Pulling dents on 97 OBW

[Subarunation 713]

I have two dents back by the tailight. One on each side. The paint is fine and the dents aren't "sharp", just looks like somebody took their fist an "whamed it good". The paint is dark blue.

 

Has anybody used one of those dent pullers that don't harm the surface? If so and it worked, what did you use?

 

I know there must be some "gizmo" as dealers have hail damage fixed with no mar to the finish.

 

Should I go behind the dent and push it back out? A body man, I AM NOT!

 

Thanks for any advice,

Greg

[cannonball]

I have two dents back by the tailight. One on each side. The paint is fine and the dents aren't "sharp", just looks like somebody took their fist an "whamed it good". The paint is dark blue.

 

Has anybody used one of those dent pullers that don't harm the surface? If so and it worked, what did you use?

 

I know there must be some "gizmo" as dealers have hail damage fixed with no mar to the finish.

 

Should I go behind the dent and push it back out? A body man, I AM NOT!

 

Thanks for any advice,

Greg

I have used the Ding King with some success. It should work pretty well on a fist size dent that hasn't creased to badly. It still will pull out the dent, but the crease marks will still be there. I used it on some hail damage, and it definitely removed some of the larger dents. Be carleful with the adhesive. If you put too much on it can pull the dent out the opposite direction.

[outback_97]

I have a blue 97 OBW too, and it once had a large dent at the top of the lift gate. It's best not to try to drive under a carport when you have a bike mounted on the roof...

 

My high-tech method to (mostly) remove it was this: clean affected area, apply Vaseline to the lip of a toilet plunger, start your plungin! It popped it right out, you can still see it since it had a crease or too, but it's much better than before.

 

Steve

[Subarunation 713]

My high-tech method to (mostly) remove it was this: clean affected area, apply Vaseline to the lip of a toilet plunger, start your plungin! It popped it right out, you can still see it since it had a crease or too, but it's much better than before.

 

Steve

God Bless American ingenuity!

[mtsmiths]

I learned the plunger trick many years a go when I worked at a gas station in Dallas. Don't even need the vaseline, just dip the plunger in a puddle, or run water on it. Push it in real slow to expell the air, then JERK it out ... plooomp out comes the dent if it isn't creased and deformed too bad.

 

You can also do it with duct tape and a little rigging of a flat plate puller with a handle.

 

Oh, and the hail dents? You can sometimes fix them by heating the dent with a hair dryer on high, until the metal is quite warm, then applying an ice cube on the ding. Dry ice works even better.

[cannonball]

I learned the plunger trick many years a go when I worked at a gas station in Dallas. Don't even need the vaseline, just dip the plunger in a puddle, or run water on it. Push it in real slow to expell the air, then JERK it out ... plooomp out comes the dent if it isn't creased and deformed too bad.

 

You can also do it with duct tape and a little rigging of a flat plate puller with a handle.

 

Oh, and the hail dents? You can sometimes fix them by heating the dent with a hair dryer on high, until the metal is quite warm, then applying an ice cube on the ding. Dry ice works even better.

 

Hmmm.. You have definitely piqued my curiosity with this method. Have yo u personally tried this method?

[Ranger83]

You can go to a paintless dent removal shop like Dent Wizard or another franchise and they will massage the metal back until you can't tell it's been hit. Price varies from $50 up to a couple of hundred. You get "package" pricing for going in with a bunch o' dents, so get the parking lot dings taken out of your doors, as well.

 

Lots of new car dealers use this type of service and it really is like new when they're done.