Can Hail Damage Total my Car? Hail Dent Repair Services in Austin TX
One fact about the weather is that it can’t be predicted. Sometimes you think it’s just going to be windy and dull and instead, you end up with sunshine. Other times it appears the day will be sunny and you still get some rain. This is a fact of nature and really nothing we can do about it.
Severe storms could cause serious damage to your house and cars. Most of the time, cold days with rain do not bring hail. However, every so often, depending on your location in the world, hail comes down like pebbles or golf balls from the sky. All you can do in this situation is try and protect the belongings you store outdoors, which may happen to include your car.
Can Hail Damage Total My Car?
As mentioned earlier, hail storms are pretty unpredictable, so there’s no way you can predict the level of damage they will cause to your belongings either. So, in most cases, you might find yourself wondering if hail damage can total your car. The brief answer to that question is “yes.” However, things could differ under the surrounding circumstances. In most scenarios, the hail damages end up being repairable by methods such as Paintless Dent Repair. It is less common for hail to total out your vehicle, but it is not unheard of.
However, mark you that we still have had cases where hail damage has totaled a car. This means that the damage sustained to the vehicle is going to cost more than the vehicle is worth repairing. In this case, the insurance company will “total” out your vehicle for what they think it’s worth based on various factors and cut you a check.
Main Types of Hail Damage
Two hail storms are never alike. Note that the extent of the hail damage is directly proportional to the intensity of the hail storm.
Hail damages will come in various forms, and in this article, we are also going to discuss in what ways your vehicle can be damaged by hail and how those damages can add up to possibly make your vehicle be considered damaged.
Cosmetic Damage with Intact Paint
This type of damage is usually not too severe. This type of damage is minor dents on your car’s exterior but no paint scratches. You can fix this type of hail damage very easily with paintless dent repair in Austin because the car will not need to be repainted.
Cosmetic Damage with Scratched Paint
This type of hail damage involves paint chips and scratches on your car’s exterior as well as hail dents. The dents caused here can’t be alleviated through a mere painting and dent removal. In most cases, the damages are unrepairable, and the affected parts have to be removed and replaced with new ones.
Severe Damage with Intact Paint
In most cases, this scenario involves the car’s mechanical architecture being very affected by the storm. Depending on the extent of the damage, it may be able to be repaired. If it is too damaged then your vehicle will likely be totaled out. In some cases, paintless dent repair can be used to remove a large number of dents. It all just depends on the kind of dents and their location on the body of the vehicle.
Severe Damage with Paint Scratched
When it comes to severe damage, this means the structural integrity of your vehicle has been compromised. Not only does the vehicle have chipped paint and dents, but the dents are also so bad that the vehicle is now unsafe and in need of numerous body panel replacements as well as a complete new paint job. In most cases, the cost of this will end up totaling out the vehicle depending on how new it is.
Final Words
It is definitely possible that hail damage could total your car. However, not every hail storm will push your vehicle to the point where it is considered totaled. The best thing to do is to store your vehicle in a garage or under a carport. If you cannot do this, it is a good idea to take some form of protective foam or other cushy material and place it on the surfaces of your car such as the hood, roof, and trunk area when you start to hear hail outside or see that hail is predicted in the weather.