Don't Try These 3 At-Home Hail Dent Repair Options
ShareHail may look cool, but it can do real damage to your vehicle. If you are driving around with hail dents in your vehicle, you need to schedule an appointment with your local auto body shop to get your vehicle looking good again. Don't try to fix the hail damage on your own; all three of the at-home hail repair methods you may run across online all have substantial drawbacks.
Dry-Ice Repair Method
There are plenty of articles online such as this one that explain how you can use dry-ice to repair small dents in metal objects, ranging from your stainless steel fridge to your vehicle. Essentially, all of these articles suggest that you heat up the dented area using a hair dryer, then apply dry ice to the area. The idea is that this combination of hot and cold will cause the dent to pop right out.
The truth is that this method may work on a very tiny ding on your fridge, but it's not going to work that well on your vehicle. Most dents on your vehicle are too big for this at-home repair method to work. Most of the time, when people try this method at home, they end-up with a job that is only half done. Sure, a little bit of the metal may pop back into place, but more than likely, most of the damage will still be there when you are done.
Hair Dryer Repair Method
Other do-it-yourself dent repair articles make it even more simple. They suggest that all you need to do is pop-out the dents on your vehicle is apply a little extra heat with a hair dryer.
This method generally does not work. You run a greater risk of damaging your paint job as you apply the extra heat to your vehicle than you run of actually fixing those hail dents.
Just Park It In The Sun Method
One of the most simple repair methods you will find online is this suggestion to park your vehicle in an extra sunny spot for about a week. The article claims that the warm sunlight will cause the dents to magically pop-out of your vehicle.
For one, this method requires you to wait until it is nice and warm where you live to try it out. Additionally, if the sun were able to fix dents on vehicles, there would be little reasons for auto body repair shops to exist. Your hail dents will not disappear in the summer sun.
If you try the dry-ice or hair dryer hail dent remove method at home, you run the risk of damaging the paint job on your vehicle. You also run the risk that your efforts will be in vain. Instead of trying one of the at-home hail dent repair methods listed above, take your vehicle into a professional auto body shop where they have the right tools and experience to fix your vehicle without causing any further damage.