Can I Fix Hail Damage to My Vehicle?

Can I fix hail damage to my vehicle? If you are asking yourself this question, then we have the answers for you. Here's what you need to know.

Florida is no stranger to hail, with over 300 reported hail events in the past ten years. With many of these comes hail damage, as ice crystals on average the size of quarters cause havoc where they fall. If you have found yourself the victim of vehicle damage due to these, where do you look for a solution?

Many people try to solve the issue themselves, and this article will explain why that does not work for everyone. As you continue reading, you will understand why so many people choose to go to a professional to resolve such issues.

Fixing Hail Damage at Home

As hail can come at any time, it can often be difficult to schedule a repair for your vehicle. This goes double as others are likely to want repairs around the same time. So, it can be tempting to repair your vehicle from your own home.

While you can enact some repairs of this type yourself, you are unlikely to be able to handle any more significant damage.

One of the more popular ways people go about this is by using heat and cold to pop out any dents. An example people often try is pouring boiling water over the dented area of the vehicle, or by using a hairdryer and dry ice.

While these are usually very cost-effective and simple, they are rarely effective or precise enough for most needs. They may work with smaller or shallower dents, but anything more significant will need professional work. Because you are not using expert equipment, chances are high that you will not end up with a uniform result.

Risks of DIY Hail Damage Repair

Depending on the method you use, you could end up with further damage to your vehicle than you started with. When pouring boiling water on your vehicle, or using a hairdryer, it could lead to the paint bubbling or cracking. This will then make your vehicle's coloring inconsistent and it will be obvious where damage has occurred.

Even with DIY repair kits you can buy, you could end up harming your vehicle more than you fix it. Part of many vehicle repair kits is a small suction cup that glues to a dent, which you then pull out. If you pull too hard, or in the wrong direction, you may bend the body in a way you did not intend.

Using a DIY kit may not even work all the time. Depending on your level of experience, strength, and even the brand of kit, it may not end up fixing the issue. This means it would be a waste of money to pick it up in the first place.

What Benefits Does Professional Repair Give?

By hiring someone to perform the job for you, you can have assurances related to the level of expertise they have. This is especially true if you investigate someone who specializes in this area of repair.

You can expect the whole process to be very convenient for you. You can schedule an inspection, allowing the repair team to look at the damage and let you know what they will need in time and compensation. You then have complete transparency in what you can expect from them and how to schedule your life around the repair.

Such repair specialists are also very likely to give you high-quality results. They have the knowledge, equipment, and training to do the best job possible. As such, they can ensure your vehicle will come out the other side looking as though the hail never occurred.

At the same time, repair teams such as these have business insurance. If there are any unexpected developments during the repair process, they will often cover them. This ensures you do not end up out-of-pocket due to things beyond your control.

How Professionals Repair Hail Damage

There are many different ways a professional hail repair company fixes auto damage. The following are the main steps they undertake to give you the best results possible.

Inspection

Before they fix any hail damage, a professional needs to take a good look at your vehicle and let you know what they will need to do. They can document every issue they find and will inform you of what they plan to do moving forward. This gives you complete control over the process and allows you to budget your money and time with ease.

As they do this, they may have to remove panels from your vehicle or even trim them. You will receive feedback as they do this to allow you to veto it if necessary. Though, their intent is always to get you back on the road in the same state as before any vehicle damage occurred.

Paintless Dent Repair

Using special vehicle repair tools, paintless dent repair (PDR) can manipulate any dents that exist to massage them back into place. Instead of the brute force approach of a DIY kit, PDR applies precise force to bring the body of your vehicle back to where it should be.

This can often be a slow process and might take several different tools, but will work the overwhelming majority of the time to fix hail damage.

Other Methods

On top of PDR, should more extensive damage exist, technicians can put together a full repair plan for your vehicle. This involves replacing, repairing, and repainting where necessary. Although, these would only occur in the most extreme of situations where they need to fix hail damage they cannot otherwise repair.

Assurances of Quality

After the repair process is complete, the technician will look over your vehicle and document what they were able and unable to fix. If there is anything else you need to look at afterward, such as potential internal damage due to hail, they can talk to you about that, too.

Learn More About Professional Hail Repair

While you now have a lot of information on how to solve hail damage to your vehicle, you still need to find the perfect person to do it for you. This is why we are here. We have the skills and equipment necessary to get your automobile back to the state it was in before bad weather.

If you are in Florida, our repair specialists can talk you through our options and give you a quote to think about. So, pick up the phone and give us a call today to learn what we can do for your vehicle.

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