Can You Remove a Car Dent with Hot Water?

Can You Remove a Car Dent with Hot Water?

Yes, you can remove a car dent with hot water in some cases, but not always. A minor car dent might pop out when you use hot water to heat up the area, but you must apply the right pressure to pop out the dent without damaging the paint.

It’s important to understand that while these tips may work in a pinch for minor dents, DIY car dent removal is not the best way to approach dings and dents, as you might end up causing additional damage that can lead to increased costs if you seek professional dent repair later.

In this guide, we’ll cover how you can remove a car dent with hot water, but we’ll also highlight other common DIY methods for fixing dents in cars, and whether these meet the standards of professional dent repair.

What Is DIY PDR (Paintless Dent Repair?)

Do-it-yourself paintless dent repair refers to any method you might use at home to pop a dent out of a car without damaging the car’s paint. 

If you research how to remove dents from door panels, fenders, and other exterior car parts, you’ll find tips that range from using a toilet plunger to pop a dent out of the car to applying heat to make the metal in the body panel more malleable.

It’s important to note that paintless dent repair can only be done if the paint is still intact, as any erosion or chipping of the paint will need to be corrected to avoid rusting, regardless of the dent repair method used.

Different DIY methods

There are so many ways you can fix car dents. While you can remove dent with hot water, it isn’t the only DIY method that is recommended online. Below are just some of the ways that people have tried on their vehicles to fix dents:

Remove a Dent with Hot Water

Some people claim you can use hot water to fix dent in car panels, most commonly door panels. Specifically, the advice is to pour very hot or even boiling water on a car dent. Once the metal or plastic is heated up, you apply pressure around the dent or to the back of the car panel in question to pop out the dent.

Now, when you’re trying to fix a car dent boiling water isn’t likely the first thing that comes to mind. This DIY approach is based partially in science and is based on the fact that shape-memory alloys return to their pre-formed shape when they are heated up. Heat can also make some materials more malleable, which makes them easier to coax back into position. 

Heat Up the Car Panel with a Heat Gun or Blow Dryer

If dousing a dent with boiling water doesn’t sound appealing, the internet says you can achieve similar results by heating up the damaged area of the car panel with a blow dryer or heat gun. The rest of the process is the same. 

Once the area is hot enough, you are supposed to apply pressure to push the metal or plastic back into place. Sounds relatively simple, right? Just be sure to stay clear of touching any hot metal with bare skin.

Pull Out a Dent with a Suction Cup

What if you can’t reach behind the panel to where a dent is located to push it out? DIY tips say to use a suction cup or even a toilet plunger to pull the dent out from the front. 

Some DIYers advise heating the area up with one of the methods described above before you use a suction cup to pull on the area, hopefully applying enough pressure to pop out the dent. While this can be tricky to do with boiling water, car dent repair shops sometimes use dry heat guns before applying suction to the area. 

Apply Dry Ice to Fix a Dent in a Car

Another DIY dent repair tactic you might find online uses dry ice. The idea behind these tips is that you can shock the metal into popping back into place by heating the area up and then applying extreme cold. 

The fastest way to apply that extreme cold, according to many sources online, is by holding dry ice up against the damaged panel. We don’t recommend this method as the dry ice can leave chemical residue on the exterior panel.

Manipulate the Metal with Your Own Tools

When faced with a dent in a side panel, fender, hood, or another area of your car, you might consider applying some of the tools in your own toolbox. 

A traditional hammer and other common tools would cause damage to the paint because they are made of metal and have hard edges. However, some people do try to pound out exterior car body damage with tools such as rubber mallets. Be aware that this can cause more damage to the car body if done improperly, so it’s typically best to leave this kind of work to a dent repair company. 

Buy a Car Dent Puller Tool for DIY Car Dent Removal

Household objects and hot water aren’t the best tools for dealing with dents and dings in most cases, but there are some scenarios where that’s all your car needs. 

It’s possible to buy the same kind of car dent puller tools that professionals in auto body shops use. You can then try to use them to massage out dents in your car panels. At this point, however, you are better off spending the money having a professional remove the dent, as these puller tools can cause even more damage if not handled properly.

Do DIY Dent Removal Methods Work?

DIY dent removal methods, including some of those described above, can work in very limited situations, but simply pouring hot water on car panels won’t typically cause a dent to disappear. You also want to avoid any DIY hacks or tips that require you to apply chemicals to your car, including those that are used to make dry ice.

Dangers of DIY Dent Removal

You might get lucky and get great results from your DIY dent removal; however, all of these approaches come with a lot of risk, which means you have a bigger chance of causing more damage than you started with. 

Before gambling with DIY dent removal, consider the potential dangers:

You Might Hurt Yourself

Many of the tips for DIY dent repair you read about online have at least some personal injury risk. Pouring boiling water over a dent can cause splashing or other accidents, leading to boiling water getting on your hands, arms, or other parts of your body and causing serious burns.

Using tools to try to manipulate auto body panels can lead to cuts and abrasions if tools or hands slip, especially when you’re applying a lot of pressure to attempt to push out a dent. Even a plunger can suddenly lose suction. These types of incidents can lead to bruises or more serious injuries. 

You Might Make the Dent Worse

One of the most common risks of DIY dent repair is that you might actually make the dent worse. If you don’t know exactly how to apply pressure to a dent to pop it out, you could make it bigger or deeper. In some cases, you might push the dent in so far that even professionals would be challenged to pull it out with paintless dent repair options.

Paintless dent repair in an auto body shop is only possible if the dent doesn’t involve sharp creases or folds in the metal. This is because it’s typically impossible to remove that type of damage without some sign of the crease remaining. 

When you try to remove a dent yourself, you could add creases or folds. If you then seek professional dent repair for the additional damage, the less expensive and faster PDR option may not be viable anymore.

You Might Add New Dents

While you’re working on one area trying to pop a dent out yourself, you might inadvertently cause dents and dings to nearby areas. This can occur because you’re leaning on the car when trying to achieve pressure or you hit the car accidentally with the tool you’re using to work on the dent. 

Again, this can make any eventual professional repair more expensive. The cost of professional paintless dent repair depends on how many dents need fixing. 

You Might Damage the Paint

DIY dent repair involving hot water, plungers, and other home remedies can damage the paint. The tools you’re using on the dent could scratch the paint. If you’re not experienced in manipulating car panels, you may not know how to recognize where potential breaking points for paint are. This can lead to you pushing the metal to a point where the paint can no longer stretch with it and cracks.

No paintless dent repair — DIY or professional — can fix paint once it’s damaged. Because cracks or chips in the paint leave your vehicle exterior at risk of rust damage, it’s important to get them fixed. If you create that damage during DIY dent repair, you substantially drive up the cost of eventual professional auto body work that may be necessary. 

Better Alternatives to Fixing a Car Dent Yourself

Instead of trying to fix a car dent yourself — and taking on all the risk that comes with that process — consider working with experienced auto body mechanics like those at Caliber Collision. Some benefits of starting with Caliber Collision for car dents and dings include:

• Reduced expense. The technicians at Caliber perform a comprehensive inspection so they can let you know exactly what approach will work to fix your dents. Whenever possible, we use paintless dent repair to fix dents because it’s the most cost-effective and quickest option. When you reach out to Caliber before you try DIY options, you don’t risk making matters worse and we’re able to help you keep the costs lower.

• Confidence in the repair. Our dent repair services are backed by a limited lifetime warranty and satisfaction guarantee. When you do your own repairs, they may or may not last. When Caliber teams perform repairs, you can trust in them for the long term.

• It’s covered by insurance. Caliber has relationships with all major car insurers, and we can work with you to get your dent repair covered by your carrier if your policy includes it. We also have auto-approval with most major insurance companies, which means we can get to work on your car faster without waiting for lengthy pre-authorization processes.

• Transparent, friendly processes. Our commitment to trust through transparency ensures you’re kept in the loop about repairs and that we provide easy-to-understand pricing. You won’t deal with hidden fees or surprise expenses when you work with Caliber teams.

• Certified, experienced technicians. Our I-CAR-certified mechanics have plenty of experience in auto body repair, including paintless dent removal. Caliber teams work hard to stay up-to-date with training and use high-quality tools, equipment, and processes for all repairs.

Contact Caliber Collision to Find Out More About Professional Car Dent Repair

Caliber Collision operates 1,500 locations across 40 states, so there’s a good chance you can find a Caliber location near you. 

Stop by a local Caliber Collision auto body shop and have experienced technicians inspect the dents and dings on your vehicle so they can provide an advised plan of action - or start the process by getting an estimate online before reaching out to Caliber to find out more about our services.