Accidents happen all the time, but when a minor ding happens to your brand new (or even older model) car, it can be upsetting. A scratch or dent from another car door or from a random grocery cart can all be repaired at an auto repair shop, such as Hillis 66 Service, but you may want to save a few bucks and repair this minor damage yourself at home instead. See below for instructions.

Minor Dents

For small, minor dents, use the instructions below. If you have a large dent in your car, this isn't going to work.

What You'll Need:

• Hairdryer
• Can of compressed air

Instructions:

1. Start by first heating up the dent with the hairdryer, blowing it directly on the dent for about 2 - 3 minutes.
2. Next, take the can of compressed air and spray it immediately on the heated dent. Don't let the dent cool down; you want there to be a dramatic and quick temperature change. The heat helps to expand the metal, while the cold air from the compressed air will contract the dent back into place. 
3. If the process didn't pull the dent out, then repeat the process.

Minor Scratches

This is for small minor scratches, not for rusted out areas of your car.

What You'll Need:

• Touch up paint (to match your car's color)

Instructions:

If your car didn't come with a small bottle of touch up paint, you can order some from the manufacturer, or look at your local auto parts store for a bottle. It looks like a small bottle of nail polish and has a brush inside. Paint the scratch evenly with the touch up paint to cover the scratch. Covering the scratch will help prevent that area from rusting, especially if the scratch was all the way through to the metal. If the scratch was on a plastic portion of your car, such as the bumper or mirror, you can paint over this area as well to help blend the scratch with the rest of the car.

Minor accidents happen all the time, but you may not want to pay a fortune for something as small as a tiny scratch or dent. If the damage is too much, or you don't want to do the repair yourself, contact your local auto repair shop to have the damage repaired for you. The damage may even be covered by your auto insurance carrier.