Frequently Asked Questions

The amount of time your vehicle will need to be in the shop for repairs depends on the severity and amount of damage. If the hail damage is subtle and relatively easy to access, the repair process will only take about 1-3 days. For medium to heavy hail damage, the process typically takes anywhere from 2-7 business days, from start to finish. Read more here.

No. Hail damage is recorded as a comprehensive claim and is at no fault to you. Comprehensive claims and “random acts of God” do not affect your individual policy premiums. Insurance premiums already take into account hail-prone areas and are computed on a regional basis, not on a per-insured basis. Much the same that homeowners’ policies in coastal areas consider the risk of major storms, your comprehensive auto policy framework handles hail risk. Learn more here.

Hail damage claims processing can feel confusing and troublesome, but our concierge team is completely equipped to guide you through the structural resolution from A to Z! We handle the vehicle collection, insurance adjuster communication, and delivery back to your doorstep. See our entire process here.

This is no problem. Although it is optimal to file a hail claim immediately after a storm occurs, accumulated hail damage from consecutive storms will still be fully addressed by your insurance carrier as long as comprehensive coverage is currently maintained on the active policy. Learn more here.

Waiting until the end of hail season may cause deeper structural degradation to your vehicle panel integrity that becomes more difficult to restore. Furthermore, if your vehicle is struck during a subsequent storm event prior to fixing existing dents, your insurance provider might require you to pay a second comprehensive deductible on the new claim file.

No. Because PDR works within the natural flexibility constraints of your vehicle’s factory clear coat, structural panels can undergo PDR processing repeatedly without risking paint fracturing. Standard automotive steel and aluminum possess a molecular “crystal lattice” memory structure. Our tooling works seamlessly with this metallic property to safely shift pushed-out panels back to their original relaxed configurations without harming external paint layers.

Unfortunately, no. Liability insurance only covers third-party property damage or injury expenses resulting from an accident you caused. Auto hail damage requires a comprehensive insurance policy. Comprehensive plans cover environmental acts of God, vandalism, theft, animal collisions, and storm-driven glass breaks.

For most customers with comprehensive insurance policies, out-of-pocket costs are actually $0. At The Hail Shop USA, we regularly structure our services to absorb or cover your deductible constraints on qualified multi-panel hail claims. This ensures your vehicle receives elite repairs without creating financial strain.

If an insurance company declares your car totaled due to hail, you have the legal right to opt for “Owner Retention”. Instead of handing over your vehicle, the insurance carrier pays you its pre-storm Actual Cash Value (ACV) minus your policy deductible and its estimated salvage auction pool value. You keep the title and the vehicle, and our master technicians can then utilize specialized Paintless Dent Repair methods to fully restore it—often leaving you with a repaired vehicle and extra cash in your pocket.

Insurance companies do not rely on standard Kelly Blue Book values to determine totaled metrics. Instead, they use proprietary geographic database networks (such as CCC ONE) to generate an Actual Cash Value (ACV) report. This software analyzes local real-world sales data for comparable makes, models, options, configurations, and mileage across your immediate region. We provide complimentary valuation file reviews to ensure adjusters accurately account for all premium factory upgrades and recent component maintenance updates before finalizing your payout figure.

If you accept a full total loss settlement check and surrender the vehicle, the insurance carrier takes absolute legal possession of the car and the title. The vehicle is branded with a salvage or destruction title designation and moved to a commercial salvage auction yard (such as Copart or IAAI). From there, it is auctioned off to licensed commercial vehicle recyclers for parts reclamation or auto rebuilding enterprises.

Insurers declare total losses based on repair cost thresholds (usually when repairs hit 70%–80% of the vehicle’s cash value). Traditional body shops write estimates using expensive parts replacements, panel slicing, and full painting cycles that drive up costs. Because the vehicle’s paint is still intact after hail, we can often perform Paintless Dent Repair for a fraction of that cost, keeping the vehicle safely under total loss limits or making an owner buy-back highly profitable for you.

If you have a loan, your lender is the legal lienholder on your title, meaning the insurance check must first satisfy your remaining loan balance. If you choose a buy-back option, the lender must approve the arrangement. If the settlement check doesn’t fully cover what you owe, you are responsible for paying the difference to clear the title, unless you carry specific GAP insurance protection. Our claims specialists can speak directly with your lender to help clarify and coordinate these parameters.