What are the Chances of Dent Removal ? - Page 2 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

donbryce · #16 01-10-2005, 08:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BAd124

....has anyone ever had a vertical crease taken out of thier door? I have one there that was there from the previous owner but havent had any luck with that either..I will put up a picture but it might be very hard to tell from it. Concentrate on the reflection of the red truck in it and the strip on the door to find it ..

That doesn't look like a Mercedes door, so I'm not sure how that trim would detach. If you can remove the trim strip, you can probably pull that crease out with a suction cup. If that doesn't do it, some judicious (soft) hammer and dolly work would finish it without breaking your paint....or has this one already been dealt with?

BAd124 · #17 01-10-2005, 11:44 AM

Its definitely a Mercedes door. The dent is less noticeable now, the technician used a pole with a bent end and pushed from the inside out. I doubt the crease will ever be 100% without replacing the door or using some type of filler.

donbryce · #18 01-10-2005, 02:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BAd124

Its definitely a Mercedes door. The dent is less noticeable now, the technician used a pole with a bent end and pushed from the inside out. I doubt the crease will ever be 100% without replacing the door or using some type of filler.

Well, that would have been the last thing I'd have done to remove it, but I'm not a 'technician'. Old school practise to remove a dent or crease is to examine the impacted area and determine the primary and secondary damage, then remove the damage in reverse order from the impact.
In this case, judging from the picture, there wasn't a great deal of stretching from the vertical object that created the center part of the dent, from pushing in the trim strip, which is the 'primary' damage. (Too much stretch and the metal can't be easily returned to its original shape without grinding and applying heat, then finish bodywork and paint, which is obviously way off from what you want here.)
As the trim piece was pushed inward, an slight oval-shaped crease was then formed around the center dent line area. The correct procedure IMO would have been to work the outer crease area first, then move inward toward the center dent. This process, called 'metal bumping', 'reverses' the damage in the opposite order in which it was incurred.
If done with a body hammer and dollies, taped over with something like duct tape to minimize paint damage, it's possible to get very good results (after buffing out the minor paint surface blemishes that this process creates). Often the flattening out of the surrounding crease will automatically pull the main impacted dent flat.
You now need to address the crease in the trim strip. If it's stainless, it can be worked out with a small hammer or any metal object ground to the contour of the original, from the backside over a sandbag or soft piece of wood. Finish by buffing with stainless compound and a finishing polish. If its plastic, then I defer to whatever repair the 'technician' would use.

Snibble · #19 01-10-2005, 04:09 PM

can we see a before(already posted) and after of the dent removal?

boneheaddoctor · #20 02-08-2005, 08:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by New2Mercedes

Paintless dent removal (PDR) is the deal but a word of caution...If I am correct I think your cars are approaching 10+ years old. Paints if not taken care of or are outside cars can dry out and become brittal. Some PDR companies might not guarantee "acceptable results" or it may look worse since the paint is not as pliable as a car say 5 years or newer. I would read their "contract" to understand their liability.

Also, depending on where the dropping of the pump took place you might want to consider/investigate filing under someone's homeowners policy and save your insurance rates on the car. They are looking for ANYTHING to raise premiums for auto's these days...jus some suggestions.

They are far quicker to jack up or worse DROP your homeowners coverage for claims................that is something more important to keep in mind.