Hail Damage Repair

Features

• Hail damage can occur at any time, to almost anyone. While there are specific areas where hail hits more frequently, and times where hail is more likely to occur, hail can form anywhere at any time. Hail can range from tiny pebble-sized pellets to huge baseball- or grapefruit-sized balls. Because of its solid nature, hail can cause serious damage to roof tops and cars. Hail damage repair is something that almost everyone has to deal with at some time.

Repair

• Hail-damage repair can remove the signs of damage from a car or the roof of a building. In some cases insurance will cover the cost of damage, but this is not always the case. In general, auto hail damage is repaired by heat shrinking, pounding the metal or replacement of the panels. There is also a process known as PDR which uses small, hot pieces of plastic to reshape the metal. Windows may need to be replaced.

  Home roof hail damage is usually fixed by replacing the damaged shingles. In some rare cases the entire roof may have to be replaced.

Warning

• Hail damage not only looks bad, but it can also cause future problems. Hail damage often can cause leaks in a roof or damage to the structure of a vehicle. Never postpone getting hail damage looked at or repaired. Your future expense, if you wait, could be much greater than the repair fee. It is important to take photos of the damage as well, just in case the claim is contested for any reason.

Procedures

• When repairing hail damage it is wise to consider all the options. Call your insurance company to make sure you follow all necessary procedures for filing a claim.

  For auto hail damage the type of repair used is generally up to the car repair business you patronize. However, you have a say in where you go to get the vehicle fixed. Remember that it is best to try and keep the original car panels for resale purposes. Try to get the dents hammered out or use the PDR process for removing the bumps.

  Roof replacement should be done with the idea that future hail damage will occur. Make sure to ask the roofers what kinds of shingles or tiles they can use that are the most resistant to hail damage.

Time Frame

• It is important to get hail damage looked at and fixed right away. Most insurance companies need claims to be reported within a few days of the damage. However, some insurance companies will pay for damage that has occurred in the past. The delayed payment usually occurs for roofing hail damage; it can take longer to discover roof damage, because people rarely go up on their roofs and because hail damage to shingles may not show up until the shingles have been exposed to expansion and contraction of ensuing weather conditions.