At Bumper Buddies, we’re specialists in the field of mobile dent repair. But to get dents out of car bumpers and panels throughout Phoenix, we need to use equally specialized tools for the job. Every car model has a different bumper and panel design, so the tools we use will depend on the materials your car is made out of and its panel layout. No matter what tools we use, however, we always aim to get your dent repair requirements right the first time.

Lights

To repair a dent, we need to see it in the first place. That’s where specialized lights that help highlight the dent come in handy. White, silver, and grey paint jobs all hide cosmetic damage the best, making dent removal more difficult. In these cases, our technician will often use multiple lights from different angles to fully highlight the panel and expose any and all dents. 

Once we’ve spotted the dent or dents, the tools and techniques we use will depend on what the bumper or panel is made of. Plastic and metal bumpers have different physical characteristics and therefore require different approaches.

For Plastic Bumpers

With plastic bumpers, the most commonly used tools are a heat gun and the technician’s own hands. Because plastic is cast in a certain mold, the material has a “memory” of the shape it is supposed to be in. By using a heat gun, the technician softens the plastic and can then massage the dent back into its proper shape. For deeper dents that can’t be massaged, a hook rod that reaches under the car’s bumper and pops it back into shape is often used.

For Metal Bumper & Panels

Dent removal on metal panels will most often require dent rods or glue tabs and pullers. For most dent repair jobs, a technician will use a set of steel rods to massage dents from the inside of the vehicle’s panels. This is one of the preferred methods, as it does not affect the car’s paint. To reach the inside of panels, we use a variety of access tools like screwdrivers and wrenches that can remove components like interior lights, pillar molds, and hood linings, and then reinstall them after repairs are done. ‘

If we can’t use steel rods to access the dent, whether due to the panel’s shape or bracing in the way, we use glue pulling instead. During this process, glue tabs are attached to the dent with a hot glue gun. Once the glue has set, we then use the PDR glue pulling tool to pull on the glue tab until the dent is reduced in size and, ultimately, eliminated.

For particularly large or irregular dents, we may use a stud welder and slide hammer. After sanding the paint away, our technician attaches studs to the dented sections of the car. These studs are then slowly and carefully pulled at with a slide hammer, easing the dent up and out of its shape. If necessary, a filler can be added to the surface of the panel or bumper to restore its smoothness. We only use this method when it is truly needed, however, to keep the dent repair cost low for our customers. 

For Paint Jobs

If your vehicle’s dent caused paint damage or we were forced to sand it away during repairs, don’t worry; we can fix that as well. Bumper Buddies has access to an online database of all paints used by car manufacturers, which we match with water-based PPG colors that blend with your car’s paint job. Once we’ve identified the correct paint and have mixed it on-site, we’ll apply it with a professional-grade paint sprayer that evenly returns your car’s paint job to its original appearance.

With our high-quality tools and expert technicians, Bumper Buddies offers the convenience of mobile dent repair to residents throughout the Phoenix area. Our specialization and low overhead mean we can offer our services at rates lower than conventional body shops, so you don’t have to worry about your dent repair cost. If you’d like to learn more about our mobile dent repair services or receive a free repair estimate, give us a call at (602) 529-5956 today.