Hail Damage FAQ

Warm weather tornadoes, floods and hail storms are working their way across the nation, leaving totaled, soaked, dented and damaged vehicles in their wake.

The professionals at Jungerman CARSTAR are willing to help.  During spring storms, they see countless vehicles damaged by falling trees, debris, wind, water, and hail. They offer the following advice to help car owners handle spring storms – before and after.

Check Your Coverage

The time to check out your car insurance is not when the weatherman is delivering bad news that storms are on the way.  Read your policy now to know what is covered, what the deductibles are, if you have rental coverage and what you should do when the storm strikes.

Complete coverage protects against most damage from disasters.  Two other available choices to consider are gap coverage – which pays the difference between what you owe on your loan and what your car is valued at -- and rental compensation.

One warning – if you submitted a previous damage claim and received a check from your insurance provider, but didn’t have the car repaired – the insurance company will subtract this amount from your estimate for the storm damage, and demand an extra deductible, too.

Protect Your Vehicle

When you know that a storm is en route, get the vehicle to higher ground or under cover.  For hail storms, cover your car or truck in an old blanket and a car cover from your local automotive retailer – before the storm hits.  This will give you some protection for your hood, roof, and rear decklid. If a storm comes up quickly, look for an awning at a gas station, the drive-through at the bank or self serve car wash to get under for quick protection. On the freeway, search for cover beneath a bridge or viaduct.

Should you fall prey to a hail storm, have a look at these commonly asked questions about handling hail damage:

1.   How Much Time do I have to allow for a Hail estimation?
A standard hail estimate takes 30-45 minutes. During this time, the estimator follows a step-by-step format of distinguishing severity and quantity of dents on all panels. On top of that, the estimator communicates with you to respond to all questions you have about the repair and obtains all accurate vehicle information.

2.   Why is a clean car important?
A clean vehicle allows the estimator to observe clearly the damage. Dust and dirt can frequently mask damage, creating inaccurate estimates and delays in the repair process.

3.   What will happen throughout the estimate process?
During the estimate process, your estimator will greet you and then will drive the automobile into the estimating bay. Then, they evaluate your vehicle, taking record of the extent of the hail damage and the seriousness and number of dents. The estimate is then finalized and evaluated with you, and you will be supplied with a printed copy of the quote.

4.   So what does pre-loss condition suggest?
During the hail estimate procedure, any non-hail damage will be noted. The state of the car, including this damage, is regarded as the pre-loss condition of the automobile. Any damage that's not hail-related won't be covered on the repair.

At the time of the estimate, photos will be taken of the car and any of these conditions will be mentioned in the estimate.

5.   How do I schedule my vehicle for repair?
At the time of your quote, you're going to be asked when you'd like to schedule your motor vehicle for repairs. During a typical hail storm, a huge number of automobiles sustain damages, thus, it may be a few weeks before your scheduled visit. Jungerman CARSTAR of St. Peters, MO will work with you to find out the proper repair time following your estimation.

6.   Just what is a supplement?
Supplements are further operations or parts vital to complete the repair of the automobile that go above the primary estimate. In some circumstances, the initial estimate is inadequate to do the repairs. When a vehicle is delivered for repairs, an additional inspection is carried out to discover if all the damage was documented for repair. If all the damage was found and written on the original quote, no supplement is necessary. If, however, some damage was overlooked on the original estimate a “supplement” is required to document the necessary operations or parts needed to adequately repair the motor vehicle.

If a supplement is needed, it may extend the time period needed to fix your vehicle. The supplement will be explained to you and an altered pick up time will be given.

7.   What is Paintless Dent Repair (PDR)?
Paintless Dent Repair is a specialized and meticulous process for returning dents to their initial shape without having to paint any portion of the vehicle. The principle procedure for PDR necessitates the technician to push and massage every dent in a really technical and specific way. For this, every single dent is worked back into its initial shape with different metal rods varying in size and shape. The dents are worked from the underside of the metal using access points for each panel. It's a extremely specialized and thorough procedure that necessitates the finished metal to look like it came from the original factory.

8.   What's conventional auto body repair?
Traditional body repair usually replaces the panels on a vehicle and requires painting to match the factory finish. In many cases, hail damage is so serious that conventional body shop methods are required to fix certain panels. If there are too many dents or too many large dents, a panel might not be able to be fixed with PDR.

9.   What does R and I mean?
R and I is an acronym that is short for Remove and Install. Whenever a car begins the repair process, an R and I technician loosens, and often removes, the interior panels and parts to permit access to the underside of the metal panel. When the PDR repairs get completed, this technician replaces the parts and re-installs the interior panels (such as the headliner and hood liner). Jungerman CARSTAR features a quality assurance process to make certain that all parts are replaced correctly so that your motor vehicle is returned to you in the same condition that we got it, minus the dents, of course.
While your automobile is in the shop, it is the best time to have other dents and dings serviced.  It will be more cost-effective and your car will ultimately benefit.

For other great tips on managing an automobile accident or having your car fixed after a collision, visit www.auto-body-st-peters-mo.com. Jungerman CARSTAR, serving St. Peters, St. Charles, O'Fallon, and Lake St. Louis, Missouri gives top-quality, reliable repair service all over the United States and Canada.