I'm gonna remove this crease with paint, this dent removal, and I'm only gonna use five or six tools. So, keep reading to see exactly how it's done.
Assessing the Damage
The first thing I'm gonna do is remove this rear tail light and just check for access. Thankfully, I can get straight behind the dent. As you can see, it's quite a nasty crease. In fact, there's a very fine crease just below the main one. So, I've got two creases in this section of the boot lid, and we're gonna repair this damage today using paintless dent removal tools and techniques.
Glue Pulling the Crease
Now, I'm gonna start by glue pulling the crease. So, just gently warm up the panel and the tab, apply some hot glue to my crease tab, and then place that directly on the crease itself. I'm lining up the line of the crease tab with the line of the dent. I let that set and cure for around 10 seconds before using the lifter to gently start to pull out some of the damage. You can see as I line it up and begin pulling the trigger, the tab starts to pull that metal out, reducing the depth of the dent.
Repeating the Glue Pull Process
As you can probably see, that first glue pull has already started to reduce the overall size of the dent. So, I'm gonna repeat that same process again. I'm taking my time to align the feet of the lifter, making sure they run parallel to the crease damage and the tab. Keep watching that reflection in the middle where the tab is; you can really start to see the power as I lift out more of the dent.
Addressing the Tension in the Metal
As we assess the repair so far, you can see those first two glue pulls have massively reduced the overall size and depth of the dent. But this is where it gets a little more technical. I've still got a nasty crease and some tension on the sides of the dent, known as crowns. With my line board in a vertical position, I can see these crowns where the lines pinch together. To reduce this tension, I'm gonna use my blending hammer with a soft tip to tap along the high line of the crown, slowly releasing some of that tension and allowing the metal to flow back toward the crease.
Reducing Tension with a Blending Hammer
From this angle, you can clearly see the crown that runs to the right-hand side, where about four or five lines pinch together. I'm gonna speed up this next repair so you can watch the tension being released as I tap along the line with my hammer. My goal here is to get those high pinched lines to spread out and evenly disperse the metal back into the repair area.
Focusing on the Crease
Now that I've released some of the tension surrounding the dent, I'm turning my focus back to the crease itself. I'm gonna use my double bend bar, which gives me loads of power. I've screwed in a hard plastic tip that isn't too sharp, providing all the force I need without creating nasty high spots. I'll take my time to line the tip of the tool up with the back side of the crease, aiming for accuracy as I work on the crease line itself.
Gradual Lifting of Low Spots
Working on creases, especially sharp ones, can be difficult. The goal is to gradually work out the metal without forcing it too much, lifting the low spots and tapping down the high spots as I go. This keeps the repair clean, and I can adjust the reflection on my line board by tilting it to a 45-degree angle, giving me a different viewpoint to better assess the damage.
Using Smaller Tools for Finishing Touches
As the dent reduces in size, so do the tools I use to repair it. I'm now reducing the size of the knockdown to match the size of the highs left in the repair. Switching to a metal tip, which offers more force and accuracy, I continue working on the small remaining low spots. It's essential to cross-check the damage during the repair process to ensure a clean finish.
Blending the Repair
In the finishing stages, I focus on blending the repair into the existing panel, ensuring that the texture in the repaired area is consistent with the manufacturer's paint. This helps achieve an undetectable repair area.
Conclusion
This damage came out really well, and my customer was really pleased with the results.