Hail storms are one of the most destructive storms that cause severe damage to unfortunate motorists. It’s a regrettably unavoidable situation, which is why all you can do is deal with the aftermath.
Serious car damages can be difficult to repair, and it usually comes with high costs. Not to mention the possibility of you having to manage without a private ride for a short while. Car owners also tend to question up to what degree of assessment on hail storm car damages gets included in their car insurance policies.
There are several things you need to know about car hail damages, so you can figure out what to do after such a disaster.
First, let’s find out a few facts about hail storms and how they can have a devastating outcome.
What Is Hail?
Hail is a product of precipitation in the atmosphere. It’s formed when drops of water freeze in the upper regions of thunderstorm clouds. A group of ice chunks is called hailstones. Unlike frozen raindrops, hailstones fall to the ground as solid rocks of ice.
Hailstones vary in sizes, between 5 millimeters and 15 centimeters in diameter. With ice chunks as big as an orange come falling from the sky, you can only imagine the damage it can bring to the ground. Or, maybe you’ve already experienced it yourself. Whether you have or haven’t witnessed a hail storm, it can undoubtedly hurt people and animals and cause serious damage to other properties like houses, buildings, and crops.
Top 3 To-Do List On Fixing Hail Storm Car Damages
Here are the things you need to prioritize if in case a hail storm damages your vehicle.
- Perform Safety Precautions
If you’re inside your car during a hail storm, it’s safer to stay put rather than go outside. You can find the nearest place where you can take cover and prevent more damage to your car. If you can’t find anywhere to park safely, you can at least stay on the side of the road. Driving against a hail storm will put more pressure on the impact of the hits.
If the hail storm breaks your windshield, take cover at the backseat. Find some clothing you can use to cover your bare skin, especially your eyes. Always keep in mind that if you get hurt, your car will be the least of your problems.
- Assess The Damage To Your Car
When the storm passes, try to assess the damage from the inside of your car. See if there are no shards of broken glass and if the vehicle is safe to drive.
If your windshield is hit in multiple places, don’t even think about moving the vehicle. Any movement might cause the glass to shatter at once. Although it won’t easily break into pieces, you still have to avoid other possible damages that will put you at risk. Try to get out of the car without slamming the door too hard.
At this point, you need to contact your insurance company to report the incident. They can perform an official assessment of the car damages.
On the other hand, if your car is safe to drive, take a look at your surroundings before moving. History of hail storms includes damaging power lines and breaking huge tree branches. It would be best if you stayed away from further wreckage.
Even if you think there’s minimal damage to your car, you still have to contact your insurance company to file a formal report, and they can decide how you can proceed with the settlement on the car damages.
- Set-up Your Car For Repair
If you’re covered with the insurance, have the paperwork processed and get the approvals you need. Of course, Hail Free Solutions can do most of the work to get the repairs approved. You’ll only have to let go of your car to have it repaired and restored for days or weeks, depending on the damage.
The worst-case scenario would be to declare your vehicle as a total loss. This is an entirely different scenario, which you can settle with your insurance company.
However, there will be instances when your insurance policy will not cover particular damage. So, how do you get rid of hail damage on a car?
Well, the answer is quite simple. You can have it repaired in a traditional auto shop, but you have to pay for the expenses your deductible, which is going to be expensive.
There are auto shops that specialize in fixing car damages like dents, scratches, and tarnished paint dings caused by hail storms. Look for the nearest car hail repair services near you and have your vehicle repaired as soon as possible.
How To Protect Your Car From Hail Damage
Sadly, there are no protective products that can prevent hail from damaging cars.
Nonetheless, you can pick up a few tips on how you can avoid having major damages to your car during a hail storm.
- First, hail storms can be predicted. The best preventive measure you can take is to avoid driving in harsh weather, especially if you’ve already been warned with a forecast.
- Second, when you get caught up in the middle of a hail storm, try to calculate the chances of keeping your car away from getting direct hits. The only thing you can do now is to lessen the damages.
- Third, falling hail is not the only problem during hail storms. You have to avoid the wet and rocky road before causing other car accidents.
Summary
Since we can’t stop hail storms from coming our way, we can prepare for the possible situations that might come before, during, or after the storm.
Having car damages due to hail storms is quite disastrous, among many other things that it can destroy. However, in this scenario, what you can do is make sure that your car is insured for repair and restoration from minimum to maximum damage assessments. And even if you don’t get covered by insurance, you can still send it to an auto repair shop that specializes in fixing hail storm damages.
Are you looking for an auto hail company in Colorado? Visit Hail Free Solutions to schedule an appointment!
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