BERLIN: Car bodywork repair kits appear to offer owners a cheap way to fix minor damage to their vehicles. There are kits available on the internet for less than the price of a new tyre, and that's a tempting proposition when compared with the cost of taking your car to the repair shop.
But in a practical application of these products, testers have found they aren't up to the mark.
Among the shortcomings, according to testers at German car magazine Auto Bild, were the absence from the kits of hot-melt glue guns. On top of that, any glue sticks that were included, often don't fit into the most commonly available glue guns.
Although there was a sliding hammer for removing dents, there was no denting hammer for overstretched sheet metal parts. And only a spatula was supplied to remove the adhesive residue, which caused scratches to the paintwork (professionals use plastic remover).
If all the necessary additional expenses for the missing parts were included in the cost of a kit, a small repair at a specialist repair shop would probably come out cheaper.
Minor dents can often be repaired without replacing parts or repainting. But owners wishing to do that themselves should practice on old sheet metal body sections before trying it out on their actual car.
Fixes like this require a certain amount of manual skill, patience and a sense of proportion. If you pull too hard, for example, the metal sheet can overstretch outwards, so instead of a dent, you’ll end up with an unattractive bulge.
