How to Fix Car Hail Damage
You can repair hail damage to your car by using heat or a hail damage repair kit to pop out dents. If the damage is severe, you will need to take it to a shop.
Written by Cheryl Knight
Reviewed by Carrie Adkins
Table of Contents
With
hundreds of thousands of hail loss claims
recorded every year in the U.S., there are decent odds that you may have to deal with car hail damage sometime in the future.Knowing what to do when it happens can save you a lot of money and headaches. If the damage isn't too bad, you can even remove hail dents yourself.
If the damage is intense, you may need to take your car to a shop instead. This is when
car insurance for hail damage
comes in handy.This article will walk you through some solutions that may prove helpful should a hail storm strike in your area.
How to get small hail dents out of your car
You have many options at your disposal when removing small dents, including utilizing the heat of the sun or heat generated by a hair dryer. Allowing the natural process of expansion and contraction to pop out the small dents is the primary idea behind this method.
You can also use a heat gun or another heating method to generate large amounts of heat in a short amount of time. Working in intervals of two minutes, apply heat to the dented area, leaving a two- to four-inch gap between the surface of the car and the device.
You can also use dry ice or water to cool the surface of the car for a more drastic reaction. Cooling the surface of the car body in this way causes the material to contract, hopefully popping out tougher dents.
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Using a hail damage repair kit
A car dent repair kit is another option for removing more extreme dents from hail damage. You can find a car dent removal kit at a local auto supply store. To use the kit, take the following steps:
Attach the pulling tab. Attach the pulling tab to the deepest part of the dent using the provided hot glue.
Make sure the glue is dry before tightening. You can do this by touching the glue to test its tackiness. Glue that is slightly tacky is ready for the next step of the process.
Connect the tab to the puller. Place the threaded portion of the pulling tab through the hole in the center of the puller.
Most pullers have two pads on either side of the hole where the tab goes through. This allows the puller to provide counter-pressure as the pulling tab is pulled via the handle.
Tighten the handle. Attach the handle to the end of the pulling tab and begin to tighten it.
As you turn the handle, the pulling tab is pulled up and away from the body of the car. The glue keeps the tab attached to the car body, pulling out the dent.
You might need to tap down any raised areas using a hammer and taps specially designed for this process.
Clean up. After the dent is removed, clean up the area. This includes removing the glue used to attach the pulling tab to the dent area using a cleaner.
Paintless dent removal for hail damage
If the dent is severe enough, you might have to take your car to a car body repair shop. You should look for a shop that uses a process called paintless dent removal, which uses some of the same special tools as the car dent repair kit. In addition, many repair shops use a special light board that lets them know exactly where they need to place their tools for the best removal.
While using a dent repair kit to remove dents yourself is an option, it can often leave a slight blemish on your vehicle's surface. Most professional car body repair shops can do such a good job that you can't even tell that a dent was there in the first place, making it worth the extra cost.
MORE: Does homeowners insurance cover hail damage?
Get coverage for hail damage
While you have many methods at your disposal to remove car hail damage, keeping your car under a cover or garage in the first place is the best way to prevent hail damage. In addition, if you have the appropriate
comprehensive coverage
, you can have a car body repair shop do the work. Keep in mind that if the damage to your car from hail costs less than the deductible to fix, then you are better off not even filing a claim to help keep your premiums down.Make sure you have the best coverage that will protect you from any unexpected damages to your car. Download
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and you’ll instantly be matched with different providers that fit your needs so you can get the best coverage for the best price.
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