on it.

[Doc]

11 minutes ago, Uncle Joe said:

 

 

 

Slap this sucker on it.

 

That's just asking for more dents.

[Gugny]

31 minutes ago, Uncle Joe said:

 

 

 

Slap this sucker on it.

 

It would go nicely with my custom LFGM license plates!

[MarkyMannn]

Don't try messing it up more yourself.  Go to a paintless dent removal place.  They do GREAT work.  The only way to go.  Ask the dealer where you bought it to hook you up with their guy.  More than likely they contract all the cars out for this

[Johnny Hammersticks]

How did this dent happen?  Doing donuts at the driving range again?

[Gugny]

1 hour ago, Johnny Hammersticks said:

How did this dent happen?  Doing donuts at the driving range again?

Lil Gug clipped the garbage bin backing out of the driveway on Monday morning. Hence the failed road test this afternoon, LOL. 

[Johnny Hammersticks]

16 minutes ago, Gugny said:

Lil Gug clipped the garbage bin backing out of the driveway on Monday morning. Hence the failed road test this afternoon, LOL. 

 

That kid’s a menace behind the wheel!

[Augie]

20 minutes ago, Gugny said:

Lil Gug clipped the garbage bin backing out of the driveway on Monday morning. Hence the failed road test this afternoon, LOL. 

 

This is why players have agents, and God invented driving tests. Let somebody else share the news that they ain’t all of what they thought they were. 

 

I had a kid in my drivers ed car who drove into a snowbank and got stuck on his first driving test. They had to walk back. You do not pass that way. The next time he slid thru a stop sign and ran into another car. That does not get you a license either! He should have waited until summer! 

 

 

.

Edited September 16, 2020 by Augie

[Gugny]

1 minute ago, Johnny Hammersticks said:

 

That kid’s a menace behind the wheel!

 

He's been doing a great job driving.  I nearly hit that bin at least every other week.  He actually just got by it. But when he turned the wheel at the end of the driveway, the front quarter panel just clipped it.  I can't believe it put a dent in it.  He was barely moving!!!

 

He felt HORRIBLE.  I'd had the car for 9 days!  He has no idea there's a dent in it.  Not gonna tell him.