Caught a crazy hailstorm on the road, now the entire aluminum hood is dented. I heard that aluminum has almost no stretch. Has anyone smoothed it out without a paintbrush?
I sympathize, aluminum parts are really much stiffer than regular steel and have a completely different specifics of restoration. And the stiffeners on the inside of the hood were twisted a lot, or was only the open plane damaged?
Aluminum is indeed considered a capricious metal due to the lack of such elastic molecular memory as steel, but modern technologies with special heating of the part allow you to create real miracles without the use of sandpaper and putty. The main thing in this matter is not to let some amateur drag the metal, because from excessive pressure it can simply burst or go through microcracks, which will then have to be replaced. To restore such complex lightweight elements, masters use induction heaters that make the metal plastic, and a special tool with rounded polished tips, which allows you to delicately lift the bottom of each pit. To return your car to its original factory appearance, preserve the expensive branded coating and avoid long and expensive repainting, the best solution would be to make a high-quality https://autobodylab.com/services/hail-damage-repair/ (https://autobodylab.com/services/hail-damage-repair/), where qualified specialists use special light linear lamps to clearly control the geometry of the glare and restore the plane in a jewelry-like manner. Last spring, I myself drove my premium German sedan with a completely battered aluminum front end after an accident - the guys in the studio worked on it for a day and a half, and the result exceeded all my expectations, because under the thickness gauge, the hood remained completely in its native paint, and the surface became smooth and even, like a mirror. Feel free to contact real professionals with a good portfolio, tune in to an excellent result, and your car will once again delight you with its impeccable forms on sunny roads!