When your vehicle has been damaged by hail, taking pictures and reaching out to your insurance provider immediately is essential. This will help you file a claim, clean your car, and get a reliable estimate for repair costs.
There are a few different options for repairing hail damage, including PDR. This option is environmentally friendly and does not involve harmful chemicals or repainting.
Paintless Dent Repair
Unlike traditional bodywork, this process is relatively inexpensive and quick. Most dents that qualify for PDR can be fixed in just a day or so.
A professional hail storm vehicle repair Denver CO technician will look at your car’s damage and decide the best way to access the damaged area. This might involve moving surrounding panels or removing interior components to create a pathway to the dent. They will then select the proper assortment of tools — sized and shaped to access behind the damage — and apply the right amount of pressure.
The resulting pressure should massage the dent back into place. This can be a same-day service for most dents, but more extensive repairs may take longer. Since the original paint is preserved, you won’t have to worry about matching a new color, which can be complicated and expensive. If you have comprehensive insurance coverage, the cost of repairing your damage from a hailstorm should be covered by your policy.
Glue Pulling
Hail damage often occurs in places that are difficult to access, such as the middle of the roof or the top of a hatch door. For these areas, glue pulling can remove dents without damaging the original paint.
A specialized glue tab is placed on the dent and allowed to bond with the panel for a few seconds or longer. Then, a pulling tool is attached to the tab, and a gradual, controlled amount of pressure is applied to pull out the dent.
This method is typically quicker than traditional PDR, as no filling is required. Additionally, it preserves the e-coatings and corrosion protection that are added to the metal by the manufacturer. This helps to maintain the value of your vehicle.
Dent Picks
For dents in areas where access to the back of the panel is difficult or impossible (such as behind a door handle or window trim), a technique called “glue pulling” is used. Special glue tabs are glued to the dent’s exterior surface, and a specialized tool is used to pull the tab up from behind. The process can be time-consuming, but it is a highly effective way to repair your car’s hail damage.
Once the gluing has been completed, the technician will use a dent pick to knock down any high spots on your newly repaired panel. This step is critical to ensuring that the panel blends seamlessly with the rest of the bodywork, and it’s something only a trained paintless dent technician can do correctly.
Paint Finish
If your car is damaged by hail, you should get it repaired as quickly as possible. However, suppose your vehicle has significant damage that affects the structural integrity of the body panel or requires extensive paint repair and replacement parts. In that case, it might take several weeks before you can have your car back.
This is because many repairs require insurance adjusters to come in and review the work before it is completed. Hail estimates are more nuanced than collision estimates, which can be time-consuming for the adjuster. Also, if the adjuster needs to order any replacement parts, this will delay your repair. If so, we will communicate this and provide an adjusted pick-up date.
