In San Diego, hail season is here. It’s unlikely that your car will be damaged by hail in the near future, but if it is, you should be prepared for what to do next. You may learn how to prevent some of the most common and costly blunders individuals make while dealing with auto hail damage in the following tips and tricks.
Mistake: Relying on the insurance provider to make all of your decisions for you.
Why is this a blunder? When your car is damaged by hail, the first call you should make is to your insurance provider. As a matter of fact, that’s just part of the procedure. The mistake is to allow your insurance provider to dictate the terms of your policy. No matter how much you appreciate your insurance company and how long you’ve known your agent, you should constantly keep in mind that they may not have your best interests at heart. Most insurance companies are going to be swamped with claims after a hailstorm. However, it can take weeks or even months for an appraiser to be dispatched. Your initial estimate from the appraiser will almost certainly be significantly lower than the actual damages, often by up to half. Rather of having their automobile repaired, many people will take a settlement payout and apply it to their auto loan balance. What the insurance company wants you to do is that.
Instead, become familiar with your possibilities. When it comes time to sell your car, you’ll discover that hail damage has drastically reduced its market worth. Your insurance company can be a huge help if you need to get your automobile repaired. Also, be aware of your insurance company’s “recommended vendor” list. Choosing an auto repair Tesla Paintless Dent Repair business is completely up to you; as a result, conduct your research and look for a shop that will put in the effort to meet your needs.
Mistake Thinking there isn’t enough harm to fix
Why is this a blunder? If you look at the damage to your car after a hailstorm, you could conclude that it isn’t significant enough to warrant filing an insurance claim and having it repaired. As a result, what appears to be only a few hundred dollars in damages could in fact be thousands of dollars in damages. Your car’s value will be dramatically reduced by what you thought was a minor cosmetic flaw when you attempt to trade it in.
Is there a better option? Hail damage to a car can reduce its resale value by $5,000 to $8,000, even if it’s hardly visible. So, despite the inconvenience, it’s well worth it to get it repaired. Even though you’ll have to foot the bill up front, putting off repairs could end up costing you a lot more in the long term.
Mistake: Repairing hail damage to a car too late.
Why is this a blunder? Let’s say your automobile was damaged by hail at the beginning of the hail season, so you decide to wait until the end of the hail season before getting it repaired. That’s logical, isn’t it? The answer is yes, but it’s also possible that this reasonable move could turn out to be a costly one. A quick reminder: Making a single claim for damage from two separate incidents is legally insurance fraud, so keep that in mind. A second hailstorm, on the other hand, has a higher probability of totaling your car. When a car has been damaged beyond repair, it is referred to as “unrepairable.” You will almost certainly be out of luck if your car is declared a total loss. Also, if you get into an accident while you’re waiting, you’re out of luck. As a result, the hail damage will be excluded from coverage because it is regarded to be an existing condition. Yikes!
What to do instead: Get your car repaired as soon as possible if it has been damaged by hail. For every day that you wait for repairs, you’re driving a vehicle that has already been damaged and is exposed to financial loss.
Mistake: Failure to notify your insurance company of a claim
Why is this a blunder? It’s a common misconception that making an insurance claim will result in a higher premium, however this is not the case. For the most part, hail damage is covered by your comprehensive insurance because it is a “no fault” claim. Therefore, filing an insurance claim for hail damage will not increase your premiums. We already pay higher premiums because of the frequency of hailstorms in San Diego.
You already know the answer to this question! The sooner you make a claim for hail damage repair, the better, as you’ve already paid for insurance coverage.
Mistake: Doing your investigation before deciding on a repair company
Why is this a blunder? The ideal alternative for you will be paintless dent repair (PDR), rather than regular dent repair. Traditional ding repair is more expensive, but PDR is less time consuming and more effective at preserving the value of the vehicle. There are a variety of PDR firms out there, and not all of them are the same.
Instead, get several quotes from local body shops and ask about their experience with auto hail damage repair. Pop-up shops should be avoided at all costs. The market is flooded with temporary hail repair firms during the hail season in San Diego, but they close as soon as the season ends. That means they aren’t liable to their customers in the long run. To find the best repair shop, ask the right questions. In order to make an informed decision, you need to know how much money you’ll have to spend up front, how long the repair will take, how each company operates, and what kinds of assurances they provide.
In San Diego, there’s no better company than paintless dent repair San Diego
Professional training, expertise, and fine precision are all required to repair hail damage without further harming the material. Many body shops lack the necessary resources to perform the task successfully and efficiently. With paintless dent repair expertise, you can rest assured that your hail damage will be handled by the best hail damage repair business. Our auto hail specialists go above and beyond the call of duty to provide you with the first-rate level of service you expect and deserve. San Diego residents have come to know and rely on us for our high-quality service. Call us today to have a hail dent repair specialist treat your vehicle’s hail damage.