dbmata

So, some "very special person" performed a textbook hit n run on my jeep in a parking lot earlier this week.

Damage: Driver's rear door has a dent in it, on the lower part of the door, centered on the plastic fascia piece, the dent is deep enough to slightly bend the door frame on the rear side of the door.

Anyway, I'm no longer so pissed about it, and it's time to fix it. Aside from drilling a hole in the door, and getting a wedge in there to pull the dent out, is there another option?

What do body shops use to pull dents?

(I'll get a pic up soon.)

caged

body shops use a slide hammer dent puller or suction cup style.

try taking off the door panel with the window up and push the dent out from the inside.

1badz

That's exactly what I did with mine. Got like 90% of the dents out. You can't even tell now.

caged

yeah, that's the best idea, if it's in a spot where you can access it from the inside. dents are always best if you can replicate the impact in reverse.

you can also try using a toilet plunger. it will work if the dent isn't too creased.

95Cherokee

Try a "Paintless dent repair" shop. They go behind the dent and use a combonation of heat and cold, [heat gun and dry ice], and special tools to manipulate the dent out, they do good work. You can look up some before and after pics on the net, and they're much cheaper than a body shop.

dbmata

my boss suggested paintless repair, then he sent me pictures of the car he parked around my neighborhood when he lived around here a few years ago...

Looks like these hit n runs are completely to be expected, and notes/ people owning up to the damage are not. Median home price here is 1.2mil in Cambridge... wonder if there is a link between the three...

dbmata

if I can get to that panel, I'd assume that a big dowel would be the best choice, along with my mallet.

AND... a toilet plunger? Say whaaaaa? How could a toilet plunger even get enough of a seal to pull things out?

95Cherokee

Good luck on DIY, I tried to pop a dent out myself last week and made it worse. Paintless dent repair shop, here I come.

caged

has to be the right toilet plunger. one without the extension thing. a round red cap style.
if there's no crease, you get lots of suction. enough that if it pulls off, you end up on your a$$.

has to be a large enough dent tho.

dbmata

Dent is plenty big, but may be a no go with a plunger...
it's right at that odd 45 degree step in at the bottom part of the door. Center of the dent is right below it.

grn99

If there is any creasing, most body shops will just reskin the door.

dbmata

Ok, you lost me... reskin the whole door? What is that? It sounds like they would take all the steel off the outside facing part of the door and then put on new?

Which would mean time for a paint job, and it's definitely not that time yet... hm.