Pulled the dent puller off a '19 Civic fender after 2 days and the metal moved 3/16 of an inch on its own

Dylan Green · 2026-10-02T12:25:04.342832+00:00

Had a '19 Civic in the bay with a nasty crease in the front fender, right over the wheel arch. I worked it with the stud welder for about an hour and a half, got it close enough that I figured one more pass would finish it, so I left it overnight and went home. Came back the next morning and the whole panel had sprung back about 3/16 of an inch past where I'd left it, all on its own. Turns out I'd been fighting the crown the whole time and never relieved the stretch, so the metal just did what metal does once I stopped pushing on it. Now I spend the first 20 minutes on a repair just reading the panel before I touch a tool. What's your go to for finding where the stretch actually lives before you start pulling?

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Pulled the dent puller off a '19 Civic fender after 2 days and the metal moved 3/16 of an inch on its own | Auto Body Repairers - HW Forums