Common Hail Damage Mistakes

 

Hail Damage Mistakes You Need to Know

Hail damage on vehicles happens quite often. You may be at work or running errands when a storm comes up with no way to get your vehicle into the garage. For others, they may not have a covered area for their vehicle, leaving it vulnerable in the driveway or on the street. While hail damage is often an easy fix, you can end up making some big mistakes. 

Not Fixing Cosmetic Damage

Hail damage doesn't prevent your vehicle from running, and it doesn't usually cause any other issues with using it. For this reason, many people choose not to fix hail damage. What they don't realize is how much of an impact that little bit of damage has on lowering the value of their vehicle.

They may not be ready to sell it or trade it in now, but it will cost them in the future. They could lose as much as $6,000 to $8,000 in the value of their vehicle. Even a few dings can cost you significantly when you're planning to sell.

Waiting to Fix Your Hail Damage

If you're unfortunate enough to get hit at the beginning of storm season, you may want to wait until summer is over to get the hail damage fixed. This makes sense on some level, kind of like getting two birds with one stone. However, it can also be construed as insurance fraud.

You also have the issue that the first damage is now considered pre-existing, which means it doesn't count for the new insurance claim. Imagine your vehicle suffers from hail damage of $5000. The next month, you're involved in a rear collision, totaling $10,000. The insurance may only pay $5000, because the vehicle already had pre-existing damage.

Filing a Claim Means Insurance Rates Go Up

This is a common myth for car owners. They believe that if they file a claim for hail damage it will cause their rates to go up. However, this isn't true. Hail damage is an Act of God and isn't considered your fault. You can't be blamed or penalized for something that hits you.

Rates do sometimes go up after a major storm, but they go up for everyone. Even those who didn't file a claim or had no damage. Comprehensive coverage in your policy is designed for just such an event. If you don't file a claim, you're giving the insurance company free money.

All Repair Shops are the Same

Many car owners believe that all body repair shops are the same. They use the same technology and will provide the same results. This isn't always the case. Some repair shops, like Bob Moore Collision, use the latest techniques to repair hail damage.

With Paintless Dent Repair or PDR, you can get the dents and dings taken out of your vehicle without needing a complete paint job. PDR can save you hundreds of dollars on your repair.

Bob Moore Collision is a full-service collision repair shop. We offer PDR as well as conventional methods to repair your vehicle from hail damage. If your vehicle has damage from hail, don't make the mistakes that many owners do. Contact Bob Moore Collision for an estimate and repair.