If a hail storm has left your vehicle with some small dents in it, you should be able to fix the hail dents and make your vehicle look like new all on your own. This will save you some significant money if you have the time and tools to invest in this project.

Supplies

You will need a lot of supplies in order to fix the dent in your vehicle. Most of these supplies can be found at either your local hardware store or auto parts store.

You are going to need three different grades of sandpaper, 80-grit, 120-grit, and 320-grit sandpaper as well as a long sanding block. Next, you are going to need body filler and a squeegee. You will also need a grease and wax remover. Finally, you are going to need supplies to paint your car with, such as primer, paint, clear coat, and tape.

#1 Work Down The Dents

The first thing you are going to need to do is work down the dents. You are going to want to use the 80-grit sandpaper for this step with your dual action sander. You are going to need to sand down each dent until there is no more paint on or around the dent. You should sand it down to the bare metal for each dent. After you finish sanding, you'll want to remove any dust from the area with a wet rag.

#2 Fill In The Dents With Body filler

Second, you are going to need to take the body filler that you purchased and apply it to the dents. The body filler will contain two different parts, the filler itself in the large container and a small tube that contains ingredients that hardens the filler. You are going to want to mix together the appropriate portions based on the directions on the package. Make sure that you prepare very small amounts of the filler at a time; the package says it will completely dry within two to three minutes, it really means that is how much time you have from when you start mixing to get the filler in place on the vehicle before it starts to get crumbly.

Mix very tiny amounts of filler together at a time and use a plastic squeegee or plastic spreading tool to apply the filler to the holes. Spread the filler out and build it up so that it is a little higher than the holes; you'll sand it down in the next step.

#3 Sand The Filler

Third, once you have filled in all the hail holes with body filler, you are going to want to sand down the filler so it is smooth with the surface of your vehicle. For this job, you are going to want to use your 120-grit sandpaper. It is a little finer than 80-grit and more suited for this job. Attach it to your sanding block and use long, sweeping strokes to sand the filler and give it a smooth appearance.

#4 Clean The Repair Areas

Fourth, take the grease and wax remover that you purchased and use it to clean around the area you sanded down and added filler to. This will help prepare the area for paint.

#5 Apply Primer

Fifth, take the primary that you purchased and spray it all around the area where you sanded and fixed each hail dent. You are going to want to hold the spray can back about a foot from your vehicle and use sweeping motions to spray back and forth and ensure that you get coverage that is as even as possible.

When the primary has dried, you may need to sand the area down with the 320-grit sandpaper if the surface of the repair area is not smooth.

#6 Apply Paint

Finally, take the paint that you purchased that matches the existing paint on your vehicle as closely as possible and apply to tithe areas of your vehicle that you just worked on. You are going to want to hold it at least a foot away from your vehicle just like with the primer, and use a sweeping motion to ensure that the paint is evenly applied. Allow each coat of paint to dry according to the time specified on the can. You will most likely need to apply a couple of coats of paint.

When the paint has dried, it is best to apply a clear coat to protect the new paint that you put on your vehicle. For assistance, talk to a professional like Mach 1 Body Shop Inc.