When your car sustains hail damage, you should seek an estimate and hail damage repair from professional dent repair technicians. As any reputable dent removal technician will tell you, paintless dent repair (PDR) is the most effective hail damage repair method. You may already know that PDR is the ultimate solution for your vehicle’s dents and dings, but do you know where to start when it comes to hail damage? Here are a few dos and don’ts to keep in mind when your car is damaged by hail.
DO: Take Clear Pictures of the Hail Damage on Your Vehicle
If your car insurance covers hail damage, you should take pictures that document the hail damage extensively and send them to your insurance company to file a claim. Most car insurance companies classify hail damage under comprehensive claims. Once you receive a claim number from your insurance company, you can begin the process of obtaining repairs. Luckily, most insurance companies accept and even recommend PDR repairs, since it’s such a superior, fast and cost-effective repair method. For that reason, it’s also advisable to send pictures of your hail damage to your local PDR shop before your visit. Ensure all the pictures are in focus and the dents are well-lit and shown from different angles to clearly convey the extent of the damage.
DO: Visit a Vehicle Hail Repair Shop
Depending on the extent of the hail damage on your vehicle, a professional dent repair technician will advise you on the best method of vehicle hail repair in Rapid City. Typically, PDR dent removal works on hail damage that has neither major scratches nor damage to the factory finish paint on your vehicle. No paint damage means PDR methods can be used to massage the dent out, but if paint damage is present, rust will develop and spread on the exposed metal necessitating more extensive repairs or panel replacement. A PDR technician can easily and quickly assess the hail damage to determine if PDR is the best repair option and will suggest reputable body shops as an alternative if a more extensive repair solution is needed. You want to have a professional opinion before you deal with your insurance or start to estimate the hail damage repair cost.
As soon as your car insurance approves the hail dent repairs, your PDR technician should be ready to start the auto hail damage repairs. It makes sense why this modern paintless dent repair method is preferred by insurance companies and drivers alike as a body shop alternative.
Now that you know the steps to take when your car is damaged by hail, it is also wise to know what you shouldn’t do. Here is what you should avoid.
DON’T: Postpone Hail Damage Repair
You may be tempted to wait for the hail season to end before you seek car hail damage repair services. You want to avoid waiting for two main reasons. First, if your car sustains additional hail damage, the extent of the damage and the number of dents is only going to increase. With big dents on your car or secondary damage that cracks the paint, paintless dent removal may not be the appropriate fix, meaning your repair costs and time in the shop has gone up significantly. If repairs aren’t a viable option, you may have no choice but to replace entire body panels in your car. Even worse, using traditional autobody repairs instead of PDR means your car will lose the original factory finish that maintains its value and visual appeal. You stand to lose much more money if you wait to have the damage repaired and its worsens beyond what PDR can fix.
The second reason why you shouldn’t wait to fix hail damage on your car is insurance. Your insurance adjuster may decline to pay the auto hail damage repair costs if you fail to claim within the specified time limit. Usually, the timeframe is between six months and one year – you should confirm this time length with your insurance company. Hail can cause serious damage or big dents on your car, and these repairs may get pricey. To avoid paying out-of-pocket, you should report the damage to your insurance company as soon as it occurs.
Paintless dent repair is the superior method of fixing auto hail damage, and not just because it preserves the original factory finish paint on your car. It’s more cost-effective and is also the fastest way to repair dents from hail damage. In fact, paintless dent repair can take as little as two hours when done properly, though for hail damage with multiple dents repair times can vary.
At Dent Shop, our team of professional hail damage repair technicians are here to fix your vehicle and get it back to you for half the cost and in half the time. For professional estimates and superior hail damage repair results, contact Dent Shop today!