How to Fix a Hail Dent in a Car

Hail falls from the sky without giving a courtesy call, so you can't just park your car in a safe place. Hail dimples your hood, roof and trunk lid full of small dents. Since your car now resembles a golf ball (and that isn't the best look for most cars), the dents have to go. Body shops charge hundreds of dollars for labor -- not including the materials needed -- to repair hail dents. You can fix hail dents on your car and save money in the process.

Instructions

1

Sand the dents using 80-grit sandpaper on a dual-action sander. Sand the paint away, down to the bare metal in and around the dent. Do this for each dent.

2

Apply body filler to each dent, using a plastic squeegee to spread the filler. Use enough filler to fill the dents; make the surface of the filler higher than the surrounding surface of the car. Let the filler dry for one hour.

3

Sand the dried filler with 120-grit sandpaper on a long sanding block. Keep the sanding block flat against the car's surface. Lead with a long edge of the block and sand the filler smooth. Wipe the surface with a wax and grease remover.

4

Cover every filled area with primer. Hold the sprayer 10 to 12 inches from the surface. Apply the first coat and let the filler dry for 30 minutes before applying the second coat. Let the second coat dry for 30 minutes.

5

Sand the dried primer with 320-grit sandpaper on a sanding block. Use the same sanding techniques used when sanding the body filler. Keep the sanding block level and flat. Wipe the surface with wax and grease remover and a towel.

6

Spray matching paint over the dried and sanded primer. Hold the sprayer 12 to 16 inches from the car's surface, moving your hand left and right, and overlapping each stroke for even coverage. Spray 3 to 5 coats. Allow each coat to dry for five minutes before you apply the next coat.

7

Cover all of the paint with 3 to 5 coats of clear coat paint. Apply the clear coat paint less than one hour after you spray the last color coat of paint. Use the same spraying techniques used when applying the color paint. Let the final coat of clear coat paint dry for 24 hours before handling it.