Published June 26, 2024
Middle Tennessee gets spring and summer storms that can drop hail in minutes. Small hailstones leave shallow dents that are hard to see until the light hits the car at an angle. Larger stones can crack glass, lights and plastic trim. A few careful steps after the storm make the claim and the repair much simpler.
Check the car properly
- Look in daylight or under bright, even light, not at dusk.
- Crouch down and look along the hood, roof and trunk lid at a low angle. Dents show up as distortions in the reflections.
- Check the tops of the doors and fenders, the side mirrors and the window trim.
- Look for cracked lights, chipped glass and broken plastic, which may need replacing rather than repair.
Document it right away
Take photos before you wash the car or drive it much. Shoot each panel from a low angle so the dents are visible, plus wide shots of the whole car and a photo of the odometer. Write down the date and where the car was parked during the storm. Most insurers ask for this when you open a claim.
Insurance basics
Hail damage is usually covered under the comprehensive part of an auto policy, not collision, and your comprehensive deductible applies. Policies differ, so check yours or call your insurer before you schedule work. The insurer will normally inspect the car or ask for photos and write an estimate. If more dents turn up once the repair starts, the shop sends the insurer a supplement for the added work.
How hail dents are repaired
Most hail dents can be removed with paintless dent repair: the metal is massaged back from behind the panel, and the original paint is left untouched. Dents with cracked paint, very deep dents and dents on panel edges are repaired conventionally and refinished. On cars with heavy damage, a panel such as the roof or hood is sometimes replaced instead.
Because a hail repair often covers dozens of dents on several panels, it usually takes longer than a single door ding. Ask the shop to walk you through the plan for each panel before work starts.
Don’t wait too long
Unbroken paint protects the metal, so a hail dent alone will not rust. Chipped paint or cracked trim can let water in, though, and a dented roof or hood lowers what the car is worth at trade-in. Insurers also set time limits for reporting a claim.
Next step
Send us photos of the damaged panels and we will review them and follow up. See our hail damage repair page for more on how we approach hail repairs.
