If you're looking to repair dents in your car's body yourself, weigh the costs of a professional job with the confidence of doing the job properly yourself. It's best to risk such a repair job yourself with an old car where the costs of repair might be more than the car's actual value, Even then, the fenders are probably the only locations you'll be able to repair any dents, since they can be removed if necessary without anything from the car's interior (such as inner door panels) getting in the way of your repair work.
Small Dents
Small dents are easily repaired with a soft hammer. The secret is to aim for the center of the dent so you won't hammer out any protrusions along the circumference of the dent. View the dent from the underside of the car to do this (raise the vehicle and remove the wheel). As you hammer with one hand, feel the outside of the fender with your other hand to make sure the dent is pushed out evenly. For slightly larger dents, a suction cup works better. Attach a large suction cup with a handle to the dented surface and pull. Start along the edge of the dent and work your way inward. Tap the inside of the dent with either the soft hammer or a small bag of buckshot while you pull from the outside.
Large Dents
Large dents will require you to remove the fender from the car first. Remove every single bolt from the fender, and it will come off easily. If the fender doesn't come right off, there is at least one bolt left; find that bolt, as the bolts can often be hidden. Do not force the fender off the car. One the fender is removed, use a heavier hammer to pound out the dents from the fender's underside. Even with the heavy hammer, use short, small taps on the dent instead of hard ones. Hold a dolly against the fender's outside as you pound to prevent protrusions. If the fender supports are bent, straighten them out with vice-grip pliers. Once the dent is fixed, reattach every single bolt when you connect the fender back to the car.
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