At-home tricks to fix small dents in your car
After severe thunderstorms and hail blew through Central Texas late Sunday evening, some residents might have woken up this morning with cracked window shields, roof damage and yes, dents in their cars.
AUSTIN (KXAN) -- After severe thunderstorms and hail blew through Central Texas late Sunday evening, some residents might have woken up this morning with cracked window shields, roof damage and, yes, dents in their cars.
Here are some at-home tips and tricks to remove dents or dings from your vehicle, courtesy of used vehicle company Carvana.
Grab a plunger
For any small to medium-sized round dents, a cup plunger can be your best friend. Pour out plenty of water on both the car and the plunger to help get a good seal going. From there, place the plunger over the dent and continue to push and pull until you hear or feel it pop out.
Pour out some hot water
Put that tea kettle to good use and boil up some hot water to help remove any dents you might have on plastic portions of the car like a bumper.
Once your water is boiling, pour it over the dented bumper. While wearing protective gloves, reach behind the bumper to help push out the dent.
Once the dent has been removed, you can then douse it with cold water to "cool and set the plastic," per Carvana.
Bust out your toolbox
Larger-scale dents can respond to a little finessing from a rubber mallet body hammer and a dolly, or a curved piece of metal often used to help shape sheet metal.
You'll want to match the size of the hammer and dolly based on how large of a dent you're dealing with, selecting a dolly that "most closely resembles the shape of the dent," Carvana suggested.
Once selected, place the dolly over the dent and then hammer from the inside against the dolly. Carvana encouraged hammering from the deepest point of the dent first -- such as its center -- and working your way outward to remove the dent.
Give your car a spa treatment
This is a different kind of blowout appointment.
Using a hair dryer, begin heating the car at the dryer's highest temperature. Carvana experts said this willll help expand the dent and make it more pliable.
When it becomes hot to the touch, you can then spray the dented region with a can of compressed air. That burst of cold air will make that portion of the vehicle contract, causing the dent to pop out.
Purchase a dent removal kit
If you live in an area prone to hail storms, you might want to consider renting an official dent removal kit with industry professional tools. AutoGuide has a list of some repair kit options on the market.