Car dent repairs in Epping: Fix it yourself or send it to an auto body smash repairs shop?

You’ve probably seen those DIY car dent repair videos showing how to repair a car dent yourself using a suction cup, gun-shaped dent puller with glue, hot water kettle, hair dryer or even a toilet plunger (an unused one, of course!).  

When your car gets a mysterious dent or accidental ding, scrape, or crease, should you DIY or check your car in at a professional panel beater for what seems like a minor issue? Well, it primarily depends on the degree and location of damage, and your expectations. Here are some general pros and cons to consider.

The key reasons some people want to repair car dents themselves are:

• Their car insurance doesn’t cover the repair for the damage, or the insurance excess is too high.
• They think it’s not that hard to do it themselves and don’t want the expense.
• They are intrigued by DIY dent repair tools and kits. Besides, there is an instruction manual.
• They don’t mind imperfect results as their car is old or somewhat doomed.
• They don’t believe the panel beater will do a good job.
• There are too many dents due to hail damage and it would cost too much.

Consider these 15 reasons why it’s better to get a professional to do it:

1. You might damage the paint and affect your car’s appearance and resale value.
2. You think YouTube makes it look easy – but you realise later that it’s not! You may realise too late the DIY kits don’t actually give you everything you need to repair the dents, and you need to incur extra expenses and trips to the auto hardware shop.
3. Retail B2C tools could never be as good as commercial ones used by professionals. You may need specific types of tools, glue, picks, rods, suction systems, or techniques you are not aware of. 
4. You just don’t have enough knowledge and experience to know if structural integrity has been compromised, or to create a perfect finish.
5. You end up spending more time, money and effort for poor results because you forgot to factor in a learning curve and access to specialised tools and techniques.
6. Paintless dent removal may seem easy to do with a DIY kit (in principle), but getting great results really requires specific tools, skills, and experience. The worst thing is that amateurs can end up getting poor results even after spending all that money, time and effort yourself, so it’s not worth all that.
7. If you drive an expensive car that is your pride and joy, you probably have high repair expectations that are best met by a professional smash repairer.  
8. You might need to remove parts of the car to get to the back of the dent, and not realise you don’t have the knowledge to put everything back correctly and safely.
9. If the paint has been damaged or the dent is in an awkward non-flat surface, a DIY approach probably won’t work.
10. You may not realise that proper repair requires more hours or weeks than expected.
11. It is a second-hand car and you didn’t know it is impossible to DIY because the paint and metal panel have already been tampered with from previous dent repair jobs.
12. It’s a newish car with aluminium panels that are much harder to repair. Specialist tools and techniques are required.  
13. You can’t use DIY techniques for non-metal damaged parts like plastic bumpers or cracks in glass.
14. You need specialist knowledge to repair scratched pain, inaccessible locations, or sharp chips.
15. You may lose your manufacturer’s warranty.