No ones plans on how to handle the costly effects that hail can cause to personal property until it happens. The only absolute you can expect, especially if you live in northern Texas, is hail during the springtime months spanning between early March and late June. This convergence of conclusions can seem like quite the paradox and the result is most often confusion and severe frustration.
In this article, we will provide you with some information and facts that will prepare you for hail damage to your vehicle that will hopefully prevent you from making costly mistakes in the aftermath of a hail storm.
5 Costly Mistake to Avoid When Dealing With Auto Hail Damage
- The hail damage isn’t that bad, I can live with it.
Hail damage severity can range from a few minor, nearly undetectable dime-sized dents to completely totaled. The damage caused to a vehicle by softball sized hail destruction will require immediate attention because in most cases, the vehicle will be too damaged to safely drive. A light spattering of dent dimples will NOT have need of immediate repair and daily life can continue as normal. Soon, the light hail damage becomes seemingly non-existent as you are now used to minor imperfections. It’s only cosmetic, right? True, but…your vehicle holds value. The phrase, “Moment on the lips, Lifetime on the hips” holds a similar meaning with light auto hail damage because a little bit of hail damage can result in thousands of dollars of depreciation to your vehicle. What seems harmless today can be super costly tomorrow UNLESS you intend on driving it until it’s death. If this is not the case and you hope to sell it for an upgrade in the future, save yourself the headache and thousands of dollars and get the hail damage repaired as soon as possible. Side note: If you carry comprehensive coverage on your vehicle, hail damage repair is covered under your policy. Your only financial obligation is the deductible which is covered by The Hail Shop USA. - I can repair the hail damage myself.
When we live in a world dominated by the world wide web and countless DIY youtube videos that claim you can repair your hail damage at home, we highly recommend you DON’T DO IT. The Hail Shop USA has now officially denounced DIY hail repair videos and placed them on the DDIY (Don’t do it yourself) list of how-to’s. You can read about all of the debunked DDIY dent repair videos you can find online here (DIY Dent Repair Done Wrong). - Relying solely on my insurance adjusters cost estimate for auto hail damage repair.
Schedule a time for the adjuster to inspect your car and write the estimate to repair the damages. Keep in mind, the estimate may not be 100% accurate, as it is just an estimate. Schedule a time with a paintless dent repair company near you to get a second inspection. If there is a discrepancy between the insurance adjusters estimate and the PDR shops inspection results, any difference between the amount of the estimate and the final invoice will be resolved between the repairing vendor and the insurance company by means of a supplement.
What is a supplement? Car insurance companies frequently issue funds and pay damages before all hail damage have been discovered. When additional funds are needed to cover the damages resulting from a hail storm after settlement, the claims are known as supplemental claims. - Choosing the auto body shop that your insurance company highly suggests.
This is called “steering.” Insurance companies will find paintless dent repair shops and auto body shops that will “work” with them on the cost of repairs. In return, they will “steer” their customers towards these shops. Learn more about steering and direct repair shops here and whom they benefit (hint, hint…it’s not you.) - Letting some random person in a parking lot “pop” those dents for you at a reduced rate.
If it’s too good to be true, it probably is. In the paintless dent repair industry, we like to call them “dent gypsies.” They carry their equipment in the back of their vehicles, and they will jump out and fix your car in less than an hour. They only take cash. Don’t believe us, search the phrase, “dent fixers approaching people in parking lots” and set aside a few HOURS to read more than many nightmare stories about these “dent magicians.” You will soon learn that the only thing good they are known for is making your money disappear after they destroy your vehicle.
Quality Repairs With No Surprises
The Hail Shop USA has over 25 years in the auto dent removal industry. Our PDR technicians safely remove dents without the use of harmful chemicals, fillers, or paint.
We take the necessary time and effort with each individual customer so that on the day of their appointment, they walk away feeling confident with their decision. We use a variety of modern techniques and hand tools to safely remove dents caused by hail damage. We offer PDR for all vehicle makes / models and work with all insurance companies.
For a free inspection, call us at 866-943-2141 or schedule online using this form.