This case study was for the repair of a green 2018 Mini Cooper Convertible The area of damage to this vehicle was to the off side of the bonnet along the soft bodyline. The exact cause of this damage was unknown, but the customer suspects it was vandalism.
Assessing the damage
Before starting the repair, the first thing we always do is to assess the damage. We need to decide the exact repair process we are going to use to repair the damage as cleanly and effectively as possible.
Once we knew our repair process with this job, we got set up for the project and stabilized the panel by using a bonnet prop and rope rachet. This would keep the bonnet as secure as possible.
Under the bonnet on the mini was a rubber gromet that we removed to give us full access to the back of the dent. Due to the bad weather we had to set up our mobile technician umbrella to keep us and the vehicle dry during the repair process.
The Repair process
To reduce the size of the damage in a quick and effective way we started by using our GPR (Glue Pull Repair) method. We carefully and precisely placed some larger oval sized glue tabs to the point of the dent holding the most pressure.
After a soft pull with our specialist slide hammer the dent wanted to and did return most of the metal back into its shape. Being a steel panel, it holds a memory and with the correct process will want to return to its original shape. This left us with only a few small low areas and some crowns (high areas) that needed addressing.
With our knowledge and experience we knew to address the crowns first, carefully knocking these crowns down and back into shape with specialist knock downs and hammers. Next, we addressed the remaining low areas by sliding one of our many paintless dent removal rods onto the back of the panel and carefully manipulating them back into shape and form.
Once we cross checked the repair from different angles and fine-tuned any high or low areas on the panel, we then refitted the rubber gromet and removed the bonnet prop.
Finally, when the repair was 100% complete, we lightly went over the repair area with some fine polish by hand just to bring back the shine to the repaired area.
Get in touch
If you have a vehicle such as this with a dent or crease in it, then please get in touch on 07802 751921 or email us. You will be able to see how we can save you money with our paintless dent repair service.