November 2007
Do-it-yourself dent repair
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Our tests of two kits, Ding King ($20 to $30 plus shipping) and DentOut ($30 plus shipping), showed that both worked about the same, but we liked the adjustable feet on the Ding King's pulling bridge. Either kit is worth trying, although results may not be perfect, and the kits have several limitations.
HOW THEY WORK
Paintless-dent-repair kits are intended to be used on relatively small dents (less than about 6 to 8 inches long) that have no paint damage, are not creased, and are not located near body lines. The products are not meant to be used on repainted, plastic, or aluminum panels.
Each kit has a glue stud or pulling tab, which has a threaded rod protruding from the back. You use an included hot-glue gun to apply adhesive to the stud or tab which you position on the dent. Then you place a crossbar, or "pulling bridge," over the rod and screw a wing nut onto the end of it. As you turn the nut, the dent is drawn outward. The adhesive is designed to break loose before you damage the finish. But if it looks like you're pulling the metal too far, you can apply an agent to release the glue.
Ideally, you should raise the metal just enough to remove the dent without leaving a bump. One company says it could take up to 10 tries to get it right.
OUR TESTS
We tested the Ding King basic kit, $20, www.dingking.tv, and the DentOut DF-B100 (replaced by the similar B100, $30), www.dentout.net.
Each set comes with a glue gun, pulling bridge, two glue tabs of different sizes, enough adhesive for scores of pulls, release agent, and instructions.
We invited 19 members of our staff to try the products on their own cars, which often had more than one dent. The panelists made 112 attempts to repair 39 dents. They rated each result on a 5-point scale, ranging from "looks worse" to "looks like new." None of the panelists was totally satisfied, though 80 percent judged their efforts as offering some or much improvement. Eighteen percent rated the results as unsatisfactory, but not worse than before attempting the repair.
Repairs on dents less than 1 square inch received the lowest marks. We think that's because panelists did not perceive a big change. Efforts to repair dents of about 4 inches or more in diameter got the highest grades.
Testers thought the instructions for both kits were a bit vague. Many thought the Ding King kit did not adequately explain how to use the glue gun and where to place the pulling bridge. An optional video helped answer many of those questions but cost another $10; a shorter version is free on the Web site. The DentOut instructions were also confusing because they described tools that are provided only in other kits.
Two critical points when using the kits: Carefully apply the hot glue, and don't pull the metal out too far. The DentOut kit includes a tool with which you can try to undue the latter, but we think it's better not to overstretch the metal to begin with. We intervened if we thought a panelist was about to make either mistake.
For comparison, we brought a car with dings similar to those we tested using the kits to a local Dent Wizard, a professional paintless-dent-repair franchise shop. The repair cost $130 for one dent, which looked like new. Prices range from about $50 to $130 at such shops. A local body shop, using traditional techniques that include filling the ding with body filler and repainting the door, estimated the same repair would cost $150 to $200.
For best results, it's worth seeking out a skilled paintless-dent-repair technician. Such a person or business may or may not be affiliated with a national franchise operation such as Dent Wizard, Dent Doctor, or DentPro. Ask some local new-car dealers for a paintless-dent-repair recommendation.
BOTTOM LINE
If you're willing to settle for a less-than-perfect repair, you might try one of the kits. The investment is relatively small, and if you don't like the results, you still can go to a professional. Skill and experience are important for getting professional results, and our amateur testers had trouble achieving them.
