This aluminium dent repair is up there with one of the worst repairs I've ever taken on. It's really hit that wheel arch line hard. It's taken the damage and the panel in a good few centimetres. It's given me a horrible crown full of tension to work with, and it's also kinked the panel. To make matters worse, this panel is aluminium. That means it is gonna bite me every step of the way, and it did. This one was tough. So sit back and enjoy it.
Initial Glue Pulling Process
Once I start to pull, you can see I've got a large gangrene crease tab on the body line itself, and I'm using my aluminium hammer, just working along that body line, seeing if I can get any movement, any of that dent to come out. It's a back and forth process between tapping down the tension in the crown and that ridge and also trying to lift some of the depth out with my glue pull setup.
Switching Tactics: Pushing from the Inside for Aluminium Dent Repair
I continued on with this glue pulling process, just trying to get the metal to move and soften up the repair, but I didn't really get much gains. So I'm now gonna switch tactics. Instead, I'm gonna push this aluminium dent repair from the inside. I'm using one of the tactical balls on my double end bar, and I'm gonna gently start working the body line from the inside. Now, I'm using plenty of heat to keep that panel warm and really protect the paint as I start applying pressure and pushing from the inside.
Progress and Ongoing Effort
Once I started pushing this aluminium dent repair from the inside, I did start getting some movement and I did start to restore the shape of this panel, but I was doing it for quite a while. So I'm gonna shut up for a little bit and let you kick back and watch this repair.
Continuing the Aluminium Dent Repair
As you can see now, I'm starting to make some progress, gradually beginning to restore the shape into the panel, but I've been on it coming up to a couple of hours now, and it's seriously kicking my arse. The problem with aluminium is there's no memory to it. When you're working with steel, it has a memory. It kind of wants to go back to its original form. But with aluminium, there's no memory; it just stretches, and you've really got to work harder to manipulate that metal and restore that shape.
There's so much tension in this panel; that crown was nasty, and it really holds a lot of that repair in. It's right up against the edge of the panel where it meets the bumper. I'm trying to restore this body line and also keeping an eye on the main kink that's further back along the panel, not to make it any worse.
Reducing the Size of the Tip for Aluminium Dent Repair
As my repair gets smaller, I'm gonna reduce the size of my tip. So I'm now using a small plastic tip. I'm gonna apply just a couple of layers of tape to keep it a little bit softer than the tip itself. Now I'm just gonna really start working those low spots and continually pressing that body line to get that shape back.
Letting the Aluminium Dent Repair Play Out
Once again, I'm gonna let this aluminium dent repair play out for a little bit. So do just keep an eye on the overall shape and watch that panel start to come back into its original form.
Using a Metal Tip for Accuracy in Aluminium Dent Repair
As the overall damage gets smaller, so does the tip I'm using for this aluminium dent repair. Right now, I'm using a metal tip, and that's really allowing me a bit more accuracy. I can push a little bit less metal with each push, and that really allows me to pick out some of the micro lows and also restore that body line.
Using the Wheel Tool for Aluminium Dent Repair
Next up, I'm gonna use this wheel tool. Now, this is from PDR Pro tools. It's a bit rough around the edges, but it gets the job done. You can apply a lot of pressure with minimal effort. Most importantly, it's got just the right angle and tip to get me into that inner wheel arch lip. So I can continue working on the shape of the panel, getting it to sit nice and flush with the bumper, and also restore that wheel arch line.
Final Thoughts on Aluminium Dent Repair
In total, I was probably working on this aluminium dent repair between four and five hours, and to be honest, it was a pig to do. Did I get it perfect? No. But did I save the panel from being replaced and going into a body shop at a large expense for my customer? Yes. My customer was over the moon with the repair afterward. In fact, he said it's probably the best panel on the car now. Me being my own worst critic, of course, I can see that it's not perfect.
There's a few little micro lows, some of that ridge is still remaining, and some of the tension is there. But it really did come out well and shows what PDR can do in terms of saving panels from being replaced, reducing the overall material cost, downtime, and expense of going into a body shop and racking up your insurance claims.