Hail Damage Repairs

We get hit every year with hail season, which leaves many cars needing hail damage repairs.  There are several ways to repair the hail damage. I am going to discuss is probably the most common method used to repair hail damage when not using Paintless Dent Repair.

The days of traditional car repair aren’t totally behind us quite yet, but they’re on their way. And while there might always be a place for mechanic’s shop to work on older cars, it’s unlikely that service stations and low-volume car dealerships can keep up. Automotive repair is getting a bit less greasy and a bit geekier, become the most valuable tools on a technician’s workbench. Techniques might be getting more advanced, but it’s absolutely necessary to keep up with the way cars are designed and built. New technology might make diagnosis and repair faster; however, that doesn’t mean it’ll necessarily be any cheaper for consumers. Repair shops have to invest a lot of money to stay certified. The Dent Shop  (469) 233-5880

Finish Glazing

This technique is good for small hail damage repairs and is an alternative to PDR. Some people try this at home, outside the professional body shop; make sure you know what you’re doing before you do.

The primary advantage of this technique is that you don’t have to sand the paint all the way down to the metal; instead, you just sand it coarsely so the glazing putty adheres properly. A related advantage is that the protective anti-corrosion coat from the factory is not removed during the repair since the paint isn’t sanded all the way down to the metal. Although of course this method is used to make repairs, other than the hail damage in question your paint surface should be in good condition for this technique to work well.

Here’s how this process works. First, whoever is repairing the damage will need to clean the damaged areas well in order to locate all of the hail damage. The next step is to sand the damaged areas, usually using 180 grit paper on a dual-action sander. This step ensures that the glaze adheres well to the car’s surface. After the sanding, it is best to use compressed air to blow all debris from the repair areas. Next, the surface should be cleaned again, this time with degreaser and wax. At this point, it is time to apply a thin coat of the finish glaze to repair the small points of damage. Next comes a second sanding session, with 150 or 180 grit paper on the dual-action sander. Finally, the repair is done, and it is time to prime, block, and paint the freshly-repaired areas. Obviously, this isn’t a simple way for hail damage repairs, but it looks good. The Dent Shop  (469) 233-5880

In the world of exterior car care, glazes tend to be lumped into the polishes categories and in some cases waxes – neither is really correct. In fact, a glaze is often considered “optional” during paintwork procedures but can be the difference between a wet looking shine and a dullish shine. So where do glazes fall? Directly after polishing, immediately before waxing. What does a glaze do, exactly?

Basically, a glaze is a shine-enhancing product that is applied after polishing to fill in any remaining imperfections that polishing may not be able to tackle, adding even more depth when the wax is applied over it. By filling in microscopic imperfections, light is more evenly and symmetrically reflected, giving the car a clean, crisp, deep, and lustrous shine that a simple polish and wax just can’t match. Now, while you may be thinking glazes are used only before car shows or during major details, consider one of the more common uses of a glaze… body shops use glazes to restore shine and eliminate hazing after compounds are used to remove heavy scratches, hail damage repairs, orange peel, and more paint problems. To that same extent, by glazing after polishing you are only adding more of a shine to your car’s finish. The Dent Shop  (469) 233-5880

Traditional Hail Damage Repairs with Body Filler

This method is really very similar to the finish glazing technique with a few exceptions. This is another way for hail damage repairs by using body filler. This requires you to grind the repair area to metal, feather edge your paint edges, apply body filler and block sand the body filler.  Then you will need to prime, block and paint.  When using this method, care must be taken not to overheat the metal when grinding.  You may even want to use a Dual Action sander to remove the paint coatings to help reduce the heat.  I would not use anything finer than 80 grit to prepare the metal for filler.  This will assure proper adhesion. The Dent Shop  (469) 233-5880