Guys living in Texas or Oklahoma are familiar with the curse of hail damage. This is a holy grail of large-sized hails, that blemishes the whole car body. How to repair hail damage on cars is a question that drives many nuts!
Due to the complexity of the issue, this can be very difficult to repair. But it is not impossible. With new techniques such as dent pulling machine, Co2 ice, etc, you can make your car at least presentable. I have divided the article into sections below to better understand it.
Table of Contents
Different Types Of Hail Damage On Cars
Since the hails are showered in a variety of sizes and velocities, it can leave different kinds of damage to the car. Here are some common damages that are caused by a hail storm.
1. The Window Breaker
What can you expect from a hail which is a size of a baseball? Given the right velocity and proper angle, it can break the glasses of your car very easily. In many states, insurance providers have a special cover just for this.
2. Body Panel Damage
A single heavy-sized hail has the capacity to pierce through the outer skin of the car very easily. It can render the whole panel such as fender, door skin, or hood completely useless.
3. Car Body Hail Art
A regular-sized hail can leave tons and tons of small digs and dents. It’s like an artwork on the car body. These kinds of hail damages are the most difficult to get repaired. Many times, insurance simple total off the car as a scrap!
How To Repair Hail Damage On Cars Effectively?
There are many newer techniques in the market that have made the life of car owners easier. Let us understand in detail the techniques and how to choose them-
1. Cold And Hot Treatment
The temperature variation method to repair dents is extremely popular these days. Extreme ends of temperature can pop out the metal very easily. One major thing to note is that not every hail damage can be solved with this method. Only light dings can be popped out with temperature cycles.
2. PDR Dent Repair Method
PDR dent removal is the new name of the game in the dent repair scene. In this technique, you only focus on the dented area rather than repainting the whole body panel. In this method, old paint is not removed and the dent is pulled out with vacuum suction cups or silicon tubes. This method can only be used in cases where the paint is still intact.
3. Going The Traditional Way!
If the pesky hail has caused large damage such as exposure to metal or deep scratch, then your only way is to go is to do a sand and paint job. This is a labor-intensive job and requires a higher budget. A budget-friendly option such as Maco is also available. This is the most painful answer to if you wanted to know how to fix hail damage on car roof.
4. Swap Those Panels
The good news is that in case you have panel-specific damage such as a door, you can fix it cheaply. With places such as pull a part yards, you can easily find a second-hand panel for your car with a matching color. Costs are generally low and it can give your old beater a new lease of life.
Can I Fix Hail Damages At Home?
The answer is yes! You can invest in a good dent puller. It is a mechanical device that sits on the car and grabs the dent with hot glue. You essentially the dent puller to bend the metal back. The glue will not leave residue behind (if done right). Also, you can buy some dry ice and rub it on the dent to force the metal out.
Is Hail Damage Hard To Repair?
The answer to the question of how to repair hail damage on cars can be both, difficult and easy. Some hail damages are easy to repair. But they are restricted to only light damages, confined to a small area of the car. You can use cheap techniques like heat treatment, PDR, etc. But the hail damage can become a piece of bad news when the whole car is showered by baseball-sized hails.
Sometimes the body is so far gone that the cost of repairs is more than the value of the car itself. It is not uncommon to see cars totaled by insurance because of hail artwork on the car.
How Much Will It Cost To Repair Hail Damage?
Answering how much will it cost to repair hail damage is as complicated to answer as to how to repair hail damage on cars? The cost of repair has a very wide range of scale. It can be as cheap as 10$ for a brick of solid CO2. But in case you need to get a full-body repaint at a body shape, then be ready to shell out up to 2000$, depending on the make.
If the window or glass replacement is necessary, then the cost is somewhere around 100-300$. You can also go the second-hand way and used body panels can be bought as cheaply as 50$.
How To Keep Cost Low In Hail Damage?
Special insurance add ons are available in the area where hail storms are frequent. It is wise to take up these additional covers as bad hail damage can easily exceed the whole value of the car. The initial cost will increase your insurance premium, but it is best for peace of mind and in the long run, it will turn out to be cheap.
Can Hail Damage On Car Roof Be Repaired?
So can hail dents be removed from the roof of a car? Of course – Yes, it can be repaired!
As stated above you will need to shell out upwards of $2000, if the damage made is very aggressive.
If you go the hard way of repairing it yourself, then it will take you many many man-hours to get it into a shape, but may not be driveable to the mall.
Conclusion
So to conclude, the question of how to repair hail damage can be a nasty one. If the hail has damaged the whole body of the car, then the cost of repairing can easily spiral out of control. Living in a zone where you frequently encounter hail can be a real headache. Consider having a special add-on with insurance regarding hail damage.
If you still have any further questions, then comment down below.