Car dents are an unsightly looking thing. Most of us take great pride in the car we own and drive even if it’s not the most modern compared to the new Mercedes going past you. So it still hurts when someone bangs a shopping trolley into you, or, you suffer a minor road collision, or, are even hit by large hailstones which does happen from time to time.

Depending on the size of the dent you’ve either just got on your car or just noticed on your car, you may have to visit your local panel beater or auto body shop for them to take a look at it. Or, if it’s small enough then you may be able to undertake this repair yourself with just a few DIY tools.

You’ll first have to have a good hard careful look at the damage. If you’ve got ripples or a line or crease in this dent then unless you’ve had some kind of experience at this, you are going to have to take it to a panel beater for them to access it and come up with a price. It’s unfortunate if you do end up here for what may look like something quite small and cheap to fix but even the very small does take time, especially if there’s a crease in the dent to take out. However, if you have something simple that has dented your car like a large hailstone, then you may be able to carefully tap it back out. If it’s a whole panel that has taken a beating in a minor road accident then if you are a competent welder, you could just buy another panel, remove the dented panel and just replace with the new.

One handy tip for dents with no creases is to use the household plumbers plunger. You’ll have to be extremely careful here. The technique is to very, very slowly apply pressure on the dent with the plunger being over the top, just like if you were about to clear a blockage. So, gently but forcefully push the plunger down until there’s no more air in the plunger. The best result here is to apply a little water or grease around the rubber edge of the plunger to keep it as airtight as possible, Next, with a very steady grip, pull the plunger back and you should release the dent. This is hard work and probably impossible to do on corner dents, but ideal for side dents, roof dents and bonnet and boot dents on flat panels that because of the interior trim which is difficult to remove, can be a quick and easy fix.

Another dent repair method is to use a block of wood, an old towel and a rubber mallet. This is good for dents larger than the surface area of the plumbers plunger. The towel is to protect the edges of the block of wood. So, wrap the towel around the block and make certain that the block has no hidden sharp edge left as if it has you are likely to cause even greater damage. This is great for bonnets and roofs and boots/trunks. If the dent is on your bonnet, open the bonnet and hold the block of clothed wood against the underside of the dent, then gently tap away until the dent has disappeared.