DIY: Can these dents be fixed?

Question

I got a major sent of dents on my car recently from a side-collision with another car and have shown them in the pictures below. I managed to apply some primer and paint it myself temporarily but I was just wondering if these dents can be pulled out (at least a few of them if not everything) using a suction cup or some other economical method.

I was checking out some youtube videos and came to know that some of the techniques are suction cup, hammer-dolly, putty-filler, metal replacement. Door replacement is out of question for me and putty-filler looks like it requires a lot of professional equipment so I am down to two: suction cup and hammer-dolly.

Does anyone have an advice please?

Answer 1

Only an old-time expert bodyman could fix those dents with traditional techniques like hammer and dolly and heat to shrink the metal. However, the amount of skill and experience needed is on the order of master craftsman, not novice.

A modern pro would replace the door or re-skin it.

To answer your question, your best bet is to hammer down the high-spots and fill with plastic filler, and sand down. This is your only real option. You can do it with only hand tools and rattle-can paint, and you can actually get professional results if you are meticulous and you use the tools correctly. I'm not saying it's easy, but it's possible.

Answer 2

Another trick you can try for smaller dents where the metal isn't actually creased, is the heat/cold method - heat the panel with a hair dryer or similar, then quickly cool it with a freezer spray (or a compressed air can held upside-down). The theory is that the sudden shock of the cold will cause the metal to contract and pop back into shape.

If you can get at the inside of the panel you ought to be able to pop them out with a bodywork hammer - as JCC says you will never get a professional job without years of experience, but you ought to be able to get it close enough to finish off with filler.