Types of Hail Damage to Cars

Posted on: March 25th, 2022 by Accurate Auto Body Shop 1 Comment

With the return of spring, we’re entering hail season again in Colorado. We know, it seems like you just got finished trying to deal with sliding all over the roads in that last snow and ice storm, but springtime in Colorado moves fast.

Hail damage can strike at pretty much any time from now until the end of the summer. When it does, your car might experience many types of damage. Here are some of the types of hail damage that we see and what it takes to fix them.

Dent

hail damage to a vehicle The most common type of hail damage is a simple dent, dimple, or ding to the car’s panels. Depending on the severity of the storm, there may be dozens, even hundreds of these dents on your car.

The good news is that most dents can be fixed with paintless dent repair. With paintless dent repair, we can pop out the dents on your car’s hood, roof, or door. There’s no need to sand or paint, and the car can look almost like new.

There are some limitations. We can’t pop out dents too close to the edge of the panel, and if your panel has been repaired previously, it might not respond as well to paintless dent repair this time.

Scratch

A scratch is when hail damages the paint on your car. This might happen because the hail is traveling at a faster speed, which leads to paint damage. It isn’t related to the size of the hail, so it’s possible to get paint damage even with relatively small dents.

If your car has paint scratches, we will have to perform a more extensive repair. This involves sanding the car and repainting. It may also involve popping out dents and applying filler. Fortunately, we have an advanced color matching system that lets us ensure your new paint will match the old paint. No one will know your car was repainted.

Broken Glass

Hail is not only capable of denting the metal on your car, it can break your windows as well. Some hail stones are large enough to outright shatter your windows. Other times, hailstones can start a crack that will slowly grow across your window.

The windshield and rear window are most affected by hail damage, but any car window can be broken by hail. We can replace all broken windows.

Water Damage

Water damage usually occurs when hail breaks a window, letting water into the car. The water can damage upholstery as well as any components in the car cabin that aren’t designed to be waterproof. This can include in-car electronics, which might not be designed to withstand the elements.

We can replace components inside the car as necessary using OEM parts. For some upholstery, a thorough cleaning might be sufficient, but in other cases, we might recommend replacement.

Mechanical and Functional

It’s possible for hail to damage your car’s functional components. The most common functional components affected are side view mirrors. These can be chipped, cracked, or broken off. For many cars, side view mirrors incorporate advanced safety equipment that will need to be repaired and recalibrated.

Other safety equipment, like sensors, is also vulnerable to hail damage. Damage around the doors can make it hard to open or close them.

Why Choose Accurate Auto Body

At Accurate Auto Body, we utilize our exclusive Focus On You™ Service System. We start by listening to you to figure out what matters most to you. For example, some people really want to restore their car to factory condition, while others are more concerned with getting insurance to pay for most of the repair cost.

Once we know your goals, we will inspect your car and develop one or several repair plans. You can choose which repair plan works best for you, and we’ll give you a guaranteed quote and a guaranteed repair date. We’ll work around your schedule so you can drop off your car and get it back when it’s convenient for you.

You can trust us to get your repairs right the first time. With mechanics certified by Toyota and Honda, we have achieved the rare I-CAR gold class certification. We can handle the most sophisticated repairs, including to advanced safety equipment.

For a free estimate on your car’s hail damage, please call 303-344-2212 or contact Accurate Auto Body today to schedule an appointment.

One Response

  1. […] hail season in Colorado, and since Colorado usually has the second-highest amount of hail damage claims in the US, there are good odds that your car will be damaged by hail this season. This can […]

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