Whether you’ve been in a minor fender bender or a run-in with a rock on the freeway, dents on your hood happen. Sometimes, popping out hood dents is a simple matter. But other times hood dents aren’t that easy to fix. In the following post, the experts at Car Tips will talk all things hood dent repair: how hood dents happen, how you can prevent them, and how to remove dents from car hood.
Hood Dent Repair: What Causes Car Dents?
The hood of your vehicle is its centerpiece. Because of its larger surface area, it attracts more damage than any other part of the car. Logic follows that the hood will receive the brunt of any debris or any collision damage. Steel hoods are cheaper and slightly more durable than aluminum hoods, but all hoods are susceptible to dents.
Car manufacturers also design car hoods to crumple in the event of an accident. Even in a minor collision, you might experience crumpling and dents on your car hood.
Any number of things can put you in need of hood dent repair. Items can fall in your garage, or a tree branch could fall across your hood in the driveway. Hailstorms are well-known causes of hood dents. Even small animals like cats walking across your hood can leave dents. Collisions, of course, are the biggest source of hood damage.
Hood Dent Repair: How Can I Prevent a Hood Dent?
If you don’t want to find yourself asking, “how to remove dents from car hood?” you can take a few precautionary measures. Even if you already have dents or other body damage to the hood of your car, it’s never too late to take precautions against further damage. Here are a few tips to preventing damage to your car’s hood, especially if you already have collision damage on your car’s hood.
- Do not allow anything to rest on your hood. This includes animals and people as well as items like coffee cups and groceries. Never store items on the hood of your car, even inside your garage.
- Use a protective cover. Many dings and dents are the result of flying rocks on the freeway. These protective covers will prevent debris from damaging your hood.
- Park inside your garage. This will eliminate the possibility that animals or falling branches will damage your car.
- Securely store nearby items. If you are parking in your garage, make sure to secure nearby objects. This includes ladders, sports equipment, and other items in your garage.
Like we discussed, your car’s hood is highly vulnerable. Part of hood dent repair is preventing the worst hood damage.
But in the event of a collision, sometimes hood damage isn’t preventable. In these cases, you should take your vehicle to a qualified collision repair technician immediately.
Hood Dent Repair: Can a Dented Hood Cause Mechanical Problems?
If you have damage to your car’s hood, don’t wait to fix it. When your hood is whole and undamaged, water runs off it onto the ground and never settles on the surface of your car. Dents and damage on your car’s hood can lead to pooling when it rains, which in turn leads to rust and other issues.
A dent deep enough on your car’s hood can also cause mechanical damages underneath if it goes unfixed. This happens when the hood dips low enough to touch and interfere with any moving parts or required head-space.
How Much Does Hood Dent Repair Cost?
When hood dents are the result of a collision, professional hood dent repair is your best option. The cost of these repairs will vary depending on the extent of the damage. It will also depend on the make and model of your car. Hood dent repair can range anywhere between $150 and $500.
Sometimes, it is impossible to repair the dent. If the dent is on a body-line, you may need a new hood altogether.
All but the most minor dents need re-paint. But these minor dents that do not need re-paint are inexpensive to fix. Larger dents will bend the surface of your paint and need a paint touch-up. This will obviously be more expensive. Serious dents may be beyond repair, and the body shop will need to replace your hood. This will obviously be the most expensive fix.
Knowing your VIN number may help you find the general price of a new hood, if you must replace it.
If your hood dents occurred in a collision and you’re facing serious hood dent repair, you could claim the repairs on your auto insurance. If your deductible is lower than the cost of the repair, claiming the repairs might be your best option.
But in that case, you take the risk that your auto insurance premiums will go up. Thus, if the cost of your repair is at or even near the cost of your deductible, you should consider paying a repair shop directly or taking care of the dent yourself.
DIY Hood Dent Repair: How to Remove Dents From Car Hood
If your hood dents are very small, you could possibly take care of them yourself. This is only advisable with very minor cosmetic damages such as the result of a flying rock or a small object falling in the garage. DIY fixes are not at all advisable with collision repair.
However, there are two methods for fixing a small hood dent at home.
- The Mallet method. For this fix, you’ll remove the hood of your car and lay it upside down on a blanket. You can hammer around the edges of the dent until it pops out.
- The Plunger method. Many simple dents can be repaired with a household plunger. You place the plunger over the dent and pull until the dent pops back into place.
Repair shops usually the mallet and chisel method. They will pound the dent out and then use a metal glaze to achieve a smooth surface. For the majority of dents, you should visit a repair shop.
Should I Replace My Hood If It’s Dented?
There are different methods of fixing a dented hood. Sometimes the best option is simply to replace it. Expensive repairs that need paint jobs or very large dents may not be an easy fix.
Damage on the body-line/crease is in fact very difficult to fix. Any damage to the body-line will result in a replacement rather than a repair.
If you take your car to a reputable auto body shop, they can tell you if you’re looking at a repair or a replacement.