On average, the cost of repair for hail damage to a car is about $2,500.
If you recently had a bad storm that damaged your car, you might not have the money to repair the car, especially if you weren’t expecting that extra cost.
However, in some cases, you could turn to your insurance to help you out. But when does that work? We’ll break down everything you need to know, so make sure you keep reading!
Your Coverage
Before you can submit a claim for the insurance company to cover your hail damage, you’ll need to check your insurance policy first to figure out if you have a hail damage claim.
If you only have liability coverage, then you’re not covered for hail damage. Liability coverage will only protect you if you cause damage to someone else’s vehicle in an accident.
However, if you have comprehensive coverage, you might be able to submit a claim. This will let you submit a claim to have any damage to your car paid for. This includes things like an animal damaging your car, a tree falling on it, glass shattering, or hail damage.
If you know that there is a big storm coming, you may not be able to automatically sign up for comprehensive insurance. Insurance companies normally put a hold on when you can sign up so that you don’t do it just for catastrophic events. This is why you should have insurance at all times.
The Deductible
If you have comprehensive insurance, you’ll likely also have a deductible. This is the amount you’ll have to pay out of your own pocket before the insurance steps in and covers some of it.
If you have a higher deductible, you might also have a lower premium, so consider that if you’re new to signing up for comprehensive insurance.
However, if you live in an area where hail storms happen often, you’ll have to figure out whether you can afford the out-of-pocket deductible if you need to submit a claim.
In some instances, the insurance company might waive the deductible if it affects the glass of your car.
Your Premium
Whenever you make a claim, it gets added to your insurance record. Every time you submit a claim, it could end up affecting what you pay for car insurance, but that’s only if you submit a lot of claims over a short period of time.
Deciding to file a claim will depend on how much damage you have. If the damage isn’t that bad, it might save you money, in the long run, to just pay for it yourself. However, if your car is going to have thousands of dollars in hail damage and you don’t have the money to pay for it, it might be better to risk the higher premium later on.
How to File a Claim
If you decide that you do want to file a claim for hail damage to car, you should do it as soon as possible.
You’ll do it the same way that you’ve filed other claims for your car before. Contact the insurance company either on the phone or online. You should do it as soon as the storm is gone.
If it’s a large storm, your neighbors in the area will likely be doing the same thing, so you want to make sure you try and get in as soon as possible to avoid waiting for hours to reach someone.
Once you actually get to file the claim, the insurance company will send a claims adjuster to look at the damage and figure out how much they will pay you to fix the hail damage.
How to Fix the Damage
Whether the insurance company decides to help you or not, you’ll still need to then fix the damages.
If your car is already paid for and the damage isn’t too bad, you could decide to just leave the dents. But if you still have a loan on the car, you’ll need to find someone to repair it.
For those who did file a claim, the claim adjuster will help you find an auto body shop and get an estimate for the repair. For those who didn’t have the insurance to cover it, you can find your own auto body shop and get quotes on your own.
If you’re going to do that, make sure you shop around so that you can find the best deal possible.
How to Protect it in the Future
To avoid all of this in the future, you’ll also have to figure out how to protect your car from future hail storms.
If you live somewhere that constantly has hail storms, you should look into preventative measures. Some of them include just buying a car cover to prevent hail damage that you can keep in the back of your trunk. If a hail storm pops up, you can easily pull over and cover your car to help reduce the impact from the hail.
Weather apps can also be useful and send you alerts when a storm is about to pop up. If you have enough time, you should try and find a garage or a covered area to help stop the hail from damaging your car.
Learn More About Hail Damage to a Car
These are only a few things to know about hail damage to a car, but there are many more tips on how to get it fixed.
We know that dealing with car problems of any kind are a nuisance and can be stressful, especially if you don’t know how to solve it. That’s why we’re here to help you!
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