• Serious dents require professional removal and filling to be repaired.Zerst??rtes Auto image by Angelika Bentin from Fotolia.com
  
  Dent pulling tools are used to remove dents from a variety of cars, trucks and other vehicles. Most them use the power of suction to reverse the damage of a simple dent. While large dents often require the skill of a professional, small dents can be successfully removed at home with the right tools.
  
  

Plunger

• If the suction is strong enough, pulling a dent out of a body panel without drilling holes or using other damaging processes is possible. The experts at DoItYourself.com recommend starting with a regular household plunger if the dent is large and shallow. Many of the dent pulling kits available from auto repair stores feature a specially designed plunger type device that applies extra strong suction to the dents.
  
  

Rubber Mallet

• Rubber mallets are used to apply force from the inside of the dent or damaged body panel while a suction based device pulls from the outside. The Automedia website recommends a rubber mallet for this job because the head is soft enough not to damage the metal or create more dents during the process. A mallet with a large surface will work better. In some cases a rubber mallet is all that is needed to smooth a very small dent.
  
  

Dent Puller

• The most common dent puller used by car owners repairing their own vehicles is a threaded rod with a handle. A hole is drilled into the center of the dent, and the rod is inserted. A cap is screwed into place to secure it in the body panel. According to DoItYourself.com, you then pull the handle firmly and slowly until the dent is gone. While this tool works in many cases where a suction based device does not, it leaves a hole in the body panel that must be fixed.
  
  

Metalworking Hammer and Dolly

• Sharp edges or bumps created by the dent must be smoothed out with a metalworking hammer and a dolly. A dolly is a small, specially shaped piece of metal that is used to support metal as it is being hammered, according to Car Craft. The dolly is pressed against the outside of the dent while you hammer it smooth from the inside. Without the dolly to absorb the excess force, the hammer will created more dents than it will fix.