How to fix your car’s roof after hail damage
If you own a car, you are aware that when severe weather moves in, it may cause serious damage to your vehicle. However, it’s possible that you were underestimating or ignoring the havoc a hailstorm may cause on your vehicle. When these pieces of ice are hurtling toward your car at high speeds, it may turn ugly quickly, depending on the strength of the storm and the size of the hailstones.
This article will go over how to fix your car’s roof if hail damages it as well as precautions you can take to keep your car safe during a hailstorm.
How to Prevent Your Car from Being Damaged by Hail
The only time your car is vulnerable to hail damage is if it is left outside during a storm. Therefore, keeping your automobile covered—in your garage or in a public parking lot—is the most reliable approach to keep it in good condition.
Your automobile will be safer parked in your garage if you have one until the storm passes.
You can still keep your car safe at home even if you don’t have a garage to park in. You may buy covers that are designed expressly to protect your car from hail damage. Thick blankets work well in a pinch; just make sure they are secured in place with rope or duct tape to prevent wind from blowing them off.
Naturally, in order to get your automobile out of harm’s way before a storm strikes, you must always be aware of the most recent weather forecasts in your area. Even if you are aware of the local weather, it can change suddenly, leaving you unprepared to drive through a severe hailstorm.
Your best course of action when faced with a hailstorm is to seek cover as soon as you can. If you can find one, your best bet is a local parking garage. Alternatively, you may pull beneath a bridge or into a covered gas station.
What to Do If Your Car’s Roof Is Damaged by Hail
There are instances when it is simply impossible to have your automobile covered during a hailstorm. If fortune favors you, the storm will be gentle and the hailstones will be little. If you’re not so lucky, thousands of golf-ball-sized ice chunks will smash into your car, leaving craters on the roof and hood.
You must check your vehicles for damage when it has been cleared of the storm. Even if the storm appears to be mild, you should still take this precaution because even little hail can still cause damage to your vehicle.
The extent of the damage will determine how much it will cost to repair your car’s hail damage. Should there be one or more minor dents from the hail, a do-it-yourself repair could save you a ton of money.
You will need some reasonably priced dent-removal tools made especially for repairing hail dents if you want to attempt fixing the dents yourself. The two most common types of dent-removal instruments are rod and pulling styles.
ROD-TYPE UTENSILS
The dented vehicle panel is pushed underneath or behind by rod-style tools, which push outwards on the metal.
A hail rod is a long, metal rod with a sharp point to complete setting smaller pieces of metal back into place and a ball-shaped tip to push out larger chunks of metal. It is one of the most useful instruments for this.
A brace tool, a metal rod of various sizes made to reach dents from challenging angles and small areas, can be used for harder-to-reach spots.
STYLE PULLING TOOLS
Tools in the pulling technique are made to move metal back into position. Usually, these come as a kit with a glue gun, plastic pulling tabs, specialist adhesives, and dent lifters.
You will directly put hot glue to a plastic tab and then push it into each dent to remove it. You will attach the dent lifter to the tab and pull until there is a loud “pop” to indicate that the metal has been elevated back into place after letting the adhesive dry for a few minutes. With a plastic chisel and a small amount of rubbing alcohol, any remaining glue residue can be eliminated.
Are There Any Hail Damage Coverages for Auto Insurance?
A specialist at an auto body shop will need to address hail damage that is so severe that it is either impossible or not worth the effort to repair yourself (such as massive dents or damaged windshields and windows). You might have to pay hundreds or even thousands of dollars for this.
If comprehensive coverage is included in your plan, your insurance carrier may pay for these significant expenses. Comprehensive insurance can protect you in the event that your car is severely damaged by hail or other extreme weather occurrences, even though it is not legally needed.
If hailstorms and other severe weather are common where you live, you might want to give getting comprehensive insurance serious thought. Use SimpSocial to keep your car and yourself safe!
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