Fortunately for car owners without a garage, most hail storms do not cause bodily harm until the hail is more than ½ inch in diameter. Even then, it takes more hail to cause significant damage. The first thing that happens after a hail storm is car dealerships offering hail sales and hail repair kits that appear like mushrooms after a storm.
Hail Sales offers damaged cars at prices well below book value. However, the real result is that car dealers simply earn higher commissions and sell more cars. Any car sold with unrepaired damage means the damage was too severe or expensive to repair. Any car that a dealer can repair with Paintless Dent Repair (PDR) before the sale has already been repaired.
Repainting a car after removing the PDR or other hail damage carries additional costs. PDR works well for small dents where the dent has no cracked paint on the dent.
Dents that are too large to repair should be handled at a conventional auto shop and repairs should be painted and finished.
Large or deep dents, or those where the metal is severely stretched or even cracked, will require repair at a body shop. Deep dents that break paint will cause rust on the metal body of the car if not repaired.
Some insurance companies pay car owners the amount they estimate, regardless of whether the owner has made the repair or not. Keeping insurance money without repairing it is legal, but choosing to leave irreparable damage can affect your ability to get full auto coverage. It can also affect the amount you receive for future repairs or similar damages, as future events are excluded from coverage.
If hail damage to a car is repaired with the insurance money, the repair will be listed on the CarFax vehicle report from then on. This helps insurance companies avoid false damage claims and is also used by car buyers to learn about the damage and repair history of their potential vehicle.
Owners who choose not to repair the car can deduct the cost of hail damage from damage claims later in the car’s useful life. Colorado hail repair to ensure future claims are paid in full.
If you are simply the owner of your car, you must decide how long you want to own the car and how important the repair is to you. If you have a low-value car and plan to drive it until you die, it doesn’t make much sense to repair hail damage.
If you have an active auto loan, your secured party will likely need to verify that the damage has been repaired. In some cases, they may allow you to apply the hail damage repair check to your auto loan balance.
Get estimates of the damage and compare it to the claim payment offer minus your deductible before making the decision to file an insurance claim.
The insurance company may “add” an older car with relatively minor hail damage, simply because the vehicle’s useful life is shorter. Motorcycles can withstand very little hail damage before insurers consider them a total loss.
If you’re checking for hail damage or getting an insurance quote, check your windshields for cracks and chips. When it comes to the glass, have it repaired and make sure the permanent seals along with the windshield and rear window trim are properly repaired and tight.
