Paintless Dent Removal (PDR) Guide To Auto Hail Repair, Dent Removal and Hail Damage Car Insurance Claim Frequently Asked Questions

Hail Insurance Claim Frequently Asked Questions

1. WON'T FILING A CLAIM FOR HAIL DAMAGE CAUSE MY INSURANCE RATES TO INCREASE?

No. Claims made for damage resulting from hail storms, strong winds, or other "act of God", events which occur through no fault of your own, are covered under a policy's comprehensive damages section and therefore cannot be used as the basis for an increase to your monthly premiums.

2. YOUR REPAIR ESTIMATE IS MORE THAN MY INSURANCE PAID, WHO PAYS THE DIFFERENCE?

Your insurance company does. Repair estimates for hail damaged vehicles can vary greatly. Most estimates from an insurance company are written quickly and in less than optimal settings (outside, or without proper lighting) and are considered to be preliminary.   As a Preferred Vendor with most insurance companies, the staff at Dealer's Hail are very experienced at resolving differing estimate totals and will work directly with your insurer to quickly reconcile any discrepancies.

3. WHY DOES THE INSURANCE CHECK HAVE MY CAR'S LIENHOLDER LISTED AS A PAYEE?

If your car is financed by a bank, or lien holder, they have partial ownership of the vehicle, and an interest in any transaction that may have a impact on its value. To protect this financial interest, most states require that the name of any lien holder be included as a payee on insurance claim payments. Dealer's can supply your insurer with the appropriate documentation allowing payments to be made directly to us and/or you the insured.

4. I REALLY CAN'T AFFORD MY DEDUCTIBLE RIGHT NOW, WILL YOU GUYS WORK WITH ME?

​Yes we can! The thought of someone having to shell out their hard earned cash, just because Mother Nature decided to hail on their vehicle is not something we're cool with. In most circumstances, we can repair your vehicle(s) with zero out-of-pocket cost to you, and best of all you still get our 100% Satisfaction Guarantee.

5. I'M WORRIED THAT MY CAR MIGHT TOTAL, BUT I AM UPSIDE DOWN, WHAT SHOULD I DO?

It is not uncommon for hail damaged cars to be considered a "total loss" by the insurance company. If you are worried that your vehicle may be declared a total loss, call or stop by the nearest Dealer's Hail & Specialty hail damage repair shop and let us know about your concerns. Our staff will do everything in their power to find a solution that works for you and your insurance company, and keeps your car from totaling.

6. MY INSURANCE WON'T PAY FOR A RENTAL BUT I CAN'T BE WITHOUT A CAR, CAN YOU HELP?

Yes we can! If your insurance policy does not include coverage for a rental car, we will cover the cost of one while your vehicle's repairs are performed.

7. I'VE BEEN PAID FOR A HAIL CLAIM, CAN I JUST KEEP THE MONEY AND NOT FIX MY CAR?

That is generally not a good idea. Hail damage will significantly lessen your vehicle's value, increasing the ​likelihood that you may become "upside down," meaning you owe more money on the car than its worth. That can be a huge problem if you try to trade the vehicle in, or worse, had it totaled in an accident. Additionally, most insurers will not compensate you for any damage sustained by a future hail storm if the vehicle was never repaired. It is for these reasons that most states require vehicles with a lien to be repaired. 

8. SHOULD I TAKE MY CAR TO THE INSURANCE COMPANY'S RECOMMENDED SHOP?

Most insurance companies have agreements with repair shops to establish discounted repair pricing in exchange for the insurer referring work to the shop. These are sometimes called Network Shops or Direct Repair Facilities. Don't make the mistake of being pressured to take your vehicle to one of these shops. As you might expect with the heavily discounted prices, these facilities are known for hiring the cheapest Paintless Dent Repair technicians and are notorious for performing very low quality hail repairs. In addition, as part of their agreement with the insurance company these shops are required to charge your full insurance deductible if you have repairs done with them. If your car has been damaged by a hail storm, call Dealer's Hail & Specialty, we accept all insurance claims and our work is OEM quality with a lifetime warranty and zero out of pocket costs! 

Paintless Dent Repair Frequently Asked Questions

1. WHAT IS PAINTLESS DENT REMOVAL (PDR)?

PDR is a specialized process used to remove hail damage and other minor dents from the panels of a vehicle. Skilled technicians carefully apply pressure below the dent using special tools, slowly relaxing the stress created by a dent.

2. WHAT IS THE COST TO REPAIR A VEHICLE WITH PDR?

The cost to repair a hail damaged vehicle varies widely from storm to storm as well as vehicle to vehicle. Typically, repair cost is calculated using a chart which references the dents' size, based on a coin, by the number of dents on each panel. However, there may be additional costs to de-trim, or gain access, such as taking down the headliner, damaged moldings that must be replaced, and/or other unique factors. A cars's size and make and model are also a factor in determining repair costs, which can range from as little as a few hundred dollars, to well over $10,000 for some of the most badly hail damaged vehicles. For your convenience, we have created a free online Hail Repair Cost Calculator to give you some idea about the cost to repair your car's hail damage.

3. WHAT DOES "R&I" MEAN?

"R&I" is an acronym for Remove and Install. It is used to assign labor times to the various operations required for removing trim panels and other components on a vehicle, such as the headlights, sunroof, and headliner. R&I functions are a standard part of the paintless dent repair process and must be performed to gain access to the underside of a vehicle's panels, allowing the PDR technician to massage the dents out. While it may seem like a mundane step in the repair process, poor R&I work is the cause of 90% of all PDR warranty issues. For this reason you should always check your vehicle's interior as well as the exterior when picking it up from a car hail damage repair or paintless dent removal shop.  At Dealer's Hail & Specialty, all R&I operations are performed by our specially trained, ASE Certified R&I Technicians. 

4. WHAT ARE CONVENTIONAL BODY SHOP REPAIRS?

Conventional body shop repair refers to the process of replacing and/or using body fillers and paint to refinish the panels on a vehicle. If your car's paint has been chipped or broken, or the amount of hail damage is extreme, conventional repairs may be required to properly restore your vehicle. 

5. CAN THE DENTS EVER COME BACK LATER ON?

No. While it might be good for business if dents came back later, once a panel has been repaired, the dents will never come back.

6. WILL PDR REPAIRS SHOW UP ON MY VEHICLE'S CARFAX REPORT?

​Since PDR maintains the vehicle's original paint and panels, there is no data for Carfax to report. Repairs done at body shops and collision centers, on the other hand, do show up on a vehicle's Carfax, crushing its value at trade in.

7. MY WINDSHIELD WAS CRACKED BY HAIL, WILL YOU GUYS TAKE CARE OF THAT TOO?

Yes, we are a full service facility, and will take care of replacing broken or damaged windshields or mirror glass,  headlights, tail lamps, or any other damaged parts on your vehicle. We are your one stop for auto hail repair.

8. WILL USING PDR VOID MY CAR'S FACTORY PAINT AND FINISH WARRANTIES?

No it will not. Unlike conventional body shop repairs which involve repainting and will void all warranties from the manufacturer. When performed properly, PDR does not void, or otherwise affect your car's factory paint and finish warranty.

9. CAN I FIX CAR HAIL DAMAGE MYSELF?

While the concept of Paintless Dent Removal is pretty simple, the techniques used on repairing hail damage typically take many months of training to develop. Specialized tools and lights, which are very expensive, are also a part of the equation. It can be tempting to try and repair a dent yourself or let a friend attempt to repair a car dent but this is almost always a very bad idea. More often than not, the dent will be made worse, making it harder to fix, or worse the paint will get cracked, meaning the panel will need to be painted and refinished. 

Additional PDR Dent Repair and Hail Damage Insurance Claim Information

When it comes to making an insurance claim for hail damage, there are some misconceptions that a lot of people have about the process. In this Hail Repair Blog post we'll take a look at a few of the most common areas where owners of a hail damaged car are misinformed. Additionally, we will address some common questions about paintless dent repair, or PDR for short, which has become the preferred method used to repair a hail damaged car. For more answers to Paintless Dent Repair Frequently Asked Questions, visit our page on PDR FAQ.

1.     Filing a hail damage insurance claim will cause rates to go up. While it makes sense that filing a hail damage insurance claim would make your insurance premiums increase, that is actually not the case. That's because unlike an accident or collision, where one or more drivers may be at fault, a hail damage insurance claim is caused by what is known in the insurance industry as an Act Of God, meaning it did not occur as a result of an action of the insured. In fact, this is the number one reason why people do not file a hail damage insurance claim when they get car hail damage. If an area experiences a large, expensive hailstorm with a large amount of car hail damage insurance claim payout made, or experiences multiple hailstorms in a relatively short time span, say a few years, it is possible that the insurance company will reassess their risk exposure for a particular market which may lead to a premium increase for all customers in the area, even the ones who had a hail damaged car but did not file a hail damage insurance claim.​​
2.     It's just a few dents, I would rather spend my car hail damage insurance claim payout on something else. Some people get their car hail damage insurance claim payout check and suddenly feel less bothered about their hail damaged car, and no longer feel the need to get have car dent repair performed. While it can be tempting to use the money from a car hail damage insurance claim payout on something else, this is usually a very bad financial decision long term. A hail dented car is worth much less money than a non hail damaged vehicle, especially to a car dealership at trade in time. If your hail damaged car has a lien against, by a bank or finance company, they will expect the car hail damage to be fixed, usually by a reputable mobile paintless dent repair company or other hail damage repair service. Not repairing your hail damaged car can have major consequences down the road. Most people who do not repair their car hail damage will later find themselves to be massively upside down, meaning they owe more money than the hail dented car is worth. This is because by then, there are no longer any reputable auto hail damage repair shops or mobile paintless dent repair services in town so the hail damage repair cost is calculated based on body shop repairs, like painting and replacing panels, which only further devalues the hail damaged vehicle. 
3.    My insurance company recommended I take my hail damaged car to one of their "network" hail damage repair shops, that must be my best option for getting my car fixed with paintless dent repair. Many insurance companies have developed special vendor programs with cheap hail damage repair companies that will do low quality paintless dent removal or another type of hail damage car repair  

What is Paintless Dent Repair (PDR)?  Does My Car Need PDR?  How Much Does PDR Cost?

These frequently asked PDR questions and many others are probably going through your head if you are the owner of a hail damaged car. Most automotive hail insurance claims are estimated for PDR, which stands for Paintless Dent Repair. Hailstorms can be one of nature's most destructive events, causing billions of dollars in damage each year to homes and buildings, agricultural crops, and of course vehicles.  Unfortunately hailstorms and the dented cars they leave behind can be difficult to prepare for. If you live in an area where car hail storm damage occurs regularly, you've probably owned a hail damaged vehicle at some point, or at least know of someone who has. If you've had a paintless hail damage car repair service done before, it was most likely fixed up using the newest hail dent repair method known as paintless dent removal.  In areas not used to hailstorms and receiving car hail damage, it is usually chaos after a hailstorm happens. The first thing you should do if your vehicle sustains car hail damage is to call your car insurance company to file a hail insurance claim. They will talk to you about paintless dent removal cost and other dent repair price options and will recommend the best car hail damage repair shop that specializes in PDR hail dent repairs for you to have your auto hail damage removal done at. Owners of freshly hail dented cars usually line up at the local paintless dent repair shop and body shops waiting for hours to get a hail damage car repair cost estimate. Hail damage repair for a car dealership can be an even bigger mess. Most vehicles today are built with lighter alloys and thinner metals, making a car dent much more easily, especially during a hailstorm. In the past, hail damage car repair involved having to apply body filler and paint to each panel of a dented vehicle. This repair method unfortunately voids the manufacturer's warranty and as a result, significantly lowers the resale value of the vehicle. Thankfully, today there is a much better process available to fix car hail damage. The process is called Paintless Dent Removal or PDR for short and it allows a car dented with hail damage to be fixed without any loss in resale value. Highly trained PDR technicians using special PDR tools and dent lights gently apply pressure to the underside of  hail damage and the car dent and gradually massage it back to its original shape. They go over the entire vehicle, and one by one remove the car dents using paintless dent repair until there is no longer any hail damage. Additionally, Paintless Dent Repair, or PDR as its known for short, can be done in a fraction of the time it takes for hail damage repair at a body shop. Dealer's Hail & Specialty is the nationwide leader in car hail damage removal using the paintless dent repair process. They have spent years helping car dealerships, rental car companies, and other fleet operators restore their hail damage cars back to full market value after a hailstorm and now they've made that same great service, and their legendary Lifetime Warranty, available to the general public. If you are the owner of a dented car damaged in a hailstorm you should call them today for a free pdr hail repair cost estimate. In most cases, the dent repair cost of fixing your car hail damage is free, with a no deductible hail repair option for no out of pocket costs to you! If you need car fix a dent service after a hailstorm insurance claim, call the PDR hail repair expert Dealer's Hail & Specialty today, the only thing you have to lose are the dents in your car and they have the lowest fix a dent cost.  Call them toll free at (855)-5HAILFIX and get your car with hailstorm damage fixed using paintless dent repair for free today! 
Update- If you live in Little Rock or the surrounding areas and have a hail damage car from the hailstorm that hit central Arkansas Saturday March 10, 2018 and need to get a free hail repair estimate or schedule paintless dent removal hail repair, please call us at 501-255-0523 or toll free at (855)-5HAILFIX for immediate assistance. Keep your vehicle's value at its highest with paintless dent removal. If you have hail damage in the Little Rock Arkansas area give us a call today! Now repairing hail damage for customers in Jacksonville, Sherwood, North Little Rock, Cabot, Searcy, Conway, Pine Bluff, White Hall, Sheridan, Benton, Bryant, Bauxite, Alexander, Shannon Hills, Little Rock dent repair shop and paintless dent removal expert. No deductible paintless hail repair. Call today for the Little Rock area's best price to fix car hail damage.

More Hail Repair Resources
​Visit our online appointment book to schedule a free hail repair estimate.
Check out our new hail and dent repair cost calculator, its totally free to use and will give you an idea of how much your car's dent repair cost should be.