The Sky Is Falling: How To Handle The Danger Of Spring Hailstorms

Warmer weather is finally here, and because of this hail storms are working their way around the country, leaving dented, dinged and damaged vehicles in their path.

Is your car or truck ready to face nature this year?  Do you have the proper insurance to recover from any damage?  And how can you get your car fixed up to pre-storm condition without putting a huge dent in your wallet?

Kurt's CARSTAR Collision Center sees and repairs countless vehicles that have aquired damage in hail storms.  Kurt's CARSTAR Collision Center in Maryville, Illinois, also serving the folks in Edwardsville, Troy, Collinsville, Glen Carbon, and Highland, provides the following guidance to help motorists deal with spring hail storms:

After getting hail damage, the very first thing to do is call your insurance agency before contacting a repair shop. Often times, if there is a very big storm, the insurance companies call in what is referred to as a Catastrophe Team.  If you're driving around town and you are getting a lot of estimates, unfortunately, it’s going to be nothing more than a lot of squandered time for you.  The insurance companies will want you to get their Catastrophe Team to look at it, start the claim process, and then you can bring it to Kurt's CARSTAR Collision Center or any other body shop, and they are going to be able to work with your insurance company from there to be sure that all the dents on your car get fixed.

Even though you may not think that your car was damaged enough to be worth the effort of filing a claim, it’s vital that you have it looked at as soon as possible regardless. There can be a considerable amount of damage that you can’t see when you’re just aesthetically looking at it.  Once you get it beneath some lights, and you really look at it, there are a lot of dents that you will not see until you go in to trade your vehicle, and then you’re going to be caught with a ton of hail damage.  Your best chance is to get a claim processed, and take it into a certified shop, and have them really look over the car carefully.  Once you get it inside and under the lights, what you thought was only ten or fifteen dents may wind up being as much as one hundred dents.

Check Your Coverage

The time to review your car insurance isn't when you hear the crack of hail hammering your car.  Read your policy now to figure out what is and isn’t covered, what the deductibles are, if you have rental coverage and what to do when the storm strikes.

Comprehensive coverage shields against the majority of damage from natural disasters.  Two other options to take into consideration are gap coverage – which pays the difference between what you owe for your loan and what your car is really worth -- and rental reimbursement.

One warning – if you submitted a previous damage claim and got a check from your insurance company, but didn’t actually go and get the vehicle repaired – the insurance company will deduct this amount from your estimate for the storm damage, and charge you a second deductible, too.

Protect Your Vehicle

When you know that a dangerous hail storm is impending, get your vehicle up to higher ground or under cover. If you don't have a home garage, find a covered public parking lot to protect your car.  If you have to park your car outdoors, park it on the highest ground possible well clear of trees and phone poles.

For hail storms, cover your vehicle in an old blanket and a car cover from your nearby automotive dealer – before the storm hits.  This will give you some of the protection that you need for your hood, roof and rear deck-lid. If a storm comes out of nowhere, try to find an awning at a gas station, the drive-through at the bank or self-serve car wash to get beneath for quick protection. On the highway, look for cover beneath a bridge or viaduct.

Get Your Car Repaired

Dealing with the consequences of a large hail storm can be traumatic, especially if you have had significant damage to your home as well.  Getting your car back up and running doesn't need to add to your stress, if you are ready for the repairs.  To help with this, Kurt's CARSTAR Collision Center in Maryville offers the following tips:

•   Make duplicates of your vehicle registration, title, insurance card and driver’s license and secure in a safe, dry place.
•   After the storm clears, record the damage inflicted with photos and video.
•   Have a repair plan set up ahead of time.  Know where you'll want to have your car repaired beforehand so you don’t find yourself making a sudden and rash decision.

When you choose an auto body shop for repairs, keep in mind that:

•   You should be sure to do your homework and check out the shop, their reputation, business or trade associations they are a part of and if their techs are I-CAR trained.
•   All trustworthy repair facilities will offer a warranty of some kind for the work that they do… be sure that they put it in writing and explain it to you completely.
•   Only give your vehicle to an auto body shop that was operating before the storm. Be careful of fly-by-night operators trying to make a quick buck off of the storm.  If they are set up in a tent or other temporary location, do not trust them with your vehicle.

Once your car gets to the body shop for repairs, there are some things that you should be aware of to ensure that you get a quality repair:

•   Review the estimate in great detail, but remember that it's only for the visible damage and what it will take to fix the vehicle to pre-accident condition. If the estimate does not cover the full extent of damage, a Supplement will be created, submitted to your insurance company for approval.
•   Get a detailed description of the parts that are going to be replaced and whether they are OEM, new or refurbished, and in what condition the car will be returned to you.  Most insurance policies indicate pre-accident condition, so your eight-year old minivan might not come back looking like it just rolled off of the lot.
•   Get a specific timeline of when the work will be done and when the job will be finished.
•    Detail the payment terms and methods, with the down-payment, the final payment and costs for follow-up work.
•   Ask the store manager for frequent updates on the job, and necessitate that you give them approval for any work done outside of the initial estimate.
•   Do not be compelled to simply accept the completed repair if you do not think it is repaired properly.  Get in contact with your insurance agent for assistance.

While your car is stuck in the body shop, it is a good time to have other dents repaired.  It is often more cost-effective and your vehicle will benefit in the end.

For more information on how to deal with an accident or have your car repaired after a collision, visit www.auto-body-maryville-il.com. CARSTAR Auto Body Repair Experts offers high-quality, reliable repair service in over thirty states and ten Canadian provinces.  Just call 618-345-4516 when you need a vehicle to be repaired and they'll do everything; like sending the tow truck, call your insurance company, set up for a rental car and fix your car.