Car Hail damage?

[William33 110]

I apparently sustained minor hail damage earlier this week, which was revealed tonight when I washed the car....

I now have three 1/2" dings on the roof of my 3 year old car....They are only visible in the sunlight, yet they are there.....And I now see them no matter what!

Has anyone ever filed an insurance claim for hail?

Are there rate ramifications and so forth?

Any insight will be appreciated.

Regards, William

[IR5FORMUMSIE 850]

I apparently sustained minor hail damage earlier this week, which was revealed tonight when I washed the car....

I now have three 1/2" dings on the roof of my 3 year old car....They are only visible in the sunlight, yet they are there.....And I now see them no matter what!

Has anyone ever filed an insurance claim for hail?

Are there rate ramifications and so forth?

Any insight will be appreciated.

Regards, William

I wish I could help but I've never had a car damaged by hail. I would imagine that any claim would affect your rates but your insureer might have already taken this into account in determining your rate.

[Hugglebuggles 60]

Around here after a known hail event you see dozens of makeshift dentless hail repair operations appear. You can find them at new and used car dealerships, repair shops, and even places like mall parking lots. Generally, most of these places advertise free estimates. Personally, I would take my car down to a few different places, get quotes, and then decide weather or not it may be worth it to put a claim in with your insurance company. Depending on your deductible, it may be better to just pay on your own. Depending on the depth of the damage, it may not be as much as you might think.

[William33 110]

I wish I could help but I've never had a car damaged by hail. I would imagine that any claim would affect your rates but your insureer might have already taken this into account in determining your rate.

I cannot see the dent issue, unless the sunlight is "just right".

That said, I had to "point out" the issues to my wife, as she could not see them.

What are the projected repair costs?

William

[William33 110]

Around here after a known hail event you see dozens of makeshift dentless hail repair operations appear. You can find them at new and used car dealerships, repair shops, and even places like mall parking lots. Generally, most of these places advertise free estimates. Personally, I would take my car down to a few different places, get quotes, and then decide weather or not it may be worth it to put a claim in with your insurance company. Depending on your deductible, it may be better to just pay on your own. Depending on the depth of the damage, it may not be as much as you might think.

Great advice...Thank You.

[Hugglebuggles 60]

No problem!

Also, hail events are considered "acts of nature" and shouldn't cause your premiums to rise.

Cost wise? I'm not really sure. I've seen signs that advertise dent repair starting at $75, but I'm sure they'd look for any excuse to charge you more.

Edited April 10, 2010 by Hugglebuggles

[William33 110]

No problem!

Also, hail events are considered "acts of nature" and shouldn't cause your premiums to rise.

Cost wise? I'm not really sure. I've seen signs that advertise dent repair starting at $75, but I'm sure they'd look for any excuse to charge you more.

I imagine that is "per dent" cost.....three dents = $225....Opportunists at work here......Well, if they have takers.. all the better...

Time for exploration and negotiation, if USAA fails to pay...

Thanks again.

[IR5FORMUMSIE 850]

I cannot see the dent issue, unless the sunlight is "just right".

That said, I had to "point out" the issues to my wife, as she could not see them.

What are the projected repair costs?

William

I've seen some of those dent puller places that do minor work, I'm guessing the amount is less than $200, maybe even less than $100. If the paint has cracked (not too likely) then it might be a bit more. Suctions cups would likely do the trick since your car is fairly new and the damage is quite light. Sorry I never was very good at bodywork (bondo is not bodywork) but those dents should just pop right out, without the need to reduce the metal with a shrinking hammer or an oxy-acetylene torch.

[SMOKE 1,426]

I cannot see the dent issue, unless the sunlight is "just right".

That said, I had to "point out" the issues to my wife, as she could not see them.

What are the projected repair costs?

William

depending on location & depth of the dent $50-$200 per dent. $200 being very deep, big, & in a bad or difficult area to reach. most will charge per panel...hood...fender...roof if its on the edge of the panel or a body line crease of a panel, you cant pdr (paintless dent repair) it. thats a replace & repaint, coz they push up from under neath the dents flexing the metal until the dent pops back out. or glue a peg to it & pull it with a small slide hammer.

hail damage is considered a 'natural catastrophe' & won't effect your premiums.

[William33 110]

depending on location & depth of the dent $50-$200 per dent. $200 being very deep, big, & in a bad or difficult area to reach. most will charge per panel...hood...fender...roof if its on the edge of the panel or a body line crease of a panel, you cant pdr (paintless dent repair) it. thats a replace & repaint, coz they push up from under neath the dents flexing the metal until the dent pops back out. or glue a peg to it & pull it with a small slide hammer.

hail damage is considered a 'natural catastrophe' & won't effect your premiums.

These "minor" yet apparent dents are located just behind the sunroof. I am amazed that the hood, trunk lid and other parts of the car were not damaged.

PDR by others, does not seem to be an option, given that the headliner would need to be removed.

I will go with the "no fault" claim and work it from there

Thanks everyone!!!

[IR5FORMUMSIE 850]

depending on location & depth of the dent $50-$200 per dent. $200 being very deep, big, & in a bad or difficult area to reach. most will charge per panel...hood...fender...roof if its on the edge of the panel or a body line crease of a panel, you cant pdr (paintless dent repair) it. thats a replace & repaint, coz they push up from under neath the dents flexing the metal until the dent pops back out. or glue a peg to it & pull it with a small slide hammer.

hail damage is considered a 'natural catastrophe' & won't effect your premiums.

True, but a suction cup does the trick most times. I've even seen guys use a toilet plunger to pull dents. The tap hammer method works great but they'd have to take out the headliner to get at the roof, which is a bit more work. Depending on the insurance policy, hail normally falls under the Force Majeure/Act of God clause, which has already been taken into account in your premiums.

[SMOKE 1,426]

These "minor" yet apparent dents are located just behind the sunroof. I am amazed that the hood, trunk lid and other parts of the car were not damaged.

PDR by others, does not seem to be an option, given that the headliner would need to be removed.

I will go with the "no fault" claim and work it from there

Thanks everyone!!!

i've been in the collision repair business for the past 20+ years. i've been in the office end for the last 10, but i still do pdr & small jobs on the side after work & on weekends. (i wicked hail storms in the spring) there is probably more damage than you're seeing. you need to have it looked at by someone that does pdr. they'll look at it with manipulated fluorescent lights.( w/ green & red shades on them from different angles. you'll see everything then) just so you're ready for it, sunroof? electric? add $200-$250 (dropping & reinstall the headliner & sunroof track)...same if you have more damage than you're seeing & they need to remove a headlight, taillight, interior door panel etc. they charge & insurance pays for that too. you'd be suprised how quickly a pdr job can go north of $1000.

Edited April 10, 2010 by SMOKE

[almaty 19]

i had 3,000 worth of hail damage 5 years ago on my truck..took the $ and redid the shithouse, i mean bathroom

Edited April 10, 2010 by almaty

[William33 110]

i've been in the collision repair business for the past 20+ years. i've been in the office end for the last 10, but i still do pdr & small jobs on the side after work & on weekends. (i wicked hail storms in the spring) there is probably more damage than you're seeing. you need to have it looked at by someone that does pdr. they'll look at it with manipulated fluorescent lights.( w/ green & red shades on them from different angles. you'll see everything then) just so you're ready for it, sunroof? electric? add $200-$250 (dropping & reinstall the headliner & sunroof track)...same if you have more damage than you're seeing & they need to remove a headlight, taillight, interior door panel etc. they charge & insurance pays for that too. you'd be suprised how quickly a pdr job can go north of $1000.

Well, it's worse than I thought. We had some friends over for dinner tonight and my buddy identified 14 dents.. 12 on the roof, one on the drivers door "pillar" and one on the front fender.

I plan to go to the dealership for the repair. That said, I don't want new paint, given that factory paint jobs are pristine compared to "after market" work. I hope the PDR process will work.

Thanks for the advice everyone. Any other insight is appreciated.

[IR5FORMUMSIE 850]

Well, it's worse than I thought. We had some friends over for dinner tonight and my buddy identified 14 dents.. 12 on the roof, one on the drivers door "pillar" and one on the front fender.

I plan to go to the dealership for the repair. That said, I don't want new paint, given that factory paint jobs are pristine compared to "after market" work. I hope the PDR process will work.

Thanks for the advice everyone. Any other insight is appreciated.

Like suggesting that you park your car in a location where it won't be struck by hail.

It could be worse, at least the hail wasn't mixed with fire.