Hail Damage
Hail Repair
Hail Damage? Here’s what to do next:
- Call your insurance claims department.
The number should be on your insurance card. Unless you have State Farm, don’t call your agent. If you had any branches hit your vehicle, say storm damage, not just hail damage. Go to iowadents.com/hail for a printable hail worksheet for your claim. - Get a claim number and find out their estimate process.
Some companies require you to get an estimate through them while others want you to get an estimate at the repair shop of your choice. Sometimes they will send you to a direct repair facility that they have a deal with but in the end it is by law, your choice where to have your vehicle repaired. - If there is glass damage, let your insurance company know right away.
Depending on your insurance company, they may have glass replacement providers that can take care of your glass before the hail repairs. Go ahead and get your vehicle in safe drivable condition so you are out of it for the shortest time possible. - Send us your information.
If you have an estimate from your insurance company, send us a copy of their estimate at [email protected]. We will get in touch with you and get you on our schedule. Repair time will vary based on the extent of damage.. Once you are scheduled, set up your rental car or alternate transportation. If you need an estimate from us, call us at 515-219-3131 ext. 1 to schedule. Estimates take roughly an hour to an hour and a half.
Hail Claim Worksheet
FAQs
If you can see hail damage to more than one panel of your vehicle, it is likely even a high deductible will be less than the amount of repairs. If in doubt, call Amanda at 515-219-3131 ext. 1
NO! Unless you have State Farm Insurance, your agent is the wrong person to call. Their expertise is in getting you the correct coverage. In many cases, they will give you the wrong information about getting estimates and waste your precious time. Go straight to the source, the claims department. The phone number will be located on your insurance card. Gather the information suggested on our hail claims worksheet and use it to make sure you have all the information to make the process as painless as possible. Go to www.iowadents.com/hail-damage for more information.
NO! Insurance companies cannot by law require you to spend your precious time running around doing their job for them. Usually they will do one of three things; Send someone to inspect your vehicle, send you to a “preferred” shop or drive through claims center or tell you to go to the shop of your choice (us we hope) for an estimate then send it to them.
YES! We work with all insurance companies but are a “preferred” shop to none. We work for you, not for an insurance company.
When an insurance company has a preferred shop or direct hail repair facility, that just means that they have prearranged with that shop how to do estimates to their standards and usually have negotiated a discount through that shop. Iowa Dent Solutions is NOT a preferred shop for any insurance companies by choice. We work for you, not an insurance company. We do work with ALL insurance companies and will provide them with all the required photos and estimate information.
Hail and storm damage is a comprehensive insurance claim. That means it will not go against you when they determine your rates. It is an “act of God” and insurance companies cannot cancel you or raise your rates due to this type of claim.
No worries! We can take care of that for you too. We have everything we need to do paint repairs and part replacement. Occasionally we will work with other body shops we trust to do paintwork when we have a lot of hail. This is so we are able to help as many customers get back into their vehicles as quickly as possible and we warranty all paint work done through us.
When you contact your insurance claims department, let them know you have broken glass. If it is broken out, your vehicle is considered “undriveable” and in some cases such as a severely damaged windshield, it is illegal to drive it. Let the claims representative know the extent and location of the damage to your windshield. Many times, they have glass companies that will do a quick replacement and bill insurance directly. This is fine but it is always your choice who does the replacement. If you need a referral to a glass company, send us an email at [email protected] or call Amanda at 515-219-3131 ext 1.
Send Amanda a copy of the estimate at [email protected]. Once we have the estimate, we can schedule you for repairs.
It depends on the situation, but if there is no paint damaged and not replacement panels such as a hood or trunk lid, repairs can typically be done in 3-5 days. If you do have panels with broken paint or a panel quoted for replacement, we will determine the repair time based on the insurance approved estimate.
Hail damage is estimated per panel on your vehicle. This is typically the hood, fenders, door, roof rails, roof, quarter panels/bedsides and trunk lid/tailgate. We count the number of dents per panel by circling them with a removable paint safe marker, determine the size of the majority of the dent on each panel then use a matrix using count ranges to determine the pricing.
We will do this on a per panel basis only. If we fix the “most obvious” dents, the ones that are left will become the most obvious. If you want to not fix a panel that only has a few dents you can’t really see or some moldings that don’t bother you, that is your prerogative. If you are going through insurance, it is up to you still, but we will not say we did work we did not do. If you have a loan on the vehicle, it may state in your contract that you must do all repairs. Keep in mind that not fixing panels could significantly reduce the value of your vehicle when you go to sell it.
Sometimes the repairs cost more than a vehicle is worth. Your insurance policy will state what percentage of value they will pay up to before they consider it a total loss. If the vehicle is a total loss, you can still keep it and use the money the insurance company gives you to do the repairs (or not) or you can let the insurance company take the vehicle. You need to be sure the insurance company is giving you what your vehicle was worth prior to the damage.
To help determine your vehicles value please review this PDF file.
This simply means the matrix the insurance company uses only pays a certain amount toward paintless dent repair. If that cost is higher than the approximate cost of replacing the roof, that is how they will write the estimate. Rarely does a roof actually need to be replaced. Many times it can be fixed completely or partially with paintless dent repair, and any paint damage can be fixed after the dents are fixed, all in the same repair visit. In the case of extreme hail, sometimes the roof is too badly damaged and need replacement.
When the price of repairing a panel such a hood is higher than the cost of replacing it, the insurance company will usually write the estimate to replace. Depending on the damage, we may be able to fix it for the same price as replacement, but if not, we will do the replacement and paint.
We do not report anything to any agencies, but we cannot speak for the insurance companies. Each insurance company does things a little differently, so this would be a good question to ask at the time you file the claim.
Yes, we can, BUT touch-up is going to look different than the rest of your paint. It will look, well, touched-up. Think of it this way; Black buttons on a black shirt blends in from a few feet away. White buttons on the same black shirt will be obvious from a few feet away. The touch up will be the same color but will be like that black button. No matter what those commercials show you, there is no touch up method that just makes the scratch disappear. We do not charge for touch-up because we don’t want you to pay for something that isn’t up to our standards.
If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask. We are always happy to help you understand what is happening with your vehicle. After all, we work for you!
