DIY Car Hail Damage Repair

The hailstorm that blew through middle Tennessee this week left my 1996 Impala SS looking like a golf ball. I’ve decided that I am not going to spend the $1500 it will take to get the car professionally repaired. Past experience has taught me that some of the dings will probably pop out on their own, but I was wondering if there are any home remedies that are worth a try.

I understand that the only 100% way is to take it to a repair shop, but is there anything I can do at home that may remove some of the dings or encourage them to come out on their own?

      • I guess: quickly heat the dents with a hair dryer a bit? —A dent-removal wheel (used on unpainted steel bodywork) is a sheet-metal wheel that fits on an angle grinder and rubs the bodywork, heating the surface of it.
        ~

Let the car sit in the sun and get as hot as possible. Then place some dry ice in the dent. It won’t go away, but will likely shrink some.

BTW, my Camaro also got dinged in a hail storm that hit Dallas a few weeks ago. Really sucks. :frowning:

/Markus

Don’t they advertise that dent remover thing on TV in Tennessee?
If you are mechanically inclined you could probably build your own pretty easy.

The “paintless” services that herman and bill mentioned are worth every penny. A talented technician can pop many dents out by reaching behind the body panel. On new/newer cars, the paint often has the elasticity to re-conform to the right shape.

Guys actually traverse the country in dent-repair-on-wheels trucks, chasing the hailstones.

I’ve often heard that if you let your car sit out in the hot sun for a long time, then pour ice cold water on the dents, they will pop out.

As rostfrei mentioned, I was watching the car guys on discovery channel do something like that. They heat up the spot with a torch & put ice on it. That was the idea but it seemed to tricky for them. Not to mention what it does to the surface coatings… if you can get behind the panel you can use a rubber mallet safely.