Can dents on aluminium panels be removed?

This is a common question we get asked a lot, can dents on aluminium panels be removed? The answer is YES! More and more vehicles on the road are using aluminium instead of steel, especially EV’S (electric vehicles) such, so naturally customers want to know if their dented car can be fixed.

What is the difference between steel and aluminium?

Aluminium is a lot lighter than steel, so this is the main reason why car manufacturers are choosing to produce their panels out of this material. This will bring the overall weight of the vehicle down too, which helps the fuel efficiency of the car. Steel is cheaper to produce than aluminium, so costs for this are taken into account.

How do you repair and remove aluminium dents?

The main factor needed to repair aluminium is heat. Steel has a “memory” as such. This means if we repair a dent by pushing it from the underside with a specialist paintless dent repair tool, it will stay in place where pushed. Aluminium does not do this. Also, it is around 7 times stronger than steel, so it’s a lot more difficult to reshape. To help the dent removal process, we heat it up. Aluminium panels become pliable at 30-35 degrees. This is the ideal temperature to then start the repair. Heat is constantly put into the surrounding area using a heat gun set up on a special stand. Once we’ve pushed, the heat can be taken off to let it cool, and once it has done, you’ll see it’s taken back shape. Paintless Dent Removal vs a bodyshop repair

PDR (paintless dent removal) has benefits over a traditional bodyshop repair when it comes to repairing dents on aluminium. When a bodyshop repairs aluminium, a spot welder and pin pulling is used to bring the dent out. The paint has to be ground off down to the factory e-coat, which has to be reapplied. Once ground off, a aluminium only pin puller can be used, as it cant be cross contaminated with steel, or it rots and corrodes over time. During the repair process, if not carried out properly, the material to rip, causing a bigger repair. But we can either push the dent from the underside like explained above, or we can glue pull it from the outside. This is an excellent method of repair, as non of the paintwork is harmed, and glue pulling works on both steel and aluminium!

Keco Glue Pull Repair System

As a Keco Brand Ambassador, we use the latest glue pulling system to remove dents on aluminium and steel. Another great use for this is on electric cars. It saves the car from being powered down, which would have to be carried out on a traditional bodyshop repair.

Conclusion

Aluminium dents can be removed, so need to worry if the panels on your car are made of this. With the correct tools and techniques we here at Dent Detail PDR can get your car looking back to its best!

You can see a repair video of an aluminium panel on a BMW on our YouTube channel here.