Hail Storm

Hailstorms can leave your car looking like a golf ball, peppered with dents and sometimes causing more severe damage to its paint and glass. For those living in Colorado and Texas, hail storms are a yearly occurrence from April to September, making it important to know how to handle the aftermath.  Understanding how to repair car hail damage can save you time and money, and help you decide when it’s best to tackle the repairs yourself or call in the pros.As the leading auto hail repair brand in the U.S. with over two decades of experience, we’ll share our knowledge about various repair options for different types of hail damage.  We’ll help you compare professional services with effective DIY solutions and walk you through the steps we take at StormWise. Jump Here: Types of Hail Damage DIY Hail Repair Methods at Home Paintless Dent Repair (PDR) DIY Methods that Work Repairing Hail Damage Why DIY Repair Isn’t a Viable Option for Hail Damage Frequently Asked Questions How to Repair Hail Damage on Car: Types of Hail Damage Understanding the type of damage your car has endured is the first step in deciding the best repair approach. Hail damage can vary depending on the size of the hailstones and the intensity of the storm. Here are the most common types: Dents: These are the most frequent form of hail damage. They can range from tiny dimples to larger, more pronounced indentations. Paint Damage: Sometimes, hailstones will chip or crack your car’s paint, leaving it exposed to the elements and at risk of rust. Glass Damage: Larger hailstones can crack or shatter windows and windshields, creating safety hazards and requiring immediate repair. DIY Hail Repair Methods at Home  When it comes to DIY hail damage repair, it’s important to recognize that not all methods shared online are effective—or even safe. Before diving in, you should assess the extent of the damage to ensure that a DIY approach is feasible. While techniques like Paintless Dent Repair (PDR) kits offer some potential, other popular methods, such as using hair dryers with compressed air or dry ice, are largely ineffective and may cause further damage.  Here, we explore different repair approaches to help you make an informed decision. Paintless Dent Repair (PDR) – the Best Method to Fix Dents Caused by A Hailstorm What is PDR? PDR is a method of removing dents and dings without affecting the car’s paint. By accessing the back of the dent, specialized tools are used to push the metal back into its original form. Step-by-Step Guide: Assess the Dent: Ensure that the paint is not cracked and the dent is shallow enough for PDR. Gain Access: Remove interior panels if necessary to access the backside of the dent. Apply PDR Tools: Use specialized rods to gently push the dent out from behind, working gradually until the dent is no longer visible. Monitor and Adjust: Continuously check progress to ensure the panel returns to its original shape. Best For: Small to large dents where the paint is undamaged. Most hail dents range in size from a dime to a half-dollar. Pros: Retains original paint. Most PDR firms offer lifetime warranty on the repair. Much cheaper than traditional dent repair methods. . Cons: Requires skill, experience, and patience. PDR doesn’t work if there is crack or missing paint at the core of the dent PDR doesn’t work on plastic panels, rocker panels, or bumpers whether they’re plastic or metal. Tools Needed: PDR rods, blending hammers, and specialized lighting tools. DIY Methods that work – Glue Pulling Kits and Suction Cup Puller Glue Pulling Kits Glue pulling is an effective method for small to medium dents on metal surfaces, especially in hard-to-reach areas like roofs or door panels. Adhesive tabs are applied to the dent, and a pulling tool gradually lifts it out.  Afterward, any remaining glue should be removed with an adhesive cleaner to avoid paint damage. This method preserves the paint if done carefully, though patience is required to prevent mistakes. Suction Cup Puller Suction Cup Puller is a practical method for removing large, shallow dents on metal surfaces, such as car doors, hoods, or trunks. The suction cup creates a vacuum seal over the dent, and steady pressure is applied to lift the metal back into place.  This technique works best on flatter surfaces and requires proper cleaning to ensure a secure seal. Multiple attempts may be necessary for optimal results. This method preserves the paint, provided the metal isn’t over-pulled, and offers an easy, cost-effective solution for minor dents. Avoid Misinformation in DIY Repairs While some DIY online tips—like the hot water technique—claim to work on multiple materials, popping dents only works on metal surfaces. This is because metal has memory properties that allow it to return to its original shape when the right amount of force is applied. Plastic lacks these properties, meaning dents in plastic bumpers or panels cannot be “popped” out as easily. Using the wrong method for the material can lead to frustration and even damage. Always verify if a technique suits the type of surface you’re working on. Trusted solutions like glue pulling kits and suction cup pullers provide safe and effective results for metal surfaces without compromising your vehicle’s paint or structure. If you’re interested in learning more about real vs. fake DIY methods, check out this guide on compressed air and dry ice dent removal techniques. Repairing Hail Damage Requires Specialty Technique Sometimes, a hailstorm will come and go, and it isn’t too bad. It damaged your car a little, and you figure, “Hey, this isn’t the worst. Maybe if I do some research, get the proper materials, I can repair all the damage myself!” That’s the thing, the damage may appear to be easy to fix, but if you look closely enough, you’ll discover how to repair hail damage on car requires a more difficult process than you think in reality. It’s also easy to miss all the subtle

On Monday (5/3), a massive and destructive hail storm went through San Antonio and Boerne, TX, dropping hailstones as large as baseballs. Many cars and properties were pummeled, leaving dents, cracked windshields, holes… 753p. Boerne hail and rain stopped. Here are some of the bigger chunks in my yard. #kens5eyewitness @PaulMireles @StaciaWillson @AndrewWilsonWX @MeaganMasseyWX @BillTaylorKENS5 @JeremyBKENS5 pic.twitter.com/a3OoCIIAJL — Jack Acosta (@JackAcostaKENS5) May 4, 2021 Then there was a tornado watch, too. We’re trying to help as many people as we can. This violent storm marks #3 in the Austin/San Antonio area in the past 45 days, bringing many people in need of auto hail repair. Heating up this bean burrito on the hood for lunch. pic.twitter.com/NerX2JhFNP — Reed Timmer (@ReedTimmerAccu) May 10, 2021 During what feels like catastrophic times, it is important we at StormWise, as auto hail repair specialists, keep a logical sense of what’s happening and what we can do. Even though paintless dent repair is considered the hail repair gold standard, there are limitations to what PDR can fix. When hail exceeds 4 inches in diameter from the May 3rd storm in the San Antonio area, it has unfortunately left many cars considered a “total loss” by their insurance. Cracked Windshield = Severe Damage of the May 3rd Storm (not a good indicator for every hail storm) When hail exceeds 4 inches in diameter from the May 3rd storm in the San Antonio area, it has unfortunately left many cars considered a “total loss” by their insurance.  With storms like this, when we encounter severe enough damage to crack a windshield, it gives us an idea of the hailstone size and the type of damage it does to your car.  This level of damage typically needs to be repaired by a full auto body shop as opposed to a PDR specialist like StormWise. Full auto body repairs are not eligible for our incentives, such as a waived deductible of up to $500, free pickup and delivery service, as well as a free rental car.  What to do to fix my car then? Here’s what we suggest: Make your claim.  If the hail is large enough to crack your windshield, you’re likely looking at a $7,000 hail damage repair, bare minimum based on our experience.  You will want to use your insurance for auto hail repair. It won’t raise your rates as it’s a comprehensive claim (as opposed to the collision, which WILL increase rates). Follow the instructions from your insurance. If your insurance tells you to go to a direct repair shop so you can see an adjuster, do it.  If your adjuster wants to do a virtual walk-around, do it. Get a reputable full auto body shop. Once you have the estimate in hand from your insurance, reach out to providers who offer full auto body shop services.  Pick the right auto body shop – Questions to ask. Do your due diligence and read the reviews of the body shop. When choosing a full auto body shop, ask these questions to make sure you go in this smart: Do you provide a written warranty? If so, how long? What does the warranty cover? Most, if not all of the best auto body repair shops offer repair work warranties. This should be one of the questions you ask every shop you’re researching about. A one-year bodywork warranty is a minimum. Many shops offer a two-year warranty for bodywork and a three-year warranty for complete paint jobs. How qualified are the technicians? How many years of experience do they have? What certifications do they have? You want to leave your car in the hands of a body shop that can back its claims with qualified technicians. Besides technical qualifications, look for employees who are courteous and professional, too. A good auto body shop often offers the best customer service. If they take too long to respond before you’re a customer, you better look for another shop. How do you match paint? In a violent storm like this, a cracked windshield also indicates potential paint damage. While the process of matching paint was a hit or miss in the past, nowadays, body shops can use high-tech tools for a better match to get as close to the original as possible. But let’s set the expectation correct: it’s just not gonna be the same. That’s why when paintless dent repair can do the job, that’s your best option. So ask the body shop how they match paint and what their paint process is.  For the best paint job, the body shop needs a clean operating room with modern heaters, exhaust systems, and high-tech mixing systems. The quality of paint matters. You should ask whether the paint is OEM endorsed. A great body shop can show you where the color differences already exist on a car before they begin working to restore paint. How much is the repair? What’s included? You likely will not be able to find offers such as ours with a free deductible, free rental, free pickup, and drop off. The reason is that the expense for this level of repairs does not leave room in the profit margin to allow for this. You can look around, but this is likely the case. When an auto repair shop offers you a rental car, be prepared to pay a substantial amount unless specified as a free rental covered by the shop. It could otherwise cost you $1,000 to rent a car for a week, especially in 2021 when all rental car companies are short of new vehicles. That is also you’ll want to ask the estimated time it will take to fix your car.  If the body shop suggests a part replacement, ask how they would choose a replacement. Most body shops use generic or salvage parts because those parts are cheap. But if you are a car person as we are, you’ll want the original manufacturer’s part. We hope this helps We hate the fact we have

Have you endured the painful scenario of getting stuck out in a hailstorm when driving? If so, you probably have the damage to show for it. With the current weather forecast showing no storm on the horizon for a while, you might consider putting off fixing hail damage until the storm season starts up again. However, many reasons call for an immediate fix right away. You might think your thought process is cost-saving. Why potentially pay for hail damage repair twice when you can wait it out until the end of the next hail season? But that can end up costing you a lot more in the end. Keep reading below for several legitimate reasons why you should never wait to fix the hail damage on your car again. You Risk Paying More Everyone knows what an eyesore it is to look at a vehicle with hail damage. It looks like a slice of bread that has had holes poked into it. Not exactly the type of aesthetic you’re looking for to impress people. You might think that you’re potentially saving money by waiting it out until next hail season, taking that damage, then paying for it all at once. But think again! Many times the insurance companies know where your car typically resides, and if they know there has been more than one hail storm in your area, then you will be assessed TWO deductibles. The longer that you wait to get your hail damage fixed, the more that you risk having further damage done to your car. You might even notice a few spots where the dent was so severe that it damaged (and chipped off) the paint. Without your car’s body paint, you could leave the metal susceptible to rust and corrosion. We actually see this a lot. Once the rust has started, it will continue to eat away at the metal on your vehicle. It’s like a cancer. To remove the rust, you’re looking at potentially thousands of dollars in repairs. Not to mention, no auto body shop will warranty rust repair. They can’t. What you see when you look at a panel with rust is only the tip of the iceberg…the actual metal that is affected by the rust could be 5 times larger than the spot you see. Meanwhile, if you seek repair for your dents right away, you can avoid the risk of further damage and save yourself a significant amount of time and money. At StormWise, we use the paintless dent repair technique which allows us to fix the dents without harming your car’s coat of paint. “Unrepaired Damage” and How Insurance Companies View That Unrepaired damage and what can happen if you end up getting in an accident is probably the single BIGGEST reason not to wait to get it fixed. Here’s a scenario we’ve seen happen over and over: a customer gets hail damage, 8 months goes by, they never make a claim on it or get it fixed. Someone runs a stop sign and t-bones the car, totaling it. “No big deal,” you think. This is why you pay for insurance right? Here’s the deal: you have what the insurance calls “unrepaired damage” which is devaluing your car. Say there’s $6,000 in hail damage on the car. That would take your payout for the totaled vehicle down by $6,000! WHOA! Say the car should have been worth $25,000, that means you’re only going to get $19,000 to replace your car, also minus your deductible. If this is a new car and you didn’t put a lot down on it, that could even be less than what you owe the lien-holder! So you could end up having a car payment to pay off a loan, and not have the car because it’s totalled. Can I Use Gap Coverage? “But what if I have ‘Gap Coverage’?” Gap Coverage does NOT cover a difference in what is owed on the car vs what the insurance payout is, if the reason for the difference is due to “unrepaired damage.” So you can really end up in a huge mess. You’re just rolling the dice every time you get behind the wheel of a vehicle with hail damage. You can’t control what other people do on the road, even if you yourself are a very careful and safe driver. Car accidents happen, and if you have hail damage and then get into one, that is a messy situation and you’re going to end up losing a ton of money. It takes very easily fixable damage to “unfixable.” You may not know this, but there is damage that is “unfixable” with the paintless dent repair method. Unfixable damage happens when the dents are too big, or there are too many on the panel for it to make sense to fix. If the cost to fix the panel exceeds the cost to replace it, the insurance will usually chose the cheaper method – replacing the panel. Replacing the panel isn’t the worst thing that could happen, but it’s not ideal for the following reasons: You will lose the manufacturer paint warranty. You may be stuck with an aftermarket panel if that’s only what your insurance pays for. The paint will NEVER be the exact same as what you get from the dealership Replacing and painting panels also takes a lot more time than PDR, so you’ll be without your favorite ride for that much longer. Harms Your Resale Value Perhaps you’re considering reselling your car shortly. If so, then your hail damage repair can’t afford to wait. This is for many of the reasons that have already been mentioned, including: A greatly devalued vehicle Rust or corrosion  Costly repairs Further hail damage Damage after an accident that’s too expensive to justify All it takes is one dent in your car to knock off hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars off your car’s total value. Interested buyers will see it as a major turn off, and they might lose interest in your car entirely. If you’re