FAQ

Yes. Hail damage is often very difficult to see without proper lighting.

Dents may only become visible when light reflects across the panel at certain angles. Dark vehicles often show dents more easily, while lighter colors like silver or white can hide damage.

This is why we use specialized PDR lighting during inspections to identify dents that may not be visible in normal conditions.

Yes. We offer free hail damage inspections.

Our technicians use specialized lighting to identify dents that may not be visible in normal lighting. If we find damage, we can help guide you through the insurance claim process if that is the best option for you.

If your vehicle was caught in a hail storm, follow these steps:

1. Inspect the vehicle for visible dents or broken glass.

2. Schedule a free hail inspection to confirm whether damage is present.

3. If damage is found, contact your insurance company to file a claim.

4. Send us your claim information or estimate so we can schedule repairs.

We can help guide you through the process and work directly with your insurance company.

It’s best to have your vehicle inspected as soon as possible after the storm.

Insurance companies sometimes place time limits on hail claims, and having the damage documented early helps ensure nothing is missed.

Typically no. Hail damage falls under comprehensive insurance coverage, which is considered an “act of God.”

With most insurance companies, this type of claim does not count against you when determining your insurance rates, and insurance companies should not cancel or raise your rates due to hail damage. It is best to ask your insurance agent to review your policy for a definitive answer. 

That’s perfectly fine.

Simply send us your claim information or estimate and we can work directly with the insurance company to schedule repairs.

In most cases, the only out-of-pocket cost is your insurance deductible.

If your policy includes a deductible waiver for hail or comprehensive claims, you may pay nothing at all.

A deductible is the amount you agree to pay out of pocket before your insurance coverage begins paying for repairs.

For example:

• If your deductible is $500 and the repair cost is $4,000, your insurance company pays $3,500 and you pay $500.
• If the repair cost is less than your deductible, insurance typically will not pay for the repairs.

Your deductible amount is listed on your insurance policy and usually appears on your claim paperwork.

If you are unsure what your deductible is, your insurance company can tell you when you file your claim.

Your deductible is paid to the repair shop when the repairs are completed.

The insurance company pays the rest of the approved repair amount directly to you or to the shop.

Most of the time deductibles cannot be waived, because the deductible is part of your insurance contract.

However, some insurance policies include special deductible waivers for hail or comprehensive claims, which may reduce or eliminate your deductible.

Your insurance company can confirm whether your policy includes this coverage.

You are not required to repair hail damage, even if you receive an insurance payout.

However, unrepaired hail damage can:

• Reduce your vehicle’s resale value
• Affect trade-in value
• Leave the vehicle vulnerable to rust if paint damage is present
• Insurance will not cover the repairs from the unrepaired claim if there is additional hail damage in the future

Repairing hail damage helps maintain the value and appearance of your vehicle.

Usually no.

Your agent’s expertise is in helping you select the correct coverage. When filing a claim, it’s best to contact your insurance company’s claims department directly. Their phone number is on your insurance card.

No.

Insurance companies cannot legally require you to obtain multiple estimates.

Usually they will do one of the following:

• Send someone to inspect your vehicle
• Send you to a preferred shop or claims center
• Ask you to get an estimate from the shop of your choice

The shop doing the repairs to your vehicle is always your choice. Insurance companies cannot require you to repair your vehicle where the estimate was performed.

No.

Insurance companies may recommend certain shops, but they cannot require you to repair your vehicle there.

This is your vehicle and your choice where it is repaired.

This is normal.

Insurance companies often have agreements with certain shops to write estimates. They can require you to go there for an estimate, but they cannot require you to have the repairs done there.

You are always free to choose the repair shop you trust.

Send Iowa Dent Solutions a copy of the estimate.

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Once we receive it, we can schedule your repairs.

This is very common with hail claims.

Insurance companies often write initial estimates based only on visible damage. Additional dents are often found during the repair process.

When that happens, we submit a supplement to the insurance company to cover the additional repairs.

A supplement is an additional repair request submitted to the insurance company when more damage is discovered during the repair process.

This is normal and handled directly between the repair shop and the insurance company.

No.

Insurance companies use their own hail repair matrices and procedures. We work directly with the insurance company to agree on a price and handle any necessary adjustments.

In most cases, you do not need to do anything.

Paintless dent repair is a specialized process used to remove dents without sanding, filling, or repainting the vehicle.

Technicians carefully work the metal back into its original shape using specialized tools.

Benefits include:

• Keeps your factory paint
• Faster repairs
• Maintains vehicle value
• No paint color matching

No.

Once the metal is properly repaired, the dents do not come back. Paintless dent repair permanently restores the panel.

Yes. The goal of paintless dent repair is to restore the vehicle to pre-storm condition while keeping the original factory paint.

In most cases the repairs are completely undetectable.

It depends on the situation.

If there is no paint damage and no panel replacement, repairs can usually be completed within a work week.

If paint or panel replacement is needed or the number of dents in excessive, the timeline will depend on the insurance-approved repairs.

Many insurance policies include rental coverage during repairs. If your policy includes rental coverage, we can help coordinate a rental vehicle.

Yes. We offer a lifetime warranty on paintless dent repairs for as long as you own the vehicle.

No problem.

We can handle:

• Paint repairs
• Panel replacement
• Replace necessary parts

All paint work done through us is fully warranted.

When you contact your insurance company, let them know the vehicle has broken glass.

If the glass is broken out or severely damaged, the vehicle may be considered undriveable.

Insurance companies often coordinate glass replacement, but you always have the choice of who performs the repair.

Sometimes repairs cost more than the value of the vehicle.

If your vehicle is declared a total loss, you may:

• Accept the payout and surrender the vehicle
• Keep the vehicle and use the payout toward repairs

It is important to make sure the insurance company is offering fair market value for your vehicle. We are happy to provide you with information about obtaining this information so you can have that peace of mind.

Sometimes the insurance estimate calls for replacement because their repair matrix caps how much they will pay for dent repair.

In many cases we can repair the roof using paintless dent repair instead of replacing it.

Only in extreme hail damage cases does the roof actually need replacement.

Roof replacement is a complex, structural repair and in most cases it is best to leave the factory structure in place.

If repairing the hood or trunk lid costs more than replacing it, the insurance company may estimate replacement.

Depending on the damage, we may still be able to repair it for the same cost as replacement.