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Oh, Hail!

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William

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If you've been watching too much Weather Channel, then you know we've been having some wild weather here in the middle of the country. Anyway, we had a wicked hail storm last night, naturally I was still at work, so my car got pelted badly (as did every other car in our family except the MG, which is still in the shop!). Anyway, what to do about those dings all over the hood and trunklid? Do those "dent puller" places work? How 'bout the tools you see advertised that do the same thing? Anyone try 'em? Cost?
-William
 
Sorry to hear about the hail!

To answer your questions. Places like DentMasters, Dent Wizard, etc. do work. I haven't had to have it done myself but I have seen the results. But, a lot depends on the type of dents. With major hail damage they'll probably be able to get most of them, but not all.

Store bought tools. Sometimes they work, but not as often as the pro shops. The shops use different techniques for the most part. The local TV station's consumer reporter got one of those suction cup type dent pullers and had no luck what ever on the dents they tested. YMMV.

Watch out for the dent removal places that move in over the next few weeks just for this storm. Some are legit, but a lot of them are fly by night outfits. Stick with the guys who are local.
 
I don't know about the 'modern' dent masters, but 20 years ago my Honda Accord took on a good dimpling from hail. The hood was replaced (it was the only removable part, so replacement was cheaper than repair) and the rest of the car (roof, hatch) was fixed using a torch. By briefly hitting each dimple with the torch, the heat would literally pop the dimple back out. However, this also required a respray.
 
get it done ASAP before the metal gets a memory of the new shape.
 
I had "paintless dent removal" performed n a '97 Mustang that got caught in a hail storm a few years ago. They did a great job and you coudn't tell the car had been damaged at all. And it was covered by my insurance.
smile.gif
 
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