4th Generation Maxima (1995-1999) Visit the 4th Generation forum to ask specific questions or find out more about the 4th Generation Maxima.

Huge dent, with pics (56k no no) ... Need advice!

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Nov 2, 2004 | 10:20 AM
  #1  
tomservo291's Avatar
Thread Starter
Senior Member
 
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 730
Huge dent, with pics (56k no no) ... Need advice!

Ok, well this happened almost two months ago now and this morning I decided I might give it a shot with some suction cups, since there is no crease in the dent I thought with enough suction that I would be able to pull it straight out.

No luck, I couldnt find a large enough flexible suction cup around town.. I might just order one.



the red circle shows how they hit from the bumper and then scraped along the side and into the quarter panel. the bumper seemed to have popped right back into shape, but there is a hole punched through it (the red circle) and some large gouges in the paint.




bastards!



Here is the dent puller I got from autozone, which I think would work if it was flexible enough to conform to the dent, but it's not with the hard plastic handle that prevents it from flexing enough (taking it apart didn't help, the rubber is actually flat, the handle when moved into the upright position pulls the center out creating suction.) Worst designed dent puller I could conceive now that I think about it, since it definitely cant conform to any dents. Atleast it was only $2.99

Other then that, locally the largest cups I could find were these (roughly 2" diameter)



These two in conjuction were moving the panel out a bit, I was pulling them towards single point with a rope with both ends tied to each suction cup, and a pipe steadied on the ground with my foot to pull it out. I think this method would work, but the suction cups just didnt have quite enough suction before they would pop off. I think with a larger cup (3" diameter or so) I could pull it off.


Anyone have any other suggestions? It seems impossible to get behind that fender and push it out from behind.
Old Nov 2, 2004 | 10:30 AM
  #2  
Nismo3112's Avatar
Custom User Title
iTrader: (12)
 
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 4,685
Try sticking the nissan temp. jack from the inside and push it out from the inside
Old Nov 2, 2004 | 10:36 AM
  #3  
tomservo291's Avatar
Thread Starter
Senior Member
 
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 730
Originally Posted by Nismo3112
Try sticking the nissan temp. jack from the inside and push it out from the inside
there is so much crap behind that fender ... and the dent is below the inside of the trunk. I don't think its even possible to get behind it without removing everything under the trunk.
Old Nov 2, 2004 | 10:40 AM
  #4  
chrish09's Avatar
Member
 
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 65
yea thats a tough angle, maybe try the ding king, i have it, it worked slightly on my GF's bumper but not very effective on one of my dents. it has to be the perfect dent, its $20, worth a shot
Old Nov 2, 2004 | 10:43 AM
  #5  
tomservo291's Avatar
Thread Starter
Senior Member
 
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 730
Just looked under the car again, there is a crevice between everything under there and the fender, and I think that it would be possible to get behind it enough to push if I removed the rear bumper.

How difficult is it to remove the rear bumper? It looks like I'd have a 1-2" gap to get behind it from where the bumper meets the fender, I might be able to pry it out that way...
Old Nov 2, 2004 | 11:57 AM
  #6  
njmaxseltd's Avatar
Member who somehow became The President of The SE-L Club
iTrader: (19)
 
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 16,024
You need to go from inside your trunk to get to the back of that dent. You'll be able to get your hand right on it with plenty of room to work. Remove the left side trunk lining and you'll see the back of that quarter pannel.

A body shop should be able to fix the dent and your rear bumper for around 500 bucks.
Old Nov 2, 2004 | 12:08 PM
  #7  
tomservo291's Avatar
Thread Starter
Senior Member
 
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 730
Originally Posted by njmaxseltd
You need to go from inside your trunk to get to the back of that dent. You'll be able to get your hand right on it with plenty of room to work. Remove the left side trunk lining and you'll see the back of that quarter pannel.

A body shop should be able to fix the dent and your rear bumper for around 500 bucks.

definitely cant get behind that panel from inside the trunk ... have you ever looked at that before, or are you just assuming from looking at it's position? the inside of the trunk is lined by sheet metal that has been folded out away from the outside body panels.



just found this ..

http://www.autobarn.net/usc77240.html

large suction cup that looks like it can conform like smaller ones do ... i think this could do the trick. 5 bucks is worth a shot before i spend a few hundred at a body shop. my car is getting painted next summer, I'd rather get a cheap fix for now instead of paying 1/3 the price of the paint job, then doing it all over again.
Old Nov 2, 2004 | 02:24 PM
  #8  
RA030726's Avatar
I'm nutty for Nissans
iTrader: (46)
 
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 9,311
i have a dent on the 96 in the same spot and i got a piece of wood in there no problemo. there is room, dig deeper.
Old Nov 2, 2004 | 05:10 PM
  #9  
tomservo291's Avatar
Thread Starter
Senior Member
 
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 730
how is there room from under the car? there is stuff that I dont even know what it is all over the place .. there is a spot with a hole that seems to lead there but if you put your hand in there it has plastic inside there and does go through to the outer fender...
Old Nov 3, 2004 | 11:33 AM
  #10  
Dubbya's Avatar
VK56 Inside
iTrader: (16)
 
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 3,386
Ok, I have never tried this, but heard it works. Stuff a deflated soccer ball in there and then fill it up with air.

Dub
Old Nov 3, 2004 | 11:46 AM
  #11  
Igobuk's Avatar
Senior Member
iTrader: (1)
 
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 656
Get a suction cup like you were doing and get some clear, blue, black or red silicone, like you would use on an engine gasket or to seal a headlight, and glue the suction cup to the center of the dent with the silicone. Once it's dry, give it a nice solid straight yank. It should pull the dent right out and the silicone can be rubbed off the paint with absolutely no damage to the paint.

This will give you the needed suction. I pulled out a dent out of my friend's car like this. His car was a two door and the dent was in the quarter panel where on the left side was the door, center was the dent and on the right side was the rear wheel. It would have been a pain the a$$ to take apart the interior to get behind the dent. It took a few trys to get the whole dent out but we got it out little by little. The hardest part was just waiting for the silicone to dry.
Old Nov 3, 2004 | 12:46 PM
  #12  
Broaner's Avatar
2060lbs and falling...
iTrader: (10)
 
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 5,155
From: Madison, WI
There is most definitely room inside to push it out(Question is will it work). That is where I plan to move my battery to if I ever get around to it. The sheet metal you see only extends toward the rear about 1 foot. Remove that entire trunk lining and you'll see what we are talking about.
Old Nov 3, 2004 | 12:59 PM
  #13  
Dr.Monkey1313's Avatar
Senior Member
 
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 1,153
From: Virginia
Just a thought, but have you tried lookin gfor a larger suction cup at the hardware store? I would imagine you could find a large one there.

Also, have you tried taking out the wheel well splash guard out and looking behind there? May give you access to the dent.
Old Nov 3, 2004 | 01:11 PM
  #14  
thisisausername's Avatar
Senior Member
 
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 177
if you absolutely can't get the dent out with cups... drill a small hole in the metal and rip the dent out with a "slide hammer". This will lead to much more repairs though... like some bondo and paintwork
Old Nov 3, 2004 | 01:35 PM
  #15  
97WhtSE's Avatar
Senior Member
 
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 847
wow i dunno but i think the soccer ball is a pretty good idea. Try that if u can get it in there some how.
Old Nov 3, 2004 | 09:01 PM
  #16  
Maxima 504's Avatar
Senior Member
 
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 860
id like to know how this works.. i am also trying to pull a tiny dent on the front of my hood with a very small plunger.. i've seen it work on my friends tailgate on his truck.. i'll have to see how this method works tomorrow with time in the sunlight...
Old Nov 3, 2004 | 10:17 PM
  #17  
erty67's Avatar
Decal Specialist
iTrader: (104)
 
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 6,755
If your're close to RI, I know a good body shop. Also, have you thought about one of those paintless dent removal companies?
Old Nov 4, 2004 | 08:06 AM
  #18  
tomservo291's Avatar
Thread Starter
Senior Member
 
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 730
paintless dent removers?
Old Nov 4, 2004 | 08:36 AM
  #19  
killcrap's Avatar
I'm actually quite pleasant until I'm awake
iTrader: (3)
 
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 1,672
you need this
Old Nov 4, 2004 | 08:37 AM
  #20  
oTranscendental's Avatar
Senior Member
iTrader: (4)
 
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 837
From: Maryland
Originally Posted by Igobuk
Get a suction cup like you were doing and get some clear, blue, black or red silicone, like you would use on an engine gasket or to seal a headlight, and glue the suction cup to the center of the dent with the silicone. Once it's dry, give it a nice solid straight yank. It should pull the dent right out and the silicone can be rubbed off the paint with absolutely no damage to the paint.

This will give you the needed suction. I pulled out a dent out of my friend's car like this. His car was a two door and the dent was in the quarter panel where on the left side was the door, center was the dent and on the right side was the rear wheel. It would have been a pain the a$$ to take apart the interior to get behind the dent. It took a few trys to get the whole dent out but we got it out little by little. The hardest part was just waiting for the silicone to dry.

Try this, or try a hot glue gun, You will be able to peel it right off the paint afterwards. I don't know if your suction cup will live through it though.
Old Nov 4, 2004 | 10:04 AM
  #21  
erty67's Avatar
Decal Specialist
iTrader: (104)
 
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 6,755
Originally Posted by tomservo291
paintless dent removers?
"dent wizard" http://www.dentwiz.com/
Related Topics
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
litch
4th Generation Maxima (1995-1999)
123
Jan 4, 2024 07:01 PM
aw11power
Supercharged/Turbocharged
161
Oct 10, 2021 04:57 AM
gigabyte
8th Generation Maxima (2016-)
8
Jan 6, 2017 06:05 PM
dshinn
General Maxima Discussion
0
Sep 26, 2015 08:07 PM




All times are GMT -7. The time now is 09:02 AM.