How do they fix a roof dent?

[AIO]

I just found out that there's a dent in my roof. Someone must have hit it hard with the fist (vandalism I guess) as there's no paint loss or any scratch.

That's a first for me and I know nothing about roof dents or dent removals at all.

Do you know how this sort of dent gets fixed by authorised BMW-services? Do they remove the entire roof or do the just remove the cover beneath it and hammer it flat? As far as I can tell there is not only one layer of steel but many, so I wonder if this method could work at all?

Any input will be appreciated.

 

[dball711]

Got one in mine and went to dent busters. Perfect repair, but it depends on just where the dent is. They we able to fix mine by accesing through the sun roof, no need to remove any trim and took about 10 minutes.

 

[AIO]

It right next to the top of the front door.

 

[AIO]

Argh, I just found this :

"1) If the damage is within 1" to 2" of the edge of a door, fender, hood, quarter panel, trunk, or roof, PDR probably will not work 100%. These areas contain "double metal," which limits air space and tool accessibility to completely remove the damage."

http://www.dingsplus.com/paintlessdentremoval.htm

When I checked the dent, it felt like 'double metal'.

Paintless dent removal may not work in my case then. sigh.

 

[tazza0712]

My Brother has a business in PDR, obviously not knowing exactly your situation it is hard to say for sure, but the usual procedure is to completely pull down the headlining of the roof and work from there. Fixed it that way on a Merc A Class. Let us know what happens.

 

[Andre]

How big is it, how sharp are the edges of the dent, and where is it?

If it's not near the corners, and it's a smooth dent, it may be possible to pop it easily. I once "fixed" a dent in someone's car by hitting it with my fist at the side of the dent, and it popped right out.

 

[AIO]

It's the size of a fist. No edges. It's all smooth. It's next to the top of the front door.

I went to an authorised BMW-service today. The roof will be filled and repainted. PDR is out of question.

They said they'll have to remove both the front and rear glasses as well as the roof headlining. I hope they don't make a mistake while assembling everything together.

 

[sinisterE36]

funny as it may sound but depending on where and how big the dent is you could use a toilet plunger and pop it out.