body filler question

[carguy12]

My friend & I were going to try to fix a dent on his BMW. I was looking to buy some body filler but I am confused as to which one to get.
Anybody have any opinions on which of these would work best? Also, does it matter that I don't really know what I'm doing? I mean, could I really mess up the way the car looks or is body filler pretty easy to use?


http://www.autobodytoolmart.com/c-499-body-fillers.aspx?cid=FM1

 

[Big Daddy]

How big a dent are we talking about? Body filler needs to go on a prepped surface and takes some talent and finesse to make it come out looking right. Who is going to finish prep and paint it? Most painters will not spray someone own work as they will not guarantee the finish paint.

 

[Doughnut]

My friend & I were going to try to fix a dent on his BMW. I was looking to buy some body filler but I am confused as to which one to get.
Anybody have any opinions on which of these would work best? Also, does it matter that I don't really know what I'm doing? I mean, could I really mess up the way the car looks or is body filler pretty easy to use?


http://www.autobodytoolmart.com/c-499-body-fillers.aspx?cid=FM1

You really must read up on how to do the job properly, filler isn't as easy as slapping it on and sand it off.
Like big daddy said, the surface must be prepped correctly and must be applied, guide coated and block sanded for smooth finish,
If the paint is not damaged have the dent panel beated.

 

[Kirby]

It is generally recommended that you DO NOT apply body filler over paint. Almost everyone says to remove all paint before applying filler. Filler is intended to smooth out minor imperfections. It should not be much more than 1/4" thick at most. If it is heavily crunched, body filler is NOT the fix. There are many types of filler for various purposes.

You should read up on this here. It's easy to do it WRONG, but it's fairly easy to do it right if you learn the steps.

I finished a project car a few months ago. Just to give you an idea, I spent about 10 hours filling, block sanding, priming, etc. on ONE door, and the door was not accident damaged, just dinged from typical parking lot idiots. But it does look like new, no ripples or waves at all. You just have be take time, be patient and follow all the proper techniques.

I use Evercoat Eurosoft Glaze. It is flexible and sands very nicely to a thin feather edge. But you can't apply it more than 1/4" thick. They also have some good faqs.