Is It Worth Fixing Hail Damage on a Car?- 8 Answer

If you are a resident of or a regular traveler through the “Hail Allies,” like Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Minnesota, or any other, then this article is for you. In these areas, hailstorms come with devastating power, destroying the car’s fine finish through noticeable scratches, dings, dents, and damages. Eventually, these issues seem very minor, leaving you with the question, “Is it worth fixing hail damage on a car?” Here, we are going to help you in the evaluation process.

4 Possible Hail Damage to Your Car

As per our observation, people usually experience four types of hail damage to their cars.

1. Small dents on the car’s exterior, no scratches, and repairable in a small auto body repair shop.
2. Major or minor scratches and simple fixation work through dent removal and repainting are not applicable. It requires replacing the damaged body part.
3. The car’s mechanical functioning is destroyed, but the exterior has easy-to-repair small dents.
4. The damage level is severe; the mechanical system and exterior are totally destroyed.

How to Protect Your Car from Hail Damage?

By adopting below approaches, you can protect your car from hail damage.

1. Avoid driving during storms and bad weather conditions.
2. If you are driving and a storm hits, park your car under a shelter as soon as possible. 
3. Never drive through floodwater, whether it is small or large.
4. Use the garage or at least put a cover when your car is idle.

How to Check Hail Damage Repairs?

1. Check if there are any dents left on the hood and body.
2. Check if there is any crack in the head and tail lights.
3. All the aftereffects of chipping are diminished or not.
4. Check if Pannels’ are generating a mirror effect.
5. Tightening conditions at the seams.
6. Check to see if there are any water droplets left in the air vent.

Learn More: Do Auto Body Shops Report Damage to Insurance Company? Know The Truth

Is It Worth Fixing Hail Damage on a Car?

Considering the above-mentioned types of hail damage, you can avoid repairs for only the first type. And, for another three categories, repair work is a must. However, even in the first case, hail damage repair work is essential for the reasons below.

1. You are a Motorhead

Generally, people who love cars don’t like a single odd spot on the exterior or interior. If you love your car as a family member, addressing tiny hail damage is crucial for you. Going for repair work to remove a small dent or nearly invisible scratch is essential to keep your car-loving mind calm and satisfied.

2. Risks of Rust

If you do not fix those paint-damaged spaces immediately after the hailstorm, it will become a more critical issue in the winter. The formed cracks and bubbles in the paint layer will accommodate salt and cover the space with rust during the icy condition. 

3. Your Car is on Lease

Many people believe that leasing a car is more cost-effective in terms of required financing. In case you are driving a leased car, you must repair the hail damage before returning it. No car leasing company will bear the repair costs of interior or exterior car injuries caused by a hailstorm. No wonder this term is also the same for a rented automobile.

4. Automobile Insurance Coverage

Though dealing with insurance coverage and claims is sometimes overwhelming, there is no logical reason not to use it. You must go to a shop to repair the hail harms to your car and pay them using your comprehensive insurance coverage. Your insurance policy’s collision and comprehensive perils ensure that your car’s hail damages will be paid by the insurance company. All you need to do is contact them and follow their process.

5. Restricting Future Damage

You might be relaxed after seeing that the just-passed hailstorm only caused some minor injuries to your car. Those odds of finishing might not bother you, and you are tempted to leave it unaddressed. If so, you are hosting a fixation-prone visitor. Those small damages will trigger some major issues with your car’s health. Simply put, ignoring minor hailstorm damage is equivalent to letting the car die slowly. Most importantly, in this case, your car will not be fit enough to resist the hit of the next hailstorm.

6. Maintaining the Value of Your Car

Your car is obviously a significant asset to you and your financial portfolio. This context demands maintaining the full functional condition of the car, mechanically and physically. To limit the value reduction, you have to go for prompt repairs after every hailstorm hits your car. Here, if you are thinking repair it before next summer season, you are wrong. Those damages will be exacerbated, and the delayed repair work will be insufficient to restore the property to its original value.

7. Restrict the Impact on Insurance Claim Value

Unaddressed car health issues can cost you a vital amount of money in future insurance claims. Imagine, after a hailstorm, the value of damaging issues is just $3,000-$5,000. As the amount is small, you might be thinking you can get repair work anytime but delay due to personal or professional reasons. In this context, if your car fell into an accident, your insurance claim would be reduced by $3,000–$5,000 as the total value of your car is already reduced due to hail damage.

8. To Keep a Saleable Condition

Everyone likes a new car with more modern and updated features and amenities. Selling your old car can make your purchase easier by bringing in a significant amount of money. Also, you might face a hard time or have to leave the country for a long time; in both cases, selling your car is a good option. So, to get a good price for your car, it should always be maintained in top-notch condition. If you are in a hurry to sell the car, you will not have enough time to fix all destructive issues in time, which will reduce the price. So, it is always better to go for a repair, even if the hail damage is very small.

Bottom Line

So, now you know whether it is worth fixing hail damage on a car. Whatever the damage type, you should repair it immediately to gain long-term benefits. Remember, today’s small hail damage will cost you more in the future.

Frequently Asked Questions