Hail damage isn’t what any vehicle owner wants to deal with. It’s a pain in the neck to contact the insurance company and schedule repairs with a reputable auto body shop. It takes time out of your day and often leaves you without a vehicle to drive.

Protect Your Parked Vehicle by Putting It in a Garage or Under a Carport

If you want to avoid the hassles that come with repairing a hail damaged car, truck, van or SUV, there are some things you can do in the meantime. For example, you can consider storing the vehicle when you’re not driving it in a home garage or parking garage. You can also park it under a carport with a roof if one is available.

Don’t Do Without Your Vehicle Any Longer Than You Have To

Here’s how to ensure that your vehicle gets repaired quickly following a hail storm:

• Contact the insurance company right away. There will be a phone number on your insurance card to call for claims. Be ready to answer questions about the damage, the date it was sustained, etc. The more information you’re able to provide to the insurance representative, the better. If you think you’ll forget it before you contact them, write down the details in a small notebook that you can refer to while you’re on the phone.

• Take good, clear photos of the damage. This is for your own records. You can compare the before and after pictures to see how well the dents and dings were removed from your car, truck, van or SUV. Keep hard copies of these in a file and store a digital copy on the cloud for safe keeping.

• Wait for the appraiser to come and tell you how much damage your vehicle has. You’ll want to be present when the insurance company appraiser comes to assess the amount of damage caused by hail. Take notes of what he or she says and ask about the deductible that you’re responsible for paying. This helps prepare you for the repair work that you’ll be seeking.

• Schedule three to four estimates from area body shops. This allows you to comparison price repairs and gets a feel for how the businesses handle repair work. It gives you options rather than making you feel like you have only one choice. You can sit and think about the estimates, your deductible, and the timeframe that was given to get the repair done. It allows you to make the best possible decision for yourself.

• Ask the right questions about how the repair work is done. This gives you an idea as to how much out-of-pocket expenses you’ll have, how long the repair takes, and any other guarantees or information you should know about. Don’t be afraid to take time to get answers before going to the next auto body shop for an estimate. If they want your business, they’ll take the time to answer your questions.

• Choose the body shop to do the repair. Now that you know how each business operates, you can make an informed decision about who should do the repair. Keep in mind cost, warranties, and other important factors that make one auto body shop stand out from the next.

• Keep copies of receipts and warranties. You’ll want to have a file available so that you’re able to refer to the repair work whenever you need to. Again, it’s important to have a hard copy and a digital copy stored in the cloud. Scan the paperwork with your printer or use your phone or tablet to do so. There are many apps that allow you to scan documents for free. It’s important to have one for situations like this.

The Auto Dent Specialists is committed to repairing your vehicle quickly following a hail storm. That’s why we keep longer hours than most auto body repair shops. We know our customers work during the day so we decided to stay open during the evening and on weekends to make sure that each person who brought their car, truck, van or SUV to us for repairs is handled expertly.

The Benefits of Paintless Dent Removal Services from Auto Dent Specialists

We go the extra mile to make sure that every dent and ding is removed from your vehicle. With Paintless Dent Removal services, your manufacturer’s warranty remains valid. This safeguards you against recalls so you don’t have to pay out-of-pocket expenses if something goes wrong with the vehicle.

One more step that we take to help our customers is to provide them with a limited lifetime warranty on repair work. As long as you remain the owner of the vehicle, we’ll guarantee the work we did on it. It’s another way to safeguard your investment and maintain the longevity of your automobile.