A guy at the gas station in Flagstaff showed me a dent trick with a heat gun

I was fueling up last month and saw a guy working on a big dent in his truck's door. He was using a heat gun on low, moving it in circles about six inches away. He told me, 'You heat the metal slow, then spray it with a can of compressed air turned upside down. The quick cold makes it pop right out.' I tried it on a shallow fender dent back at the shop, and it actually worked pretty well for something that didn't need paint. Anyone know other tricks for small dents that save you from pulling panels?

3 comments

3 Comments

adamgreen3mo ago

That hot-cold shock method is great for newer cars with thinner sheet metal. For older, thicker panels, sometimes you can get behind it with a rubber mallet and a wood block to slowly work it out from the inside, if you can reach. Just go real slow and tap lightly, checking the outside often.

king.wyatt3mo ago

Man, that feeling when a cheap trick actually works is the best.

pat_coleman2mo ago

Wait, am I the only one who thinks that hot-cold shock trick is just asking for trouble... I've seen people crack their paint that way, especially on older cars where the clear coat is already thin. Rubber mallet and a block is a solid approach, but you gotta be real careful not to overdo it or you'll just stretch the metal and end up with a lumpy mess. Sometimes it's better to just push from behind with a clean broom handle if you can, slow and steady. I'd rather take an hour and do it right than fix a cracked paint job later...