How I finally solved bent coil anxiety — steps that actually worked

I tried this exact thing on a 10,000 BTU Midea I picked up last July. The box looked like it had been trough a war zone, and about a three-inch square of the fins was completly flattened near the top corner. I was dreading the idea of dragging a 60-pound unit back down my apartment stairs, so I grabbed a small flathead and tried to pry them apart like you suggested. It acutally took me closer to thirty minutes beacuse I was terrified of puncturing a coil. Those aluminum fins are thin as paper, and if you slip, you're toast. I found that a stiff-bristled nylon brush actually worked better for the lighter dings than the screwdriver did. After I got them mostly upright, I ran the unit on max cool for two hours. The temp at the vent stayed at a steady 42 degrees, so the airflow was definately sufficient.

If the damage is deep enugh that the fins are touching the copper, I'd still be wary. But for the typical shipping scuffs, it beats the hassle of a return. Just be patient and don't expect it to look factory-perfect when you're done.

Listen to the kid, those nylon brushes are alright but if you really want them straight, you gotta find an old-school metal fin comb kit. I still use a set I bought back in '82. Back then, we didn't have these thin, flimsy LGs; the metal was sturdier. These new units use such thin gauge aluminum you can practically breathe on 'em and they'll fold. As long as you aren't seeing green oil, you're golden. I once saw a Fedders that fell off a truck and looked like a crushed soda can, but after an hour with a comb and some patience, she blew ice for another twenty years.

Total waste of time tryin' to get 'em perfect. Once the front plastic grille's snapped on, you won't even see the mess anyway. I've got an old unit in my shop that looks like a cat used the fins as a scratching post, but it still kicks out ice-cold air.

As long as the frame isn't bent so bad that the fan's hitting the shroud or makin' a racket, you're golden. Just slap it in the window and call it a day. You're overthinking the look of it if you're spending more than five minutes on a cosmetic scuff.

I had a similar issue with a Frigidaire last summer. I didn't bother with the screwdriver or the combs though. I just used a pair of tweezers from my wife’s vanity to pull the most crushed ones apart. It’s tedious, but it let me grab the very edge of the fin and pull it straight without scraping the copper behind it. Like others said, it’s not about looks. I just wanted to make sure there wasn't a dead spot for air. Once I couldn't see light trough the mesh, I knew I was good. It’s been running 24/7 since then without a single drop in performance.

So I tried using the tweezers like one of you suggested for the realy tight corners. It defintely works better for precision, but these fins are so thin I feel like they might snap if I move them too much. Do you guys think the metal fin comb kit is acutally safe for this gauge of aluminum? I don't want to accidentally slice a line while trying to be a perfectionist.