The Hail Shop USA

Auto Hail Repair Denver

Paintless dent repair limitations

What are the paintless dent repair limitations?

From parking lot door dings to all over body damage caused by hail, dents & dings have a negative impact on not only your vehicle’s aesthetics but it’s resale value. When it comes to getting car dents repaired, there are a couple of options, the most popular being paintless dent repair (PDR.) The second option is to take your car to an auto body shop. Paintless dent repair is still relatively new concept to vehicle owners and therefore, many questions to be answered about paintless dent repair limitations.

What is Paintless Dent Repair?

Paintless Dent Repair is a process of removing dents and dings from the damaged panel of a vehicle without the need to apply fillers and paint. By massaging the damaged panel, the PDR technician is able to encourage the metal to go back to its original shape using a small collection of specialized tools including metal pushrods, dent pullers/lifters, glue tabs,  graphic LED lighting, and more.

To this point, if there is paint damage, PDR is most likely not your best option.  Furthermore, if the metal has been creased, twisted, crunched, or torn – paintless dent repair is not an option.

Inexperience Can Cause More Damage

If paintless dent repair is done incorrectly,  it is easy to make the damage worse than it originally was. This happens when an under-experienced or ill-trained technician is hired to repair your dents.

Paintless Dent Repair is NOT easy.

The perfection of the PDR technique requires quite a bit of hand-eye coordination and often years of practice, but the result is always worth it. No marks, no imperfections in the paint – just a smooth surface remains.

The chance of further damage can be reduced greatly by choosing a reputable company that specialized in PDR techniques.

Like anything else, both approaches have pros and cons. In this article, we will cover the cons of paintless dent repair and the primary difference between PDR & conventional body shop repairs.

Paintless Dent Repair Does Not Repair Paint Damage

If your vehicle was involved in an accident or collision, the paint was likely damaged. Paint chipping and scratching is a common side effect of a vehicle being involved in a wreck. Just as the name suggests, Paintless Dent Repair is “paintless.”

Paintless Dent Repair Shops Aren’t Always Available

Paintless Dent Repair has been around for nearly 75 years and there are thousands of experienced PDR specialty shops around the world but there might not be one in your town. If this is the case in your area, your best option is to do a quick search in the closest major city. The Hail Shop USA, like many other shops, offers a free pick-up & drop-off service within 30-45 miles of their shop.

To find a paintless dent repair shop near you, simply do a search for “paintless dent repair near me” or “auto hail repair near me” in Google or the search engine of your preference and do some research.

Many Paintless Dent Repair Shops Aren’t “Preferred” By Your Insurance Company

This isn’t always a “disadvantage.” Knowing what “preferred” actually means is very important. Paintless dent repair is any insurance companies preferred method for dent removal, especially if the dent & ding damage was caused by a hail storm.

For small to medium-sized dent repair, PDR is faster, cheaper, more efficient, and comes with a lifetime warranty.  This saves your insurance company money because when it comes to auto hail damage repair, your insurance company covers damage that is categorized as an “Act of God.”

After filing a hail damage claim, your insurance company might refer you to their “preferred” list of shops to repair your vehicle. This is called “steering.” Steering is not only illegal but also comes with no benefit to the car owner. Insurance companies will partner with auto body shops in exchange for better pricing.

Final Thoughts

Choose wisely. Just as there are pros & cons to anything in life, there are some disadvantages that come along with Paintless Dent Repair. Knowing the type of dent damage your vehicle has, where you should take your vehicle for repairs, and what to be aware of when making any decision is key.

5 facts to consider before filing auto hail damage claim

Top 5 Pre-Filing Hail Claims Facts

Auto hail damage always presents a dilemma for car owners. Many decide to live with the dings whereas others file comprehensive insurance claims as soon as they see the hail fall.

In the article, we cover all of the questions that lie in-between.

  1. Know the type of insurance coverage you have on your vehicle.

    There is only one level of coverage that will cover the cost to repair auto hail damage and any other vehicle damage caused by Mother Nature.  It is called Comprehensive Insurance. You are not alone if you assumed that a Collision Policy would cover hail damage. Automobile insurance policies are (or should be) “piecemealed”  based upon the area you live in and where you drive most frequently.

    If you live in the states of Texas and Colorado or any of the other states that fall within Tornado Ally, you should have Comprehensive Coverage because of the frequent hail storms. For example – if you live in Denver, CO where residents experience drastic changes in temperature, excessive rain, hail, and snow, you should also have Collision Coverage. Where Comprehensive covers the cost of auto hail damage repair, it does not cover damage caused by potholes that come as a result of drastic weather variations.

    Check your policy. Your coverage can be found on your glovebox copy, online (if you signed up for online access), or you can call the general toll-free number found on their website.

    Auto Insurance Coverage’s Explained

    What auto insurance coverage is required by law? 100/300/100 is your liability coverage. This is what is required of you to carry by law. This, theoretically, protects the OTHER party in an accident. Not you, or your car.

    The D100 is Comprehensive Coverage. In this case, with a $200 deductible. Comp covers YOUR vehicle in the event of an accident that wasn’t your fault.

    The G500 is Collision Coverage. This covers YOUR vehicle in the event of an AT FAULT accident. Ordinarily, to make a full coverage policy, you would have Liability + U/W + Comp + Collision. In this case, a $500 deductible. You pay the first $500, the insurance company pays the rest to fix your car.

  2. Don’t assume that you don’t have enough hail damage to justify filing a claim.

    Many decide to live with hail dings because they assume the damage isn’t enough to justify the deductible.

    Other’s might find that seemingly minimal damage is enough to cause their insurers to total out their cars! If you can see dents after a hail storm, you should always assume that there are more. You might not be able to see them but not all hail dents can be visualized with the naked eye.

    Paintless Dent Repair shops like The Hail Shop USA specialize in the finding and repairing of ALL auto hail damage. We use light boards that have strips of LED lighting that help our technicians literally see EVERY imperfection, no matter how tiny or shallow.  Whereas you might only see a few hood dents, your insurance adjuster might find a few more. Upon the 3rd inspection by a reputable Paintless Dent Repair shop, you might discover that what you assumed what just a couple of hundred dollars of damage turns into a few thousand.

  3. Pre-inspections from PDR shops are an option.

    You can always get a free inspection from a paintless dent repair shop before you file a claim with your insurance company.

    If you do not own your vehicle and carry comprehensive insurance because your lender requires you to do so, you might be concerned about not having enough damage to justify paying a high-deductible. You always have the option to call The Hail Shop USA to schedule a free hail damage inspection.

  4. Repair the damage or keep the money.

    Do I have to get my hail damage fixed or can I just keep the insurance check? 

    If you are contemplating keeping the insurance company check to pay off some bills instead of getting your car repaired, consider the following.

    1. Are you making monthly payments to a lender? If you are then you have a contractual obligation to get the hail damage repaired.
    2. Do you own the vehicle? If yes, the money is yours to do with as you choose. Keep in mind that if your vehicle is damaged again, you will not be paid a second time for pre-existing damage. You also run the risk of being dropped by your insurance company.
    3. What are your future plans for the vehicle? If your plan is to drive the vehicle until it drives no more, it is your decision as to what you can live with. If selling your car in the future is the plan, remember that the value of your vehicle greatly decreases if it has hail damage.

  5. The skinny on rental car reimbursement.

    You might assume that your insurance policy covers a rental car, until you find out that it doesn’t.

    This is something you should also look in to before filing your claim. The Hail Shop USA offers free rental car service for our hail damage repair customers that don’t have rental car coverage. Most car hail repairs require approximately 1-3 days of shop time.

How to repair hail damage on car roof

Hail damage car roof repair. What are my options?

When your vehicle gets damaged in a hail storm, it is hard to know what happens next.

Especially if that damage has covered what seems like every square inch of the roof of your car! Like most people with access to the internet, the first step is to head to the internet.

To put it simply, you will find 3 options. We say this because if you search on Google for “repairing hail damage on car roof,” this is what you will see.

  1. DIY auto dent repair methods.
  2. A few listings of auto body shops in your area.
  3. Paintless dent repair companies in your area.

The Hail Shop USA will explore all 3 of these options and help you decide which direction you should take.

Before we get started, if you have a lien on your vehicle, you should always begin with an inspection from an insurance adjuster. To get one, file a claim with your insurance company. Ultimately, they will be the ones issuing the check for the repairs.

They will also give you a good “road map” to follow when considering repair options. Remember, an insurance adjusters estimate is more of a guide, not the end-all.

Can I repair the hail damage at home?

DIY Dent Repair Methods

The top result when we searched Google using the phrase Repairing Hail Damage On Car Roof took us to a website called “Cars from Japan.” In the article, they shared 3 ways to DIY hail repair.

    1. Using dry ice to repair the dents. This does not work. There is no proven scientific research that supports this theory. In fact, you can do more damage.
      The huge change in temperature can force the dents to pop out. Everything for you to do is just moving the dry ice around the damaged area to cool the area rapidly. But be careful as the dry ice will damage your skin if you don’t wear gloves when handling it.First, if dry ice will 100% cause damage to your skin, why is it safe for your vehicle. There is a thin layer of very durable paint over the metal panel that can be damaged with dry ice. The very next sentence states, “fixing hail damage by dry ice can be a cool solution, but sometimes it can not remove all of the dents”. So in this case, you will need to do additional repairs.
    2. Parking your car in a sunny place. This is their second suggestion. For us, this translates to “do nothing.” “Do nothing” and mother nature will reverse the damage she has already caused. They follow up this statement with this, “The longer you park your car in a sunny area, the more likely this way will work.
    3. Using hot air to repair the dents. This was literally copied and pasted from their article. I think that sentence pretty much covers it. DIY car roof hail repair is nothing but hot air. You can read the article here and form your own opinion.

Here is another article put out by News 9 of OKC. They put many DIY car dent repair theories to the ultimate test. Check it out here.

The Auto Body Shop Method

Before the advent of paintless dent repair, collision repair shops/auto body shops were your only option for ALL categories of dent repair. When it came to hail damage on a car roof, roof replacement was usually a car owner only option. In fact, this was the predominant option for any car panel with severe hail damage. Some of the dents could be banged out but still not 100% effectual. Even if the dents could be hammered out, the paint would become damaged during the process.

Today, Auto Body Shops will hire paintless dent repair technicians on a temporary basis to come on board to perform auto hail damage repairs after a major hail occurrence.

More than 50% of the general public has never even heard of paintless dent repair. You can learn more about the technique here.

Insurance Companies Prefer the PDR Method

In fact, we still hear people say that it is “too good to be true.” In all fairness,  it is hard to conceptualize a technique that can literally reverse any trace of hail damage. Today, insurance adjusters praise the paintless dent repair technique.  If your insurance adjuster thinks paintless dent repair is the best choice for repairing hail damage on car roof, this is how they will write up the estimate.

This isn’t always the case though. Some insurance adjusters will only pay for a complete car roof replacement not knowing that most car roof hail damage CAN be repaired with paintless dent repair.

The Paintless Dent Repair Method

As mentioned above, you can probably find a paintless dent repair technicians in an auto body shop. Most likely, any paintless dent repair technician working in an auto body shop is a temporary hire to help during a hail catastrophe occurrence.

As with any contract work, there is always a “mark-up” that happens between the auto body shop and the customer. The paintless dent repair technician that was hired to work at the body shop is not being compensated what they would if they were working in a paintless dent repair shop.

Again, most hail damage on a car roof CAN be repaired with paintless dent repair ALONE. There are many perks that come along with paintless dent repair but the #1 benefit is an intact manufacturer’s warranty.

Before you replace your car roof, read this article from Auto Consumer Info.

Knowing what coverage major auto manufacturers offer under their factory warranty is critical. Whether it’s a bumper-to-bumper warranty, a powertrain warranty, or even corrosion, or emission warranty coverage, it’s important to know what’s covered on your make and model vehicle.

Learn more about your vehicles manufacturer’s warranty here.

Is hail damage fixable?

Can you get hail damage out of a car?

Just like auto dents & dings vary in severity, amount, depth, and size – so do dent repair shops. As strange as this may sound, it is very true. Short answer is yes, hail damage is fixable. The important question is, “Where should I get it fixed?”.

At The Hail Shop USA, we like to explain things in a way our customers understand. We leave the paintless dent repair lingo in the shop. With that said, if you know more about PDR than the average vehicle owner – this article might not be for you. To learn more about hail damage is repaired in a paintless dent repair shop, read on.

We all have to start somewhere.

Before anyone becomes really good at something, there is always a beginning – the learning curve. Some paintless dent repair technicians start as apprentices at existing shops. Others have a relative or friend that have turned them onto the technique. Many go to a specialty PDR school. Either way,we all have to start somewhere.

Outside of learning, some people are just born with the natural ability to repair dents really good. In other words, they don’t just use PDR tools and learning to repair dents – they have a natural talent. Their arms and hands are simply extensions of the specialty tools designed specifically for auto dent & ding removal.

Learn more about the Paintless Dent Repair technique here.

Paintless dent repair considered more of an “art form.”

Might sound a little “over the top” but it is most certainly true. The PDR technicians with that natural ability are the ones we really want working in our shops.

Especially when it comes to repairing hail dents. A severe hail storm can literally cover a car from fender to fender with hundreds of dents. Some hail dents will even overlap other hail dents. With this much damage, dent & ding repair becomes more like sculpture. The technician must restore a vehicle damaged metal panels back to their original condition. There is no room for mistakes.

This is where experience, natural ability, and passion combine to make an expert auto hail repair technician. These are the technicians you want repairing your hail damaged vehicle.

Once a PDR technician has repaired auto hail damage, it’s hard to go back.

PDR technicians fresh out of school or green apprentices should never be repairing severe auto hail damage. They should be observing, counting dents for inspections before the repairs are made, and picking up as much as they can during a catastrophic hail event.

BUT once a beginner becomes more experienced and repairs their first hail car – ask any of them – it’s really hard to go back.

They want that challenge and chance to really hone in on their skill. Minor door dings are always part of the job description but pale in comparison.

There are some technicians that prefer the slower paced task of repairing door dings and minor collision damage repair. In the end, it really depends on what the individual technicians want.

How much car insurance do I need?

Upgrade your auto insurance or live with a downgraded vehicle.

Mother Nature is off to the races. The Kentucky Derby has nothing on this 2020 hail season. Hail Alley is certainly living up to its title already in late March. Typically, hail storms of this magnitude don’t usually strike until mid-April. Not this year.

Vehicle owners are suffering the side effects of baseball-sized hail and are now left wondering what to do next.

If you have already started the hail claims process, you probably already know what level of insurance coverage you have on your vehicle. You will have been given one of two answers.

Hail Damage Repair is NOT Covered

This is called liability insurance. In other words, YOU are liable for the damages left behind after the most recent hail storm.

Ouch.

If this is you, don’t feel too bad. You aren’t alone. In an article from Oklahoma’s News Four, one car owner laments his decision to carry only liability on his vehicle.

Chris West, 5-year Oklahoma resident said,

“We should’ve done the comprehensive insurance, but you live and you learn.  Welcome to Oklahoma.”

Your best option for auto hail repairs is to contact The Hail Shop USA for a complimentary inspection. Paintless Dent Repair is the most affordable “out-of-pocket” option for hail damage repairs. We can walk you through your options.

Hail Damage Repair IS Covered

This means that you chose to go with the Comprehensive Insurance policy. Comprehensive is one step above full coverage. If you have a lien on your vehicle, there is a very good chance you have it. Insurance companies in Hail Alley will oftentimes require you to carry Comprehensive coverage due to the frequency of hail storms in its path.

The first step is to file a hail damage claim. You will be asked to provide the date of occurrence, policy number, make/model/year, and a good time for an inspection with a local adjuster.

After your vehicle is inspected by the adjuster, set a time to get a second inspection from The Hail Shop USA.  The number one reason you should ALWAYS get a second opinion from a reputable paintless dent repair shop is that insurance adjusters will miss, on average, about 30% of the actual damage.

The Hail Shop USA can work directly with your insurance company and file any supplements to ensure your damage is 100% accounted and paid for.