TheBlackPearl

I just got a used 2009 LT. It has hail dents, scratches on the handles and a few not so nice, obvious scratches on the doors. I've heard leaving the car out in the hot sun will take care of the hail dents, and I saw posts about kits to buff out minor scratches. But I was wondering if all of that will work in my situation. The door handles worry me the most. The scratches really stand out. Also I have a few micro chips in the windshield thanks to a semi with new tires and no mudflaps. Should I have them filled or will it be okay to leave them? I know the bigger ones can be a problem. My mother in law's HHR had one and they didn't fill it and it caused a huge crack down the windshield.

firemangeorge

"I've heard leaving the car out in the hot sun will take care of the hail dents"
Never heard of that. Don't see how it would work anyway.
As far as the door handles. You could just replace all the door handles.
Light surface scratches sometimes will buff out. If the scratch is through the clearcoat or worse, into the actual paint, it most likely won't buff out.

Radco

Never heard of minor dents being fixed by hot sun but when things get hot they expand so Possible, another method for smaller dents is dry ice, you ,, Never did it but heard aboutit, so hot or cold just maybe :)
Scratchs and buffing, you have to be carefull in buffing ,rubbing compound is abrasive ( like sand paper) :O and you can burn through the paint or scratch it more with swirl marks! If they light scratchs the scratch removal bottels in the store might help alittle,, They are a very mild compound. the stuff in a can come mikd to strond abrasives,like sand paper, IMO a Pro doing the compound work would be a better choice if the scratchs are deeper,and some you will not get out

capp002

ive been doing paintless dent repair for eleven years and never heard of the sun taking dents out. to do it rite a professional should remove the dents for you. good luck

Radco

Paintless dent repairs? Way Cool. what type of repair shop does that? Any body shop?

Thanks

843de

Check your local "Yellow Pages" Radco, some body shops do in-house paintless dent repairs, but most rely on independent trained professionals like capp002.

Black Box

You can do the dent repairs yourself, there is a tool they sell at auto zone called the "dent doctor". It is basically a big suction cup that has 3 legs on it, you use a 3m epoxy which holds the cup on the dent, then you tighten it down and it slowly draws the dent out until the dent "pops" and the adhesive comes off by rolling it off with your fingers. $30.00 auto zone.

I had a HUGE dent on my silverado bed side, which we used this and it pulled 99% of it out.

If you know how to use a buffer, You can use Wizard finish cut which is a color buffing compound which will fill in light scratches and swirls, Wizard turbo cut is for major scratches, but this would require wet sanding as well.

Radco

Cool beans Thanks. I found 2 tiny dents in the hood, cannt see them easy but I know they are there and it drives me nuts lol Yea Im anal about my HHR :)

redridehhr

As far as your bigger scratches, try using a paint matching pen. Had a red car with some good scratches. The pen lets you just fill in the scratch without getting paint on the outside of scratch with a brush repair. It improved the look by 80-90% Bought mine at Advance auto and came with a brush on other end. $6 or 7 as I recall. Also works great on chips.

KissMy08SS

I've been doing PDR for along time too, alot of people think that "the sun" will remove dents....but it just doesn't work like that

And those cheap tool you see on TV will not remove hail dents. If you have a big, soft, dent....one of those tools "might" move the dent some....but hail dents are completely different.