Dent removal with dental whitening!!

[09facelift]

Evening all!

 

A lovely considerate person reversed ( presumably ) into my Yeti leaving a dent in the rear bumper. They didn't fancy having to explain it so buggered off without a word, bless 'em! Skoda wanted € 600 + to replace and fit a new one. Unfortunately, we're in the middle of moving house and fixing it just isn't in the budget right now. 

 

Having seen all of these wondrous clips off of glowing white teethed people with buckets of hot water / heat guns and poking devices knocking dents out of bumpers, i think I might give it a go! I really don't fancy taking off the bumper entirely so am wondering can I access the dent in the pic below through the wheel arch or from underneath. I'll have to live with the tear in the bumper but the dent is driving me mad. At least if I could get rid of that, my tenuous grip on reality may be maintained for a little longer. Who knows, i may even get my teeth whitened and make a youtube vid!

 

Thanks for any advice/guidance...

[Llanigraham]

If you remove the central silver area of the rear bumper, fitted with numerous "push clips" and 2 screws in each bottom corner, you can just get your hand inside.
I found that out when I was "French parked" in Nantes the other year and the reverse sensor got pushed in.

[09facelift]

17 minutes ago, Llanigraham said:

If you remove the central silver area of the rear bumper, fitted with numerous "push clips" and 2 screws in each bottom corner, you can just get your hand inside.
I found that out when I was "French parked" in Nantes the other year and the reverse sensor got pushed in.

 

Thanks for the quick reply....

 

French parked... ha...nicely put. Maddening

 

My experience with Skoda clips is not marvellous, having had cause to remove the boot trim a couple of times in the the wife's Octavia. They seem to be designed to be used and not reused, frustratingly. This is why I was thinking of going in through the wheel arch. But hopefully, the clips you mention are a bit more robust...

Edited 22 March, 2018 by 09facelift
Fat fingers!

[CWARD]

Pour a couple kettles of hot water around the circumference of the dent. Push gently but firmly from the inside, again just inside the circumference, and it will pop the dent out. If you can get your hand inside use the handle of an hammer. 

If you’re getting under the car put some eyewear on to avoid dirt dropping in your eyes. 

[eribaMotters]

And if a hammer will not fit you can try a wooden spoon.

 

Colin

[ejstubbs]

Looks to me like that bumper is torn slightly, not just dented.

[Expatman]

You could try pouring boiling water over it first of all without removing anything. I had a similar problem a few years ago with a Mondeo bumper that someone had dented and it came out just with boiling water. If it doesn't work you have lost nothing but if it does you will have saved hours of work.

[09facelift]

29 minutes ago, ejstubbs said:

Looks to me like that bumper is torn slightly, not just dented.

Yes, definite tear but i'll have to live with that for the moment. Hoping it comes back together a bit when the dent pops out

13 minutes ago, Expatman said:

You could try pouring boiling water over it first of all without removing anything. I had a similar problem a few years ago with a Mondeo bumper that someone had dented and it came out just with boiling water. If it doesn't work you have lost nothing but if it does you will have saved hours of work.

Heres hoping....

2 hours ago, CWARD said:

Pour a couple kettles of hot water around the circumference of the dent. Push gently but firmly from the inside, again just inside the circumference, and it will pop the dent out. If you can get your hand inside use the handle of an hammer. 

If you’re getting under the car put some eyewear on to avoid dirt dropping in your eyes. 

Thanks...Will sure give it a go. And I do really need to wash the car

[09facelift]

Really appreciate all of the replies.... great community 

[RickW]

Someone did that to my Fabia on Morrisons car park (they didn't hang around either).

Used boiling water and it popped out thankfully. Here's the before and after pictures.

Edited 22 March, 2018 by RickW

[graham47]

Rick...I’m amazed that you were able to fix such a dent with boiling water.

Must admit it’s new to me.

Did you fix it by just pouring the water over the dent or did you need to get your hand underneath to ‘pop’ it out ?

Reason I ask is I have a tiny dent in rear driver’s side door from a shopping trolley which I wondered if it might  fix.....

 

editted....

just realised.... that part will be ‘plastic’ not metal ?

Edited 23 March, 2018 by graham47

[Robjon]

Nice one, Rick 

This is new to me, too.

May I ask if "boiling" really does mean boiling - and not just hot?

Many thanks.

[SurreyJohn]

If it is difficult to pour water from a kettle, for smaller ones could try and use jet of steam (a wallpaper stripper kettle with the pipe, but not the paddle) . 

If someone else holds the kettle up should be able to get the hot water directed where you need it through the pipe (warning pipe will be hot so don't hold with bare hands)

[RickW]

Sorry for the late reply.

 

It was water from a kettle just off the boil.

 

I kept pushing and gripping the sides top and bottom until it popped out. The plastic became quite malleable as I kept carefully pouring the water over it.

 

I couldn't get at it from underneath.

 

There's only the slightest evidence it was ever there thankfully.

Edited 23 March, 2018 by RickW

[Daveyeti]

Nice job RickW. Hope it works for 09facelift. Yet again I've learnt from this excellent forum.

[33q]

You could try heating with a hair dryer and once warm spray compressed air from an aerosol which should pop the dent out

 

stupidly I reversed into a concrete bollard and this worked for me 

[09facelift]

Thanks All... lots of great advice.

 

Unfortunately, I broke my leg playing football ( at my age FGS!! ) so haven't got to progress this. I did get to pop out a dent in the Wife's Octavia which was handily beside the blank for the exhaust. Just took off the blank, used boiling water and out it popped no problem with a bit of manual manipulation...

 

The dent will be with me for a bit longer!

 

Thanks again