I'm going to tell you about the dysfunctional relationship between my dome light door-switch and my door. And then I'm going to ask you what to do when two friends just aren't getting along:

My truck's dome light wasn't working and I had enough of using my phone as a flashlight every night, so I took the off the dome light cover the next morning and there was no bulb... makes sense... sort of. I put a new bulb in and it wouldn't turn off when I closed the doors... the missing bulb made more sense. I checked the switches on the doors and found this on the passenger side:

Something bad had happened. But who in this band of brothers would do this? So I replaced the switch, but when I closed the door the light stayed on. When I would push the switch with my finger the light turned off. Upon further inspection I found a discrepancy in the symmetry of my vehicle and a suspect in the attack...

...a dent on inside of the passenger door betrayed the door's crime. Above, on the left is the driver-side switch and door, and on the right is the passenger-side door and switch showing the dent. After speculating uselessly about the circumstances of the bizzarre confrontation between the two normally congenial comrades I decided to break out The Duct Tape:

This solution has lasted about 24 hours but I know I can't expect to mend such a scourged relationship with such little effort. I know it's only a matter of time before the deep-seated issue reappears and darkness falls over my truck once again as my battery dies overnight.

So anyway... what would you do to fix this situation? Is it worth the effort to take the door apart and bang out the dent? I've never done that before. Is this an easy enough fix for an amateur or is there any other creative relationship advice out there?

Thanks all.

 

An option could be drill a couple tiny holes in the dent. Pack in some steel putty.

Personally id pull the door panel and try a bar and hammer and try to level the area.

 

Get a big fat self tapping screw, put it where it will hit the switch. Adjust, put some jb weld around it to make it stay.

 

Pull the door panel and hammer out the dent.

Use a piece of hardwood or handle and hammer the end to get the added room or leverage you need.

The new switches are adjustable to a degree, just not that much...

 

I agree with the filled epoxy solution.
PC-7 paste or similar.
Pulling the door and then trying to get inside it to bang out the dent is too much work just to get the plunger to function.

Of course you'll have to leave the door open overnight while the epoxy sets, so don't forget to tape over the switch or disconnect the battery.

Of

 

Might be able to put a washer behind the switch base, which will in effect hold it out further.