Best Method to Repair Hail Damage
5/27/14, 06:34 PM
#1
V6 Member
Thread Starter
Best Method to Repair Hail Damage
Hey guys, my 6 week old 2014 sterling gray GT premium was beat up last Thursday with Golf Ball sized hail in Reading, PA.
The Insurance guy is coming to my house next Wednesday to give me a quote to take to a body shop for repairs. I think there are about 75-100 divots in the hood, top, and trunk lid. Even the side of the passenger door was dented.
Question 1, I am concerned about how much this devalued the car, anyone have thoughts as to how much value I lost with having 'Hail Damage' tagged to the car into the future.
Question 2, What is better, dent removal techniques or filler and a repaint? They both sound awful to me on a car with less than 3K on it. I did search hail damage on the site and found a lot of guys like the dent removal on their cars, but I'm concerned about damage to the paint and what that type of fix might look like in 5 years.
Thanks in advance for your thoughts on this!
The signature line of bad, that car I thought I was getting was bad timing and I did not pick that one up. The car I did eventually get is identical, just manual and picked up last month.
The Insurance guy is coming to my house next Wednesday to give me a quote to take to a body shop for repairs. I think there are about 75-100 divots in the hood, top, and trunk lid. Even the side of the passenger door was dented.
Question 1, I am concerned about how much this devalued the car, anyone have thoughts as to how much value I lost with having 'Hail Damage' tagged to the car into the future.
Question 2, What is better, dent removal techniques or filler and a repaint? They both sound awful to me on a car with less than 3K on it. I did search hail damage on the site and found a lot of guys like the dent removal on their cars, but I'm concerned about damage to the paint and what that type of fix might look like in 5 years.
Thanks in advance for your thoughts on this!
The signature line of bad, that car I thought I was getting was bad timing and I did not pick that one up. The car I did eventually get is identical, just manual and picked up last month.
Last edited by PA-Fatboy; 5/27/14 at 06:36 PM. Reason: old signature line
5/27/14, 06:47 PM
#2
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Sorry to hear.
Paintless dent removal (PDR) is the way to go. Your car has steel body panels, so it's easier to remove dents without any evidence there ever was any than if you had aluminum panels.
You'll want to likely get your own quote as well for your areas best guy. Insurance adjusters have to be a jack of all trades. Will he really see/find every hail dent? Will he price is accurately? Hopefully. Best to have your own idea before hand, and to let the adjuster know that you've went ahead and asked another opinion.
If you don't have time for that because of how soon he'll visit you to look over the car, simply let him know that you're a picky guy and you plan on getting a couple of quotes for the work on your own. Ask him if it's OK (legally you can, but just to be a nice sounding guy), and if there's an issue with him writing the damage too low, what should you do?
Hint: if he quotes it at $1k in work, and someone else who does the work says $1300, talk to him again and see if he'll sign off for a higher amount. Chances are he will.
Paintless dent removal (PDR) is the way to go. Your car has steel body panels, so it's easier to remove dents without any evidence there ever was any than if you had aluminum panels.
You'll want to likely get your own quote as well for your areas best guy. Insurance adjusters have to be a jack of all trades. Will he really see/find every hail dent? Will he price is accurately? Hopefully. Best to have your own idea before hand, and to let the adjuster know that you've went ahead and asked another opinion.
If you don't have time for that because of how soon he'll visit you to look over the car, simply let him know that you're a picky guy and you plan on getting a couple of quotes for the work on your own. Ask him if it's OK (legally you can, but just to be a nice sounding guy), and if there's an issue with him writing the damage too low, what should you do?
Hint: if he quotes it at $1k in work, and someone else who does the work says $1300, talk to him again and see if he'll sign off for a higher amount. Chances are he will.
5/28/14, 04:10 AM
#3
FR500 Member
75-100 dents from hail is quite a bit, maybe even too much for PDR. It might be more cost effective for body repair.
Is any paint broken? If so, PDR won't work. Occasionaly I've adjusted claims with a combo of traditional repair methods and PDR.
The hood and deck lid by nature of design and accessibility lend themselves well to PDR, but keep in mind that the hood especially must be perfect since it's always in your line of sight.
The roof may require an R&R of the headliner for access. Not actually seeing your car, I'm taking a educated and professional guess, but most shops would prefer to repair that area if it sustained numerous dents. The roof is a nice, large curved panel and is generally easy to refinish and blend into adjacent panels.
Of course, your mileage may vary.
Good luck
Tom
Is any paint broken? If so, PDR won't work. Occasionaly I've adjusted claims with a combo of traditional repair methods and PDR.
The hood and deck lid by nature of design and accessibility lend themselves well to PDR, but keep in mind that the hood especially must be perfect since it's always in your line of sight.
The roof may require an R&R of the headliner for access. Not actually seeing your car, I'm taking a educated and professional guess, but most shops would prefer to repair that area if it sustained numerous dents. The roof is a nice, large curved panel and is generally easy to refinish and blend into adjacent panels.
Of course, your mileage may vary.
Good luck
Tom
5/28/14, 08:34 PM
#4
One thing to note is the hood is aluminum, not steel. Aluminum is more difficult to work than steel. I recently took a dent out of a 2013 hood and it was a pain. If there are that many dents in the aluminum panels, request a replacement. You'll be happier with the results. I don't know if the trunk lid is aluminum. You can find out with a small magnet.
For the record, I do PDR and hail can damage a lot. Be sure to gun site the finished product to check for uneven or wavy panels. The dents might be gone, but if the panel is now wavy, you won't be happy. Insurance is supposed to get you to "like new", so don't let 'em off easy. The $1k they may estimate is less than the total you've paid them over the years.
On a new car, don't let them convince you to fill and paint. The cheapest way to fix it will be with the panels on the car and you will be fighting paint overspray forever. You'll also be guaranteed to have paint on moldings and weatherstripping. Repacement panels can be painted off the car and installed later. The finish will be much better. Good luck.
For the record, I do PDR and hail can damage a lot. Be sure to gun site the finished product to check for uneven or wavy panels. The dents might be gone, but if the panel is now wavy, you won't be happy. Insurance is supposed to get you to "like new", so don't let 'em off easy. The $1k they may estimate is less than the total you've paid them over the years.
On a new car, don't let them convince you to fill and paint. The cheapest way to fix it will be with the panels on the car and you will be fighting paint overspray forever. You'll also be guaranteed to have paint on moldings and weatherstripping. Repacement panels can be painted off the car and installed later. The finish will be much better. Good luck.
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