If your car hasn't been dinged or dented yet, count yourself lucky. Countless cars end up dented every day, and there's a good chance that your vehicle will get dinged up at some point. According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, there are roughly 6.75 million car accidents (at least) per year in the United States alone. Fortunately, it's often possible to have dents repaired by auto body professionals. If you need assistance with a dent, feel free to get in contact with us.

Let's go over the dent repair process and some things that you might find surprising. Of course, keep in mind that your experience may be a bit different as there are several methods for repairing dents. The right approach will depend on the specifics of your car, where the dent is, how deep it is, whether the paint has been damaged, and various other factors.

1. Preparing

A lot of people are surprised to learn how much prep work is needed before addressing a dent. If you're getting a dent popped out, you might think that the whole process will only take a few minutes. In some cases that's true.

Often, however, the technicians will have to carefully examine the dent before getting to work. From there, they may opt to thoroughly clean the metal or other surfaces. Removing dust and debris will allow the dent repair technicians to get a better grasp on the situation.

2. Finding the Right Approach

There is a variety of different methods for removing dents. Some customers are surprised to learn just how many approaches there are. You might be expecting the technicians to pop the dent out with plunger-like tools, for example. Other dent-pulling tools can also be used. This is one common way to remove dents, and it works because many metals have a sort of “memory” or propensity to stay in their original shape.

That said, the technicians might instead opt to use a heat gun. Heating up metals can encourage them to go back to their original shape. This means that the dent itself will slowly shrink and disappear. If you don't have a heat gun, it's sometimes possible to use boiling water to pop the dent out. However, it's wise to be cautious because you could damage your paint.

Unfortunately, heat and pulling dents out don't always work. In some cases, the dent can be hammered out from the inside. In other cases, a panel or part (like your bumper) may simply need to be replaced. If you're in need of dent repair, it's wise to speak with experts to pin down exactly what's needed.

3. Applying a Filler

Unfortunately, even after all the above work, your car may not be back to its original form. Many people don't realize that repair technicians often use a filler to fill in dents and smooth out rough patches of sheet metal. Applying fillers takes experienced hands and the process can be time-consuming, depending on the nature of the dent.

4. Touching Up Paint and Checking Things Over

Some folks think that once the dent itself is fixed, the job is done. In some cases, this can prove to be true. However, more work is often needed. Specifically, the paint itself may have been damaged. If so, the metal that makes up your vehicle could be more likely to rust. Damage to paint can also simply be unsightly.

Sometimes paint just needs to be touched up or scratches might be buffed out. However, you may also have to repaint the affected area. If so, you may need to sand away the old paint, lay down primer, and then repaint the surface. Many people are surprised by how intensive this can be.

Dent repair specialists might also take a glance at other parts of your vehicle to make sure that there is no damage. If you got in a minor fender bender, you may think the dent is your only problem. However, your brakes or steering systems, among other things, might be damaged. Thorough technicians will check to make sure nothing else was damaged.

As you can see, when it comes to dent repair, a lot of work is needed. It's best to work with skilled and trained dent repair specialists who have access to the latest tools and know how to use the best methods for any given situation. Need some dents fixed? Feel free to contact Vision Collision.