3 Options To Address Hail Damage On Your Vehicle
Posted on: 18 January 2016
If your car recently made it through a hail storm, and you have some dents that need to be fixed, you have a few different options for addressing the hail damage. Here are three different ways you can approach fixing the hail damage that your vehicle sustained.
The Home Heat Method
If you want to try to fix the dents yourself, you can use the home heat method. The first step of this method is to park your vehicle out in the sun as much as possible. Over time, the heat from the sun is supposed to cause the metal on your vehicle to expand and naturally pop out any small dents made from the hail. Let nature undo what nature has done.
If the sun doesn't get the job done, or you want to fix the hail dents more quickly, you can create your own heat. Take a hair dryer and hold it a couple of inches above the hail dent; don't place the hair dryer directly against your vehicle. Hold it there, moving it back and forth occasionally, until the metal warms up and the dent pops out.
If you want to use an even quicker method, you can hold dry ice to the dents with thick leather gloves and cool down the dent, then hold a hair dryer to the dent to quickly heat it back up. In theory, this quick change from hot to cold should cause the hail dent to pop out.
Car Dent Repair Method
For a little more of a professional approach, you can purchase a car dent repair kit from your local auto parts store. These kits work best on hail dents that are small and not very deep; they do not work that well on large or deep dents.
These kits include directions on how to repair the dents. Basically, you apply glue and fill in the dent, then use the tools to smooth it out so it blends in with the rest of your paint job. You may also need to purchase some touch-up paint to use with the kit.
Professional Dent Reapir
Finally, you can take your vehicle into your local auto body shop and let the mechanics there fix the dents in your vehicle. They may use a variety of methods to address the dents, depending on their size. They may use a professional heating method to pop-out the dents. Or,they may remove the affected panels and hammer the dents out. Or, they may use filler to fill in the dents, then they smooth down area and paint it.
You have lots of options when it comes to fixing the dents on your vehicle after a hail storm. You can take things into your own hands, or you can leave the work up to the professionals.
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