The best dent removal products for minor bodywork damage

We appreciate the fact that an article about dent repair tools is far from the sexiest thing you’ll witness today. In fact, it's about as romantic as buying a toilet plunger or cod liver oil. Nevertheless, for small bodywork damage to cars, it can be useful for DIYers to have such things in their garage.

Do DIY dent removers actually work?

A very pertinent question. The answer thoroughly depends on the individual tool. There are many, many DIY dent removers that do not work. They are affordable but unfortunately are unable to grasp the job at hand. Below, we've provided an admittedly small selection of dent repair options that do indeed work. It is worth noting that although these tools do work, they do not completely repair bodywork to like-new condition and are heavily dependent on the user as to how well they perform.

If you have large dents, significant bodywork damage, or wish to restore your car’s bodywork to a showroom state, employ the expertise of professional panel beaters and repairers.

How do dent removal tools work?

As you'll see below, there are a few different approaches and methods for DIY car dent repair.

One of the simplest ways is to use a suction cup to grip the dented bodywork and pull it back into shape.

Another way is to use a paintless dent repair (PDR) puller that uses hot glue and pads that grip and pull the metal bodywork.

There are tap down ‘pens’ that can be fitted with an array of tips of different shaped dents. These are to be used before pulling the bodywork to disperse the tension in the area surrounding the dent. Tap down pens can also be used to remove any high points that occur after pulling a dent.

A reflection line board helps you see exactly where dents are located. They have a suction cup and can be adjusted to the right angle to mirror onto individual body panels.

Body filler paste is another option. It is to be applied to scratches dents, whereupon you smooth it and it is left to harden. You then sand it over so that it’s perfectly smooth before applying primer and paint.

The best dent removers:

Tips for dent repairs

This is possibly a new territory for you. Don’t let that put you off, you can repair minor dents at home with the right tools and some know-how. Just remember to check things three times before starting a job, do your research and don’t forget that YouTube is an invaluable resource to give you a visual guide on how to carry out dent repairs.

But as we said before, for larger and more significant dents and damage, take your car to a professional panel beater.

Read our other care maintenance guides:

The best glow plug removal tools

The best oil filter removal tools

The best car scratch repair kits