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To Fix or Not to Fix Auto Hail Damage

That is the question.

The first decision you need to make is what are your plans for the vehicle. If you plan on driving the vehicle into the ground and never selling it, it might not be worth getting the hail damage repaired.

What is it worth to you?

Some things to keep in mind when deciding what to do with your hail damaged vehicle.

Keeping the money. If you have filed a hail damage claim with your insurance company and have been issued a check to repair the damage, they will expect you to use the money to get the damage repaired. If you decide to keep the money, you will not be able to file another claim and get another payout.

Resale on a hail damaged vehicle. If you plan on selling the vehicle in the future, expect to get less money. If you are wanting to trade-in your hail damaged vehicle for another vehicle at a dealership, the appraiser will take note of every dent & ding on the vehicle and decrease the value of the vehicle.

To figure out the resale value of your vehicle, visit our ONLINE HAIL DAMAGE ESTIMATION TOOL and subtract that number from the KELLEY BLUE BOOK  VALUE.

Salt or no salt. If you live in an area where snow falls and roads get icy, many cities use salt to melt ice on roadways. If the hail damage has damaged the paint in any way on your panels, you run the risk of rust. In other words, if the hail damage has lifted or loosened the paint or if the paint has been cracked or bubbled, you are at a greater risk for rust when salt comes into contact with the area.

Conclusion

If you hate driving a dinged-up, hail damaged car, and/or you think you may want to sell or trade it in the future, you should seriously think about getting it fixed. Especially if it’s a vehicle with a high resale value.

If you plan on never selling the vehicle and driving it to its death, you might not need to get it fixed.

If you have additional questions about the value of getting your hail damage repaired, call us or stop by our shop.

The Dent Artisan  vs The Auto Body Repair Technician

If you own a vehicle, there is a good chance you’ve visited an auto body shop. If you live in tornado or hail alley, you have probably been to a paintless dent repair shop.

You might think both of these places are one in the same but you would be wrong.

If you call a body shop looking for hail damage repair, you will either be referred to a paintless dent repair shop or they might have a PDR technician on-staff. In the not-so-far-off past, an auto body shop was the only repair option you would have for any kind of auto body damage.

Auto Hail Repair at an Auto Body Shop

At an auto body shop, auto hail damage repair would be treated the same as major collision damage. If the hail damage was severe enough, holes would be drilled into the metal and the dents would be pulled out. After the dent was removed, some kind of filler would be used to patch up the hole. Then, the filler would be sanded down and finally repainted.

If the hail damage was deep and widespread, the entire panel would be replaced.

Auto Hail Repair with Paintless Dent Repair

If you have ever been to a paintless dent repair shop, the first thing you might notice (or not notice) is the quiet and possibly better coffee.

In a paintless dent repair shop, you will never hear the sound of drilling or pounding hammers. You won’t smell the noxious fumes of spray paint. In fact, you might think you walked into the wrong place.

Why? Because paintless dent repair is just that…paintless.

If the paint has been damaged in any way, PDR is not an option. The only good thing about auto hail damage is no paint damage. 99% of the time, a hailstone will NOT damage paint.

With paintless dent repair, technicians use a unique collection of tools that were designed just for auto dent repair and auto hail repair. They resemble metal rods with colorful handles and come in multiple lengths.

With these tools, a trained PDR technician will position him or herself behind the dent and artfully massage the dent back to its pre-damaged state. A good technician knows exactly just how hard to push and for how long. When the dent is coaxed back to its original state, the dent will not return and the paint is undisturbed.

So, in conclusion – you can see why paintless dent repair technicians refer to their craft as more of an art form rather than an auto body repair.

If you would like to learn more about paintless dent repair, stop by any of our shops and get a quick demo!

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Can Hailstones Cause Paint Damage?

In this article, we will talk about is your vehicle’s paint job can be damaged by hail and what to do if your hail damage repair claim has been denied by your insurance company due to paint damage.

It is a terrible feeling when you watch as your vehicle gets pounded by hail. Maybe you are at work and do not have access to covered parking. It could be that you do not have a garage and driving your vehicle to safety in a damaging hail storm just isn’t possible.

A big question we get from vehicle owners that call us for hail damage repair is, “Does hail damage hurt the paint?”

In most cases, no.

In some cases, when the hailstones that are striking your vehicle are over a couple of inches in diameter, yes – paint damage can happen, BUT, it is a bit rare. Of the thousands of vehicles we have inspected over the years for auto hail damage, we have seen this maybe 2-3.

If you feel that hail damage has damaged the paint on your vehicle, we can inspect the damage for free and if we feel it was the hail that caused paint damage, we will take that up with your insurance company.

How Does Hail Damage Happen?

Auto hail damage happens when a hailstone, typically 1 – 1 1/2″ in diameter, strikes a panel and leaves behind a dent. A  good description of how hail damage will look on very badly damaged vehicle is “dimpled”.

Natural hail is relatively soft and, typically, does not harm paint.

What To Do If Insurance Company Denies The Hail Damage Claim

If your insurance adjuster denies your hail damage claim and you feel they are incorrect and the auto hail damage DID chip, crack or damage your paint in any way, you can do the following.

Let your insurance company know that you need their decision in writing, not just over the phone. If the adjuster says that is not possible, ask for a supervisor. If they still won’t do it, get in touch with your state’s insurance regulation department and initiate a written complaint.  Send a copy of that letter to the insurance company.

How To Initiate A Complaint To Your States Insurance Regulatory Department

1. Contact your insurance company or agent and bring the problem to their attention. Document your phone calls by noting the name of the person you speak to, the date of the call and a brief summary of the conversation. Keep copies of all written communications.

2. If you are not satisfied with the results you receive, contact the Department of Insurance for assistance. Insurance analysts are available to answer general questions by phone. However, complaints must be submitted in writing.

The Hail Shop USA Insurance Questions & Free Inspections

If you need help initiating your auto hail damage claim or you are concerned that your claim might be denied due to paint damage, we are here to help. Give us a call today at 800-485-9026 and we will everything we can to make sure you get covered if you DO have hail damage that has damaged your vehicles paint.

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DIY Auto Dent Repair

What could possibly go wrong?

Everyone loves a good DIY project. Websites like Instructables, Pinterest, and YouTube has taken DIY  to a whole new level. From building a cabinet to staining your garage floors, it seems like there really isn’t much you can’t do!

Or is there?

There are really two distinct results that can happen with a DIY project. One outcome is very good, the other usually being very bad.

So what about DIY auto dent repair? You could not believe how many monthly searches there are for DIY auto dent repair. Just a few of the more common search phrases being:

• How to repair dent damage in car
• Repair hail damage at home
• How to fix dents in car yourself

Some of the scariest results for DIY auto hail repair that we have seen pop-up (and show up in our shop after failed attempts) are the following:

• Use a plunger
• Use dry ice
• Use a hairdryer

DIY Auto Dent Repair Gone Wrong

What could possibly go wrong with DIY auto dent repair? Well, many things.

Overpulling

The biggest problem we see in our paintless dent repair shop is over-pulling. Over-pulling can result in a dent that has basically gone from concave to convex. This overcorrection usually ends up being an auto body shop repair. When the metal is overextended, paint loosens and the metal goes beyond it’s “metal memory.”

Cracked Paint

What makes paintless dent repair not an option? Cracked or damaged paint. Paintless dent repair has become the norm for auto dent repair. Insurance companies love it and so do vehicle owners. It is not only affordable, it is usually a fairly quick repair. If you take the DIY auto dent repair route and the paint gets chipped, scratched, peeled, or cracked – the dent repair is no longer a paintless dent repair option.

Pain & Suffering

Realizing you have caused more damage to your vehicle is never a good feeling. What seemed like a great way to save a little money and shop repair times, you now have a much bigger problem on your hands.

Leave Auto Dent Repair to the Professionals

Put down the hairdryer and pick-up the phone and call the paintless dent repair professionals at The Hail Shop USA. We start the dent repair process with a no-cost estimate. Dent repair inspections usually only take about 15 minutes.

You can call us at 800-485-9026 schedule online.

Dents & Dings Happen.

The Hail Shop of McKinney removes them.

The likelihood of your vehicle having or having had auto dent damage is very high. You might even have auto hail damage from one of the many storms over the years.

The Hail Shop USA is your best choice for everyday dent and ding damage repair. The technicians have over a decade of paintless dent repair experience. We specialize in auto hail damage repair but also take care of your everyday dent damage that happens while being a car owner. We’ve repaired door dings, dents from collisions, and dents caused by garage door accidents.

Complete Auto Dent & Ding Restoration

Paintless dent repair is a very specialized method of auto body repair that was designed specifically for small to medium sized dent removal. Technicians use a collection of tools that allow them to get behind the panel and gently push the dent away without disturbing the paint finish.

Because paintless dent repair is “paintless,” there must be no paint damage around or in the dented area. PDR works because metal has a molecular memory. Just like a soda can that has been dented, the damage can be reversed by simply coaxing the can back to its original shape. This is very much like PDR but on a very small scale and the metal on a vehicle is also much thicker.

We get a lot of vehicle owners that ask us if the dents will ever come back after being repaired. The answer is no. Think again about the soda can example. If you work the dent out of the can, there is no reason the dent should reappear naturally.