Ways To Repair Your Car After Hail Damage

Extreme hailstorms can damage your car by leaving noticeable dents on its finishes. Unfortunately, repairing a vehicle damaged by hail isn’t as easy as you think since it can cost hundreds or thousands of dollars. Hail damage is the kind of damage that typically needs the services of a professional. So if your car sustains hail damage, this might require extensive repairs.

If hailstorms have damaged your vehicle, here are a few ways to repair it and get it back to its normal condition:

1. Send Your Car to a Repair Shop

Typically, hail damage on your car can be fixed without needing professional services. However, if your vehicle incurs badly damaged surfaces and deep dents, the best thing to do is to take it to a reliable auto body shop for repair. Repair shops have proper expertise and equipment, which are required to get the repair job done in a fast and cost-efficient manner. 

If you’re in need of car hail damage repair but don’t know if such is covered by your insurance, you should look around for the best services and prices among several auto repair shops in your area. That way, you can find out which services will suit your budget and vehicle needs. 

2. Use the Heating and Cooling Method

One of the easiest ways to fix your car after hail damage is by using a heating and cooling method. This method doesn’t require you to go to a repair shop and get your vehicle serviced by professionals. 

Here’s how you can apply the heating and cooling method when repairing a car damaged by unexpected hailstorms: 

• Parking your vehicle in a sunny area – Many car owners consider this as one of the most effective ways of fixing dents and dealing with hail damage. Placing your car in a sunny place allows the metal to heat up and expand. When the surface starts to expand, the small dents are bound to disappear. Moreover, parking your car in a sunny area for an extended period will more likely produce positive results. 

• Applying dry ice – This is also another way of repairing a car after hail damage. The temperature of the dry ice can force the dents to come out. All you have to do is to apply the dry ice around the impaired area to speed up the cooling process. However, using dry ice requires care, as handling it without gloves can damage your skin. 

• Using a hairdryer – If you can’t use the fixes mentioned above, using a hairdryer can be an alternative. Just direct the dryer to the damaged areas until the dents pop out. When pointing the hairdryer to your car, make sure the distance is 2-4 inches, more or less. This is to avoid potential paint discoloration because of excessive heat. 

3. Do Straightening without Painting

This method uses paintless dent repair (PDR) technology, which can help eliminate dents on your car’s surfaces after a hailstorm. It can be done through the use of standard adapters, hot melt glue, and a mini slope. 

However, this repair method can be a long and meticulous process. Because of this, you should check your car carefully and see to it that the native paintwork isn’t chipped, so you can apply the process of straightening without painting. If the paintwork is scratched off from the metal, then the process of straightening will not be applicable. 

Remember: PDR technology, like in this case, is only beneficial to cars that sustain minor or shallow dents. That’s because you can get these dents fixed without taking your vehicle to an auto body shop. 

4. Clean and Polish the Damaged Surface with Metal Polish

This method is ideal for eliminating small dents caused by hail damage. Just like the heating and cooling method, it doesn’t have to be performed in car repair shops. In other words, you can do cleaning and polishing of the impaired car areas using a metal polish paste from the comfort of your home. 

For this method to work well, start cleaning the surface areas thoroughly to make sure the dents will be visible. Once it’s properly cleaned, the next step is to polish the damaged portions with sandpaper and a grinding machine. When everything is polished, you can then do the paintwork. Make sure to be careful as you do the paintwork for effective results.

Final Thoughts

The difficulty and cost of a car repair due to hailstorms depend on the extent of the damage. While there can be plenty of ways to get your vehicle fixed, it’s imperative to find out whether hail damage repair is covered by your insurance or not. Finally, if you want to get your car’s finishes restored to its top condition, be sure to consider which method will work best for your vehicle.