If you live in a hail-prone city like Wyoming, your car is likely to be damaged by hail during a hailstorm. Hail damage causes small to medium dents on your car, mostly on the roof, hood, and trunk. It may also smash your windscreen and cause cracks.
Car Damage by Hail
Depending on how severe the auto hail damage is, you can opt for collision repair services or paintless dent repair in Chicago. Some hail may not be severe enough to cause hail damage
on your car, but an intense hailstorm will leave your car in need of dent repair and collision repair. After a hailstorm, your car may sustain large dents, small pea-sized dents, or medium-sized dents. In any case, you are best suited seeking auto body repair services to fix your car.
Paintless Dent Repair for Hail Damage
When the hail causes pea-sized dents on your car and does not destroy the original car paint, then you can opt for paintless dent repair (PDR). PDR is a modern technique of dent repair that does not utilize paint in the repair process. A PDR technician accesses the car dents from the inside and gently pushes them back in position. This ensures that the factory paint of the car is left intact, and eliminates the need for sanding down, painting, or removing car panels.
Collision Repair for Hail Damage
Large hailstorms cause significant dents in your car. Large dents usually destroy the original paint of your car, and this calls for collision repair. It is key that you have an experienced collision repair technician work on your car because the process requires extreme caution to restore the original finish of the car. Collision repair services fix the hail damage in a professional way that does not leave marks and new-paint patches on your car body.
However, sometimes it may be hard to tell if the hail damage on your car should be fixed by PDR or collision repair. The good thing is that once you take your car to an auto body shop in Chicago, the professionals will apply the best fix for the hail damage.
How Can You Prevent Hail Damage on Your Car
You can’t control a hailstorm, but you can protect your car from hail damage. If you live in a hail-prone area, it is easier to prevent hail damage than getting your car fixed every time hail causes dents on your car.
Here are some of the ways to prevent hail damage.
1. Invest in a Carport
If you do not have a garage, having a carport is the next viable option. Although carports may have two sides open, it keeps off most of the hail. It is unlikely that your car will sustain major hail damage when under a carport.
2. Buy a Fitted Car Cover
You may not have the space for a garage or a carport. However, fitted car covers will protect your car from hail damage. Car covers work better than using random blankets to cover your car during a hailstorm.
3. Reduce Your Driving Speed and Park Your Car
When a hailstorm hits when you are on the road, you should reduce your speed and find the nearest parking spot. Driving at high speed may lead to a more serious accident besides sustaining hail damage.
4. Use Structures and Buildings as Shields
You may not be able to access parking in the middle of a hailstorm. In such a case, you should look for a building or structure that blocks the strong winds of the hailstorm. Park your car in close range to the building so that the walls shield your car from the hailstorm.
According to a recent survey, it is estimated that 77% of cars need maintenance and repair. A big percentage of these repairs are dent repairs that, among other reasons, are caused by hail damage. You should consult the nearest dent repair technician when your car sustains hail damage.
