I've begun my diy paintjob on my EK. I have several dings, dents, scratches, etc. When working with the putty it does a great job filling in small door dings and making the surface flush. However, when I try to fill the larger dents (deeper than say 0.5 cm) the putty does not stay flush with the body. It still shows and indentation.

How can I fix this? Is it the putty or the application that is causing the problem?

thanks

 

where is the dent? can you get to the back of it? if so i would drill a hole the size of the dent (if its small of course), jb weld a small piece of scrap sheet metal to the back side then fill in with a 50/50 mixture of bondoglass AND resin then use MEKP (resin hardener) only for hardener. this creates a stronger compound that is more paintable when sanded, and doesn't chip as easily around the edges because it starts off tackier than just bondo so it'll adhere better. And make sure you use a DA sander or block sander. i know it sounds ghetto but it works! try the mixture on something else as a test so you can get an idea of how much hardener to use. wouldn't recommend using a cheese grater if possible just get it on as smooth and flat as possible, ( to help prevent later cracking because it'll pull on it as its hardening.)

 

I might try that method on a larger dent (size of volleyball) but the ones I'm refering to above are on the door and one is a scratch dent from me rubbing a curb or something (about .5cm deep X 4-5in long) the other is a dent from a biker that did a face plant on my hood. the pedal hit the door so its about the size as a pedal.

 

like was already said if you can get to the back of the dent at all try to push it out flush.
If not, and do not want to drill holes to use the puller, you have several options.
Scuff the area thoroughly and put in thin layers of bondo until flush and smooth. Namely bondo until just below the flush then use glazing putty to get perfect.
You can also use metal based fillers. There are too many types to mention.
Or you could go really old school and use literal metal solder to fill it in. Though this will take alot of prep work.

Now you did not give the third dimension height of the dents, but will assume to be around 1/2" or so. If that is the case, really try your best to push it out a little, scuff it up with 220 grit, clean it thoroughly then bondo it.

 

You need to push it out or pull it out and then lay down your mud. What you are doing is not putting enough on if you are gonna fill in something that deep.
You may also not be grinding far enough past the dent to properly blend it into the panel. Are you also featheredgeing the repair area. All these things could cause it to look wrong. You may also have to tap down the edge of the dent all the way around. Alot of different factors that could be causing what you are describing.

 

I guess what I have been doing wrong is 1. pressing down hard with the spreader thinking that it will fill in the area without leaving a dip 2. not applying more filler (bondo etc) over it self. I was under the impression that you could not apply filler on top of if self once it was dry. That's not the case? any prep that must come first? do I have to scuff the dry filler before applying new filler?

Thanks for the help so far.

 

well yea you take 36 or 40 to it and sand it the 80 and feather out the sides of the bondo as good as possable then put another layer to it (no more than 1/8th inch thick)