Gypsy Dent Fixers

[wunbe]

OK I know this is probably just another scam but how do they do what they do?

I have a largish dent on my trunk -- no crease --and have been hailed multiple times by guys cruising parking lots who offer to fix it right then and there cheap.

What tools, techniques do they use, with what effect?

Can I do it as well myself?

wunbe

 

[bogus bill]

Have you tried a plunger?

 

[Fox Mike]

I have fixed small dents with a 4" wide drywall taping knife (the stiffer the better). You have to be able to access the back of the dent You simply rub the blade back and forth against the dent, using a little pressure, and it will smooth out.

 

[Robb Barnes]

I have a guy that works for Press-A-Dent that is phenomenal at popping dents out. He used a variety of rods with bent ends that he inserts through various access ports and holes then he slowly works those out from the back. I’ve watched him enough to feel comfortable even doing small easily accessible dents myself using that method.

 

[gunzo]

During my off-roading days I had popped a few shallow non creasing dents with a commode plunger when a guy told me that Snap-on had a special tool for that.
Sure enough, a 6" dia. suction cup mounted on a nice aluminum c-shaped handle. It even had a release trigger in case you didn't get the cup placed just where you wanted it. It wasn't perfect, but was more effective than a plunger.

 

[Bull Barrel]

A good hard kick is what they would probably use.

 

[Fox Mike]

A good hard kick is what they would probably use.

Or, if that doesn't work get a bigger hammer. :roll: :D

 

[tunnug]

Had a co-worker that had a pretty good dent on a front fender, he took a deflated basketball and shoved it behind the dent, inflated the ball until it popped the dent out.

 

[redhawker]

Just curious if anyone here has used one of those dint fixers I see advertised online lately. It looks like you glue a small disk to the dent and then the dint fixer uses either a plier or a screw type mechanism to pull the dent out. Supposedly the glue used just scrapes off with a plastic putty knife type thing and doesn't damage the paint. Just wonder if those really work as advertised if anyone's had any experience with them.

 

[coach]

I’ve never heard of or been approached by gypsy dent fixers. I wouldn’t even consider it as I wouldn’t consider solicitations from gypsy roofers or driveway pavers.

 

[Brules]

My sister used them for hail dents, and they worked great.
Sometimes they're called paintless dent removal.

 

[exavid]

I had a guy work out a couple dents in a car we had a few years. He did a pretty decent job. There's also a method of popping out non-creased dents with hot and cold application. I've popped a couple dents that way. Lots of info on dent removal methods that don't damage paint on YouTube.

 

[eveled]

I've heard of using dry ice before.

 

[gramps]

I’ve never heard of or been approached by gypsy dent fixers. I wouldn’t even consider it as I wouldn’t consider solicitations from gypsy roofers or driveway pavers.

Yep, me either! Dents lend character to a vehicle!
gramps

 

[Kevin]

We had a Toyota 4 Runner with a dent in the bumper for a while. I was approached several times here in Dallas, but not once back in New Jersey. It was the same car, and same bumper.

It always felt like a scam to me, the way they would be cruising around the parking lot asking me. I wouldn’t do it at all. Just like I wouldn’t buy steaks from some guy’s truck at the gas station. Not sure how that is a business at all.

 

[Skidboot]

Some of those guys do very good work.

 

[Kevin]

True, yes, some of those guys MIGHT do good work. But how can you know? I was just having this conversation this morning about taking a car to a dealer vs. a private, small, shop on the corner. Which ties into this thread almost perfectly. How do you know who to trust to do a decent job?

 

[Paul B]

My late stepson did paintless dent repair for the local Ford dealership. They actually sent him to school and paid for his tools. He did all the work for the company with included Ford, Lincoln Mercury plus Dodge and Nissan dealerships which were owned by the company. When it was slow he could do work for other dealerships as well. He made out quite well financially until the cancer finally took him last year. Couple of things he said was it would not work if there was a crease in the metal and almost never worked on the aluminum bodied Fords. Something about the metal not retaining a memory or may just the opposite. I don't remember which.
Paul B.

 

[coach]

I have no problem with a guy doing it for a dealer, a local shop or even on the side if I knew him or if recommended by someone. I just wouldn’t let a parking lot gypsy do it.

 

[Colonialgirl]

When I did paint touch-up on chips and scratches for dealerships on their used autos (and now then a BRAND NEW ONE), I also got to know several of the Paintless dent removal guys and some were absolute magicians at it; There was one guy that was a Vietnamese who was the absolute best I have ever seen doing it. Ask the manager of the Used car lot at a dealership and you may be able to get a good reference for a repair person.

 

[Paul B]

I'll second that CG.
Paul B.