Got Hail?

What to do when you get hail damage on your vehicle

There's nothing pleasant about having your vehicle damaged in a hailstorm. And the process of getting it repaired can be even more unpleasant. Dealing with your insurance company and running around town getting estimates takes up a lot of time, and it can be confusing. Hopefully the following information will answer some of the questions you might have and help you save a great deal of time.

Your first move should be to contact your insurance company to start the claims process. Many people are hesitant to file a claim for fear of their insurance premiums being raised. But hail damage is covered under your comprehensive coverage and is considered an act of nature. Filing a hail claim will never cause your premiums to go up, regardless of what anyone tells you.

All major insurance companies now endorse paintless dent repair for automobile hail damage, unless the damage is too severe to be repaired with this method. When paintless dent repair is performed by a professional PDR technician, it is the best method of repair available. Using paintless dent repair allows you to retain your vehicle's factory finish, rather than having a body shop repair it with aftermarket replacement panels and repainting the damaged area. Your vehicle is restored to pre-loss condition. There is nothing that reduces the value of your vehicle more than having to repaint the factory finish.

When your insurance company inspects your vehicle's hail damage, most often they will give you a list of several body shops they recommend you go to for repairs. These shops have agreements with the insurance companies commonly called Direct Repair Programs. The body shops depend on the insurance companies to direct work to them and usually agree to give them discounts on parts and labor. Some may be good shops, but the bottom line is they are under pressure to keep repair costs down to remain in good standing with the insurance companies they are aligned with.

After a hailstorm, paintless dent repair companies come to town from all over the country. Body shops use these companies to repair the hail damage vehicles brought to their shops. The cheaper the paintless dent companies will work, the more profit the body shop makes. Dentworks of Austin is not a middleman company. We are a full time paintless dent repair shop; it is all we do and we will always be here.

Dentworks of Austin is not on any direct insurance program. We do not depend on the insurance companies for work. Our customers are wonderful about recommending us to their friends and family and it keeps us extremely busy after a hailstorm. We deliver the best possible paintless dent repair services available and we guarantee our repairs for life. Remember, it is your choice where you have your hail-damaged vehicle repaired, not your insurance company's.

Trey Pool and the technicians at Dentworks of Austin are Vale Certified Master Craftsmen. Vale certification is the only paintless dent repair certification program in the world. Less than 200 technicians in the U.S. have passed the test since it was introduced in 2003.