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Tried pulling a dent with dry ice and a heat gun on a 2002 Civic and the paint cracked in three places

Everyone in the shop keeps swearing by the dry ice method for small dings, so I gave it a shot on a rear quarter panel. Figure I'd heat the area gentle, then hit it with the ice. But the paint was already fragile from sun damage in the Arizona heat for 15 years, and it just spiderwebbed on me right there. Has anyone else found that trick only works on newer cars with non-faded clear coat?
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2 Comments
black.margaret
black.margaret26d agoMost Upvoted
Oh, I feel your pain. That dry ice trick is a gamble even on garage-kept cars if the paint's got any age on it.
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dylan_green58
Black.margaret nailed it. Dry ice might work on fresh paint but older paint gets brittle and cracks from the shock. Tried it on a 2012 sedan once and left a spiderweb of hairline fractures across the hood... not worth the risk.
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