Acorn Dents
#1
Acorn Dents
A recent windstorm rained a hailstorm of acorns down on my '05 F250 PSD. It's red and normally VERY clean. The acorns put 3 very small dents in the hood that (while very small) are driving me crazy!
Any recommendations on how to have them fixed? (please don't tell me about the dent pullers "as seen on tv!")
TIA!
Any recommendations on how to have them fixed? (please don't tell me about the dent pullers "as seen on tv!")
TIA!
#2
In my area, (So.CA) we have shops that specialize in paintless dent repair. They manage to get some crazy bent up tools behind the dents, and work them out, even in some spots one would think are impossible to get to. Most of these guys are mobile, and come out to the house. I have had decent luck with door dings and such, and I drive black vehicles. Hope that helps.
#3
#4
DO NOT GO TO A PAINTLESS DENT REPAIR. Holy hell i cant stress that enough. If i know anything its not to do that. This is what i was told by many different body mechanics at the best auto school in the nation. Its not a trade secret, they use pics and fenagle it out. It will look great. Until the clear starts chipping, then the paint, then comes the rust. Sometimes they have trouble getting to certain areas so they will have to drill a small hole to get the pic into, then they put a plug in the hole and paint the plug to hide the hole. Then that hole starts to rust as well.
They dont use magnets, the only time they use magnet pullers are in place of like a stud gun or the other dent puller where you have to drill a hole and thread it in.
Seriously, though, dont go to these PDR guys. Go to any body shop and ask about those guys and theyll tell you whats up.
Its cheap as hell, but you get what you pay for.
They dont use magnets, the only time they use magnet pullers are in place of like a stud gun or the other dent puller where you have to drill a hole and thread it in.
Seriously, though, dont go to these PDR guys. Go to any body shop and ask about those guys and theyll tell you whats up.
Its cheap as hell, but you get what you pay for.
#5
I6power: holy cow man! this was an acorn dent, yeah acorn, not a VW. The paintless dent repair is a low dollar alternative to painting the entire roof, or in this case hood. If the dent has not creased, and the paint is not cracked already, then PDR can be u reasonable alternative. Yes hard to reach areas can require a hole be placed somewhere to access the problem area. But it is usually disclosed to the owner of the vehicle, before they break out the drill. We are talking about the underside of a hood in this case. If a hole has to be made in a cross support, chances are it will be alright. Suggestions were simply made, so the original poster could get some ideas, and alternatives on how to fix his baby.
I can see why some of the greatest body guys in the nation might not want someone to go with this alternative, their students might not get to charge normal guys like us an arm an a leg to paint an entire section (hood) to fix a couple of dents after some
kamikaze acorns flew into a truck.
I can see why some of the greatest body guys in the nation might not want someone to go with this alternative, their students might not get to charge normal guys like us an arm an a leg to paint an entire section (hood) to fix a couple of dents after some
kamikaze acorns flew into a truck.
#7
75f350: if a vw did hit his ford, i would tell him to buff it out
thefarelaneman: i can assure you that i6power does not in fact have a spare $2k
Alright, obviously people got affended because i disagreed with their advice. No need to feel insulted, im just giving my advice, take it or leave it. If you go with a PDR, good for you, hope you have great results. Im just saying that in the long run you may regret it. Hey, i dont know everything, so i may be way off. However....
I said what i said because i have done PDR first hand, and have seen the before/after pics. I went to school for this thing and they pointed me into a certain direction. Im showing OBXTucker the route that they showed me.
thefarelaneman: i can assure you that i6power does not in fact have a spare $2k
Alright, obviously people got affended because i disagreed with their advice. No need to feel insulted, im just giving my advice, take it or leave it. If you go with a PDR, good for you, hope you have great results. Im just saying that in the long run you may regret it. Hey, i dont know everything, so i may be way off. However....
I said what i said because i have done PDR first hand, and have seen the before/after pics. I went to school for this thing and they pointed me into a certain direction. Im showing OBXTucker the route that they showed me.
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#8
PDR will cause hairline cracks in the paint surface, all the way down to the metal. As soon as miosture seeps through rust occurs, causing what i like to call a rust scab. I'm not saying that they are not professionals, but there is a right way to fix things. Repairing and refinishing that hood shouldnt cost more than 400 bucks, at least thats what i would charge................
#9
#10
You canpossibly use dry ice to remove the dents. You set the car in direct sunlight to heat it up and then rub a small piece of dry ice on the dent. This usually shrinks the metal and the dent disappears. This is not always successful, but is by far less aggressive than other methods around.
#11
I agree with I6power, although a little less agressively.
When a dent, even a small one is made in the metal on your truck the metal flexes. Metal can do that and come back out really well. The extent to which your paint will do the same thing is not going to be as good as that metal. You are going to have hair line cracks in the paint and your finish is going to be weaker because of it. You might never see any problems from this damage, or it could start a paint failure that results in rust down the road.
The short story is that the dent will come out with the paintless system, and it will look good when finished. If you plan on only keeping the truck for five to seven years (That seems to be the average around here) then go ahead and have it done. If you will have this truck in ten to fifteen years you will probably see some detrimental effects to that surface in the time you will own the truck.
You could always have the dentless repair now and plan on having it repainted at a latter date. It's likely to get a few more dings somewhere in the future, you could just have that panel repainted with the rest of the truck then.
When a dent, even a small one is made in the metal on your truck the metal flexes. Metal can do that and come back out really well. The extent to which your paint will do the same thing is not going to be as good as that metal. You are going to have hair line cracks in the paint and your finish is going to be weaker because of it. You might never see any problems from this damage, or it could start a paint failure that results in rust down the road.
The short story is that the dent will come out with the paintless system, and it will look good when finished. If you plan on only keeping the truck for five to seven years (That seems to be the average around here) then go ahead and have it done. If you will have this truck in ten to fifteen years you will probably see some detrimental effects to that surface in the time you will own the truck.
You could always have the dentless repair now and plan on having it repainted at a latter date. It's likely to get a few more dings somewhere in the future, you could just have that panel repainted with the rest of the truck then.
#12
Thanks to everyone for their advice, that's what makes this a great forum! I still haven't had this repair done yet - and much to my surprise, still only have these 3 dents! Yes, more dents will probably arise in the future, but right now it's a beautiful truck. I'm more apt to keep my vehicles for 3 - 4 years, so I'm going to go the PDR route.
Again, I appreciate everyones input and will let ya'll know the results (price, quality, etc.) of the end product.
Again, I appreciate everyones input and will let ya'll know the results (price, quality, etc.) of the end product.
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