Hailstorms can leave behind dimples, dents and mini craters all over your vehicle, which can range from being barely noticeable to obvious hail damage. This damage may seem to be a small cosmetic problem, but it can severely impact the value of your vehicle if you don’t handle it properly.
Here are three common mistakes people make when it comes to vehicle hail damage.
Ignoring the Damage
It’s fairly common to look at hail damage repair as an unnecessary expense. After all, traditional autobody repairs can be expensive, and if the hail damage doesn’t bother you, why waste your money? This is the kind of logic that can ruin your investment in your vehicle.
Hail damage will significantly reduce a car’s resale value. Left unrepaired, what paintless dent removal could have fixed for a few hundred dollars can instead take thousands of dollars off your car’s value. Then, if you have another event causing more vehicle damage, the initial car hail damage may not be covered because it was preexisting. This means a fender bender or second hailstorm could damage your vehicle to the point where paintless dent removal isn’t a feasible option for repairs and/or the cost of fixing your vehicle is greater than its total value and your insurance company prematurely totals your car.
Attempting DIY Repairs
Paintless dent repair (PDR) is a method used to fix dents commonly caused by hail. Essentially, PDR techniques push out the hail dents, rather than filling them in and repainting as is often done with expensive traditional autobody repairs. PDR is not only better for the long-term value of your car, but it also actually removes the dents from hail and costs less than filling in each and every hail dent with conventional repairs. However, dent repair is not a DIY project. PDR in particular requires a specialized set of tools, skills and experience to perform properly. In fact, attempting car dent repair at home will usually only make the damage worse. Keep in mind that PDR is a method used to fix dents without paint damage. Using DIY remedies to try and pull out or pop out your dents could crack or damage your paint, and when that happens, PDR is no longer an option to fix your dents.
Relying Solely on Insurance
While it’s never a bad idea to file an auto insurance claim for vehicle hail damage, it shouldn’t be your only course of action. A claims adjuster will come out and estimate the cost of repairs, but it’s possible to miscalculate the cost of hail damage repairs or miss a couple of smaller dents from hail without the right lighting. It’s advisable to seek out a second estimate for PDR repairs to ensure your settlement amount will cover the full cost of damages, minus your deductible of course. While it may seem daunting to try to negotiate with your insurance company, you should of course seek a fair settlement without being subjected to a length claims process. When you’re shopping around for vehicle hail damage repair estimates, check and see if the dent shop you’re interested in works with all insurance companies and can assist with your claim.
Oil changes, along with air filter and wiper blade replacements are the most common types of vehicle repairs that auto owners have completed. But hail damage repair is a common vehicle repair, too. And when your car sustains this kind of damage, it’s important to take the right steps to protect your investment in your vehicle and restore its appearance and value. Contact Dent Shop today for a free estimate and hail damage repairs!