The 5 Biggest Mistakes People Make When It Comes To Auto Hail Damage
You Can Lose A Lot Of Money Due To Hail Damage But Here's How You Can Avoid These Mistakes
5 Major Mistakes:
- “I can barely see the damage… it’s probably only a few hundred dollars so I’ll worry about it later”
- “I think I’ll wait until hail season is over before I get it fixed… in case it hails again.”
- “As soon as I notice hail damage on my vehicle I should call my insurance company and file a claim.”
- “If I file a claim for hail damage, they’re going to raise my premium, and it’s just not worth it.”
- “All PDR and hail repair shops are the same, it really doesn’t matter where I get it fixed.”
Auto hail damage is not a common occurrence for most people in the country. However, Colorado and South Dakota have accepted hailstorms as a part of life. Even with hail damage as a common occurrence, people still lose tons of money for no reason.
Auto Hail Zone does not believe in wasting money so we would like to inform you of the most common mistakes people regularly make that cost them unnecessary amounts of money and how you can avoid them. With this knowledge your next nightmare hail storm is only going to feel like a monitor bump in the road.
1st Mistake: "I Can Barely See The Damage... It's Probably Only A Few Hundred Dollars So I'll Worry About It Later."
While the damage may only be a cosmetic issue, most people fail to realize that even the lightest hail damage can still be detrimental to the value of your vehicle. $5,000-$8,000 is an ordinary price tag for even some of the lightest cases of hail damage.
Most of us work hard to keep our cars looking good but it’s not all about looks. Our vehicles are a savings of sorts where we have some amounts of money in them that we can use for various reasons. However, that slight amount of damage can take thousands of dollars off the value of your vehicle. Spending that $500-$1000 deductible to fix that damage can help you recover that $6,000 you could have lost.
**pro-tip: with auto hail zone you may never even have to spend a penny to get it fixed.**
2nd Mistake: “I'm Just Going To Wait Until Hail Season Is Over Before I Repair The Damage Just In Case It Hails Again."
While this may seem like a logical way of thinking it is a BIG mistake. Why? Well first off if you attempt to handle the damage of two separate hail storms in a single claim you are technically committing insurance fraud. Some choose to take this risk and it works out sometimes but it is still a big risk.
Still there is a larger risk that is likely to become a big problem for you. A second hail storm hitting your untreated vehicle can take your vehicle from being repairable to having it be totaled. Having a vehicle declared totaled due to hail damage almost always means a loss for you every time. Leaving any hail damage untreated leaves you driving around with “pre-existing damage” and leaves you wide-open for a potential disaster.
Let’s say that you own a $40,000 vehicle and you suffer hail damage that totals out to $12,000 but instead of immediately fixing it you decide to wait a couple weeks for whatever reason. Then about 3 days before taking your vehicle to the shop to get the damage repaired, you are sitting at a light and someone rear ends you and totals the vehicle. While still owing about $38,000 then your insurance is likely to only give you about $28,000 because of the $12,000 in pre-existing hail damage. Every day you wait to fix the hail damage is another day your vehicle and money you have in it sits unguarded.
3rd Mistake: "As Soon As I Notice Hail Damage On My Vehicle I Should Call My Insurance Company and File A Claim Doing Whatever They Tell Me."
You like your insurance agent and you’ve been with them for years so why wouldn’t you call them first?? Well you should ask yourself if your insurance company really wants to pay you the max amount of money as fast as possible? After a hailstorm damages vehicles in your area, insurance companies will experience a large influx of claims leaving you possibly waiting for months for an adjuster to inspect your vehicle and offer a settlement check. While you are waiting for the adjuster you are exposed to loss as discussed in the 2nd Mistake above in addition to the fact that initial estimates are almost never thorough or conducted properly.
It is not uncommon for initial estimates to only amount to 50% of the actual damage. Most people will take the money offered from the insurance company and use it to reduce the amount owed but most people also don’t realize that they have actually lost money until they trade in or have another claim.
If you absolutely want to repair your vehicle your insurance company will likely provide you with their preferred vendor list of repair shops. This is an issue because these repair shops practically work for the insurance company. These shops will rarely go the extra mile for you, let alone an extra inch, since they are working within parameters aimed towards benefiting the insurance company to ensure they keep getting business sent to them. I don’t know about you but I would personally rather work with someone who is NOT financially incentivized by the insurance company.
Luckily you do NOT have to work with any of the shops off of the preferred vendor list provided by the insurance company. The law allows you to choose any shop you want to handle the repairs and working with a shop that is dedicated to getting YOU the best possible result is a great feeling.
If you have done your research and found a great repair shop, we recommend you drop your vehicle off with them ASAP. A reputable shop, such as Auto Hail Zone, will contact your insurance company, file the claim and handle all of the monotonous work for you. A reputable shop will also get our adjuster to the shop to view your vehicle under the proper conditions and lighting so as to record every single imperfection on the vehicle. This will leave the adjuster with nothing left but to note the damages and approve them so we can provide a flawless repair.
Even if you have already filed a claim and received an estimate and/or settlement we will still take your vehicle and have an adjuster come back to repeat the process properly.
4th Mistake: “If I File A Claim For Hail Damage, My Premiums Are Going To Rise And That Is Not Worth It"
This common misconception leads to tons of people losing unnecessary amounts of money because they do not understand how much damage repair can really cost and do not want to hash out the extra few bucks a month. Additionally, that is not how it even works.
Hail damage is a “no fault” claim meaning you cannot have your rates increase because you simply wanted to get the hail dents on your vehicle repaired.
When there is a large amount of hail damage in any area, rates may go up, but they go up for everyone regardless of if they filed a claim for damage or not. Colorado and South Dakota already pay some of the highest premiums in the country because of the amount of hailstorms. This means that you have already paid for the benefits from your insurance company so you might as well get your money’s worth.
5th Mistake: "All Hail Repair Shops Are The Same So It Doesn't Matter Where I Get It Fixed."
The best and generally preferred method of repair of hail damage is paintless dent repair (PDR). PDR does not require bondo, grinding, or matching the paint. Additionally, PDR simply lifts the dents up and out leaving the factory paint intact and leaving you with a seamless repair. So when PDR is an option, we recommend choosing that method and at Auto Hail Zone that is our specialty.
However, hail damage can be severe enough to warrant traditional collision repair but PDR should still be utilized wherever possible. Shops that offer the best of both worlds are hard to find but are worth the search. Fortunately for you, the reader, you have found the website of one of those elusive shops; Auto Hail Zone. No matter where you are in the world, it pays off to do your research and find the best shop for your needs, preferably one that specializes in PDR.
How Paintless Dent Repair Works
- First we assess the damage. Minor dents from hail or other accidents can be repaired with PDR. We look at your entire vehicle for damage and then we inform you how much work it is going to take.
- Next we remove the panels of your vehicle. PDR is a process that is done from the inside out, unlike traditional services. Because of this we need to remove affected panels or headlights and taillights as access points.
- We then push the dents out from the inside. Using our specialized tool sets and our expert knowledge Auto Hail Zone is able to push the dents and bumps out to their original position without requiring touch up on the paint.
- Finally, we replace your panels and anything else we removed, leaving you with a good as new vehicle.
At Auto Hail Zone, Colorado Springs, we specialize in PDR while also having experts in collision repair. Our 20 years of experience in both methods of repair make us the top shop in both locations.
When you leave your vehicle with us it is secured inside our iron-tight fenced lot that is under 24-hour surveillance until an insurance adjuster examines your vehicle. After the examination we then move your vehicle into our shop where it is kept safe and secure while the work is performed. Your vehicle is then flawlessly repaired so you can enjoy a good as new vehicle.
Auto Hail Zone Will:
- Cover your deductible so you have ZERO out-of-pocket expenses.
- Provide you with a complimentary rental vehicle
- Complimentary valet where we pick-up and drop-off at your home or workplace
- Accept all insurance leaving you with nothing to worry about except for scheduling your appointment today.
- Complete your repair in a timely manner so as to get you back on the road as soon as possible.