Hailstorms are a major concern for vehicle owners, especially in areas like Dallas/Fort Worth, where reported annual property damage caused by hail exceeds half a billion dollars. Even the most prepared car owners can get caught in a hail storm, and the consequences for their vehicles can go from minor dents to chipped paint or even worse. In this brief guide, you will find everything you need to understand the damage’s extent and determine the best course of action.

Types of Hail Damage

Hail damage varies depending on several factors, such as the hailstones’ size, the impact’s force, and the vehicle’s toughness. In the unfortunate event that hail strikes your car while driving, the vehicle speed can also increase the magnitude of the damage.

Hail damage can be classified into three basic categories:

• Mild Cosmetic Damage: Small hailstones often leave minor dents and superficial damage that may only be visible from certain angles and under specific lighting conditions. If the paint remains intact, there is no risk of corrosion or other further consequences.

• Moderate Cosmetic Damage: Larger hailstones can cause deeper marks and chip the vehicle’s paint. This damage is more noticeable and, if left unrepaired, can lead to rust and corrosion over time.

• Severe, Cosmetic, And Structural Damage: Severe hailstorms can crack side windows, shatter windshields, and cause large bumps, scratches, and even structural damage. In extreme cases, water can reach the vehicle’s interior, damaging the upholstery and other components. This kind of damage renders the vehicles unusable.

How To Visually Check For Hail Damage

Small dents are often hard to see at first glance. After a light hailstorm, your vehicle may look perfectly fine, but it’s important to conduct a visual inspection to check for any signs of damage. The trick to finding these minor but not less annoying dents is to avoid trying to detect them by looking straight down at the reviewed panel. Experts recommend looking at each panel from a lateral view, as this will expose the imperfections better as the light reflects differently in the dents. Also, it’s recommended to conduct the inspection far from direct sunlight and watch how the shadow casts over each panel. Shadows cast differently over the dents, making them easier to identify.

It’s important to evaluate the extent of the damages over the panels; it’s not the same finding a dent here and there or a large bump as having a whole hood, roof, and boot full of minor dents. Extensive hail damage over a panel requires more work, becoming more expensive to repair than one or two deep bumps.

Why Repairing Hail Damage is Crucial

If your car was caught in a hailstorm, it probably suffered some hail damage. Small scrapes are hard to discover; however, once you see them, you can’t help noticing them regretfully, remembering the days when your car’s paint job was flawless. Repairing hail damage is crucial and shouldn’t be ignored. Aesthetics aside, even minor cosmetic damage can lead to bigger problems over time.

Dents result from the distortion of metal panels, which renders them thinner and less resistant. In the unfortunate case that hail strikes your car again, unfixed panels are more prone to suffer severe, even unrepairable damage. Scratches and chipped paint can lead to corrosion and structural damage. In most cases, the longer you wait to repair hail damage, the more expensive and difficult the repairs become.

Repair Your Car’s Hail Damage Now

At Clearskies Hail Repair, we are always ready to help you deal with your vehicle’s hail damage. We are in Dallas/Fort Worth, and our mission is to release you from the hassle of finding a trustworthy repair shop, filing insurance claims, and taking your vehicle to the shop. We use our hail damage assessment and repair expertise to connect you with the best body shops and PDR (Paintless Dent Removal) professionals, deal with your insurance company, and take care of all the paperwork so you don’t have to.

Contact us today, and let us take care of fixing your hail-damaged car and return it to you as good as new.