Finally gave in and tried a stud welder instead of body filler on that deep dent

I had this 2010 Civic rear quarter panel dent that was about 4 inches across and pretty deep. For years I always went the filler route because it was cheaper and faster. Last month I borrowed a stud welder from a buddy, spent about an hour pulling it, and the repair took maybe half the filler I would have used. The final finish is way smoother and I'm kicking myself for not trying it sooner on bigger dents. Anyone else find stud welders worth the extra setup time?

3 comments

3 Comments

murray.jana1mo agoMost Upvoted

oh man yeah I was stubborn with filler for years too. once I borrowed a stud welder and did my first big pull I felt dumb for not trying it sooner. the trick is to not go too fast with the pull, let it cool down a bit between steps so you don't warp the metal. also make sure you're using the right slide hammer weight for the dent depth. lighter ones just bounce off deep dents and you waste time. the crater knobs are worth grabbing too, they grab onto the stud way better than the standard tip. honestly the whole setup takes maybe 10 extra minutes but the finish is so much cleaner it saves you sanding time later. just don't crank on it like a gorilla, slow steady pulls work way better.

ryan_shah381mo ago

what about the metal thickness on older cars though? I've seen guys try this on like a 70s fender and the thin metal just tears if you look at it wrong. sometimes filler is the safer bet for that stuff.

cora5181mo ago

oh man, that crater knob tip is actually good to know. @murray.jana i tried using the standard tip on a door ding once and it kept slipping off, ended up scratching the paint worse than the dent. i gotta say though, the cooling down part is huge. i didn't let it cool enough on a quarter panel and it warped just a tiny bit, took forever to smooth it back out.