My neighbor in Cincinnati swore by using a hair dryer to fix a dent, and I thought he was nuts

I had a small dent on my garage door from a stray basketball, and he told me to heat it with a hair dryer for about five minutes and then quickly press a can of compressed air upside down on the spot. I figured it was a waste of time, but I tried it last weekend and the metal actually popped back out almost perfectly. Has anyone else had luck with this heat-and-cold trick on other surfaces, like maybe a car door?

3 comments

3 Comments

theaward15d ago

That compressed air trick is wild, but I'd be nervous trying it on a car. Garage doors are usually just thin aluminum, but modern car panels have layers of paint, clear coat, and sometimes plastic. You could end up with a weird finish or even crack the paint from the sudden temperature change.

wyatt_shah8515d agoMost Upvoted

Totally agree, that's a disaster waiting to happen. I saw a guy try it on a plastic bumper cover once and it left this weird cloudy spot in the clear coat that never buffed out. Modern paint is way too fragile for that kind of shock. You're better off just using hot water and a plunger, honestly.

grantt1114d ago

Yeah, that cloudy spot is basically a permanent badge of shame for that repair. Like, congratulations, you fixed the dent but now your car has a weird ghost stain forever. Who even thinks compressed air is a good idea on something that costs thousands to repaint?