Hail Damage
Hail season is here and there are reports of storms all across the country already. Hail stones can do severe damage to the value of your vehicle. Depending on the method you choose to have it repaired could result in even more damage to your vehicles value. (FAQ’s)
You have two options:
Option 1 – Body Shop
Take your vehicle to a traditional body shop and they will replace the hood and the trunk, cut the roof off and weld a new one on and fill each remaining dent with putty. Once the putty is dry they will sand it down smooth and then repaint your entire vehicle. Now not only will your car not have it’s original factory paint but it will be missing some of it’s original factory parts as well. And all this can take two weeks or more!
Option 2 – Dent Dynamics
Call Dent Dynamics and let us meticulously massage the dents out of your vehicle using our Paintless Dent Removal technique restoring your vehicles original appearance while maintaining all the original paint and parts. And all this in less than a day and for a fraction of what a body shop will charge!
Dent Dynamics method of Paintless Dent Removal is the preferred technique for hail damage removal by nearly every insurance company in existence.
We are a LOCAL dent company serving the Charletson, SC area including Mount Pleasant, Summerville, Goose Creek, Isle of Palms, Sullivans Island as well as everything in between.
The benefits of PDR not only save insurance companies millions of dollars each year but also save the value of the vehicle. Imagine what a mess it would be if a car dealership with 1,000 new vechiles in inventory were hit with hail and had to be body shopped. Using PDR dealerships can quickly get back on their feet selling vehicles for retail value instead of being forced to have a “hail sale” or having the overwhelming task of having to send that many cars to the body shop. Dent Dynamics has had the honor of working with some of the most well known insurance companies in industry in the United States and abroad.
We will be glad to give you a written estimate for the repair of your hail damage and will forward a copy to your insurance company if desired. We have been in the hail industry since 1993 and are experienced in dealing with insurance claims as our process is widely welcomed by the insurance community.
Frequently Asked Questions About Hail Damage Repair
It is always best to allow your insurance company to do what you pay your premium for — restore your car to pre-incident condition. Pay your deductible, and have Dent Dynamics repair your car.
My car was damaged in the hail storm. What do I do now?
Hail damage is one of the few times you can use your insurance and it’s not held against you. Hail is an act of nature and no one is at fault. So, use it wisely!
Call Dent Dynamics at 843-345-9407 then contact your insurance company and initiate a claim. Dent Dynamics will come to your location and give you a written estimate. Your insurance company will either send an adjuster to you as well or inform you as yo where to take your vehicle in order to have the damage assessed by an insurance adjuster.
I am meeting with my adjuster, now what?
Allow the adjuster to inspect the vehicle and write an estimate to repair the damages. This estimate may or may not be accurate, as it is just an estimate. Some insurance companies will write low estimates because some people will just take the money and not actually have the vehicle repaired. One well known national insurance company requires their adjusters to write low estitmates on 90% of their claims on purpose. They do this because they know some people will just take the money and go spend it on something else. When you have your car repaired, any difference between the amount of the estimate and the final invoice will be resolved between the repairing vendor and the insurance company by means of a supplement.
Some insurance adjusters will encourage you to have your car repaired by one of their “preferred vendors”. These are typically back-pocket deals between a vendor based upon that vendor agreeing to do the repair for the cheapest amount in return for receiving all of that company’s work. Remember, it is your choice to have your car repaired by the person or business of your choice. It is illegal for an insurance company or their representative to require you to have your car repaired by any specific vendor. It is not uncommon for the preferred vendors to have representatives present at insurance company claim centers. Do not be pressured into using one of these vendors if you are not comfortable with them. If you do decide to go with their preferred vendor, make sure they are NOT going to drill wholes in your vehicle.
I’ve got my check, now what?
Give us a call at 843.345.9407 and we will schedule a time to repair your vehicle! Most hail damage can be completed in a day.
What if I just keep the money and don’t repair my car?
Most insurance companies will issue you a check once they have estimated the damage to your car. It is not uncommon for the amount of the estimate/check to be substantially less than the actual cost of repairs when repaired by a reputable vendor not on the insurance companies’ preferred list. It has been speculated that this is a tactic of insurance companies to minimize the cost of the claim. If you do not repair your car and you cash the check, you are, in effect, settling the claim for the amount of the estimate, when the actual amount of the damage could be, and probably is, substantially higher.
While it is tempting to just cash the check and not have your car repaired, there are consequences to consider before doing so. One consequence could be that in the event of a future damage claim the insurance company may reduce the amount paid on that claim by the amount previously paid for hail damage not repaired. Also, if the claim amount is not applied to any liens against the vehicle, then the vehicle value would not be sufficient to satisfy the lien in the event the vehicle is sold, traded or turned in at the end of a lease. In order to combat this, some insurance companies have started writing multiple party checks. For example, if you have your car financed through a bank, the check will be made out to you and your bank.