How to Prevent Hail Damage to Your Vehicle

Prevention is Easier than Hail Damage Repair. Oftentimes, people think of hurricanes and tornadoes as destructive, but hail can cause plenty of damage, especially if you leave your vehicle out in the open, completely unprotected from the falling natural debris. The cost of the damage caused by hail storms is substantial. Even a few minutes of hail can hurt your car in some way, which is why it is important to take preventative action when you hear a storm is coming. If not, the damage to your vehicle can add up.

Most storms come with a warning.  Unless it’s a rapidly developing storm, you can count on at least an hour, sometimes longer, to move or protect your car.  Here’s how to do it in order of effectiveness. The Dent Shop  (469) 233-5880

1. Watch the Sky and Monitor the Weather

How can you avoid hail damage? The simplest thing to do is to stay alert when severe weather threatens by monitoring a weather app on your mobile phone. When the National Weather Service issues warnings for severe thunderstorms, they will also provide alerts if there is potential for hail. We should mention that not all hail is necessarily destructive, though.

To break glass or dent the sheet metal of cars hail needs to be bigger than the size of a quarter, while hail that is golf ball sized and larger will cause considerable damage. The good news is that a majority of hail-producing storms create hail smaller than this, so the likelihood of being caught in such a storm without any warning is pretty low. The Dent Shop  (469) 233-5880

2. Buy a car cover, or find something that will work as one

If you don’t have easy access to covered parking space, then cover your car instead. Some companies offer car covers specifically manufactured to protect against hail, however, there are other options for people who don’t have one of these, nor the time to purchase one before a storm. For example, a thick blanket can work as an alternative to a car cover. Even floor mats may do the trick. Just remember that, if you use a makeshift cover, you should tape it down to make sure it covers your car through the entire storm. The Dent Shop  (469) 233-5880

3. Park your car somewhere safe

If there’s a hailstorm rolling in you might want to get your car under cover. When in doubt, it might be as easy as finding an undercover car park.

Shopping centres are often good for this. Plus you can use it as an opportunity to do some shopping while it hails outside. If you’re expecting heavy rain and have cause to be concerned, then you might want to look for higher ground.

Think twice before parking under a tree. Falling branches can cause just as much damage as hail, and are often the result of heavy winds. Also watch out for loose roof tiles, TV aerials and anything else that might come from above.

And whether or not you’re expecting bad weather, you’ll want to avoid parking on grass overnight. The dew that gathers during the night will rise to the bottom of your car. Over time this can lead to rust and significant damage. The Dent Shop  (469) 233-5880

Is Hail Damage Repair Different from Collision Repair? 

The type of damage left behind by hail is different: instead of bending panels and their support structures, hail leaves behind dents and can shatter windows and headlights. That said, the repair techniques are similar.

Today, most hail damage can be fixed with “paintless” techniques. The metal is gradually reshaped using tools on both the inside and outside of the vehicle, keeping the original paint in place. This cuts costs and labor times significantly.

Whether the windshield will need to be replaced will depend on the size and location of the damage. Small cracks away from the edge of the glass and the driver’s field of view can be filled in, but this will usually leave a small blemish. Otherwise, the glass will need to be replaced.

Hail damage can be hard to spot, making claims adjustments more common than it is for collision repair. Major dents cover up minor ones, and problems with panel alignment and other issues aren’t possible to inspect until the panel is flat again. The Dent Shop  (469) 233-5880