An insurance deductible is the amount of money that an insurance policyholder is required to pay out of pocket before their insurance coverage kicks in and starts paying for covered expenses. For example, if you have a $500 deductible on your car insurance policy and you get into an accident that causes $2,000 in damage, you will be responsible for paying the first $500 of the repair costs, and your insurance company will cover the remaining $1,500.
Deductibles can vary widely depending on the type of insurance policy and the specific terms of the policy. Generally, policies with higher deductibles will have lower premiums, because the policyholder is taking on more financial risk themselves before the insurance company starts paying out. Conversely, policies with lower deductibles will have higher premiums, because the insurance company is taking on more financial risk themselves from the outset.
Today we are going to discuss the types of insurance and which insurance coverage is for hail damage. Also what is all covered for the different types.
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Insurance Coverage
Do you have the proper insurance for hail damage coverage?
Do you have “full” Coverage? If so you are good to go. What exactly is “full coverage” insurance? Full coverage insurance covers all the bases for vehicle repairs. There are 3 parts to insurance for full coverage.
Collision Insurance
This insurance covers if you were to hit someone or if someone hits you. In South Dakota you must have un-insurance motorist insurance and this will help you in the case of you getting hit by someone without insurance. This has other policies that are all lumped together.
Comprehensive Insurance
This insurance type is what you need to cover hail damage. This covers any natural causes such as storm damage, trees falling, falling snow off of a roof for instance. It also covers if you were to hit an animal like a deer for example.
Liability Insurance
This is for all medical bills whether it be you, a passenger or another motorist. This is the insurance that covers all of those unfortunate injuries from a collision.
I have Comprehensive Coverage and Hail Damage, Now What?
Your First Step
First off if you were caught in the storm and in the vehicle we hope everything is ok. It can be a very terrifying experience when hail comes pounding down on your vehicle and you and your family are inside the car. Once the storm stops be sure to contact your insurance company and let them know you have hail damage. From there they will give you a claim number.
Step Two
Once you have the claim number you just need to bring the vehicle to the shop of your choice and have them handle it from there.
Your insurance company has NO SAY in who is to repair your car, again, this is very important and often misunderstood. Your insurance company has no say in who can repair you vehicle.
There is no need to get multiple estimates or anything like that. Ultimately the full repair costs will be gone over between the shop fixing the car and your insurance company. After the shop and your insurance company have finished all of the paperwork and processing your vehicle repairs will then begin. If you are working with us you will get daily updates on any of the processing and repairs.
Step Three
Pickup your vehicle dent free! Its that simple. We are here to make this very inconvenient experience all better and make your hail damage problems go away.
Have more questions or have damage you would like repaired?
Often times we have people contact us asking “Should I buy a vehicle with hail damage?” They then send us photos of the damage or a web link to the vehicle on a website. Also they may have already purchased the vehicle. There are many considerations to take when purchasing a vehicle with hail damage and today we will cover those.
First off, Why Do You Want To Buy A Vehicle With Hail Damage?
People get attracted to hail damage vehicles because of the purchase price. After all the car is just cosmetically damaged. No frame damage or inner structures are damaged on the vehicle. Typically they have low miles and a very nice clean interior. The only downfall is the outside of the vehicle is full of dents and dings. To some buyers they are ok with the damage being there. They will drive the vehicle for years without a care in the world and not fix it. Others are looking to purchase the damaged vehicle cheaper than an equivalent vehicle without damage, then have it repaired later.
Does The Vehicle Have A Damage Disclosure or A Salvage Title?
These are very important questions that you will need to know. Even if the vehicle is fixed 100% correct a salvage title or damage disclosure may still haunt the vehicle for the rest of its life. Each state is different so check with your local state to see the requirements.
If it does have either of those on the title, was it added to the title because of hail damage specifically? The reason we ask is cause some vehicles have been repaired because of frame or other structural damage then these vehicles get hit with sometimes even light hail. The seller may then say something like, it has a damage disclosure or salvage title because of the hail. The will say this so you think oh its super simple damage, only a few dents per panel, no big deal. Later you may then find out it has previous frame or structural damage that was actually the cause of the bad title.
Extreme hail Damage – Sioux Falls South Dakota
How Does A Vehicle Get A Damage Disclosure or Salvage Title?
When a vehicle is damaged the total cost to repair the damage is assessed. The cost to repair the damage will be in excess of 60% to 80% of the total vehicles value. Each state is different but most states range from this percentage.
Did you know that for some insurance companies will “total out” a vehicle even into the fifty percentile just because the insurance company knows that the specific vehicle manufacture and model will bring a premium when later auctioned off for sale. That’s right, a vehicle that is deemed a total loss will then be purchased by the insurance company from the vehicle owner. The insurance company then takes the vehicle to an auction to then be auctioned off to the highest bidder. This is why car lots tend to have vehicles with hail damage, they buy them at auction.
So for easy math lets say you have a vehicle that is valued at $20,000.00 In order for a vehicle to be deemed a total loss, the total amount of damage the vehicle would have to have is somewhere between $12,000-$16,000.00 range. As stated in the previous paragraph it may even be as low as $10,000.00 in damage on extreme cases.
Extreme Hail Damage – Sioux Falls Dent Repair
How Much Are You Really Saving?
How much are you saving verses purchasing a vehicle with no damage and equal miles on it? Some save as little as a few hundred dollars and some save several thousand.
The Seller Said It Would Cost Less To Repair.
In some cases the new vehicle owner says the seller told them they had quotes for only some low amount to fix the damage. This happens with hail damage as well as collision style damage. When the vehicle is looked at by a facility like ourselves for an actual estimate we give them a through estimate on the actual repair costs. Remember this is what we specialize in specifically.
Often times moldings and trim pieces on the vehicle become damaged, if these are missed they can add several hundreds of dollars to the repair estimate. For instance lets say some of the trim around the rear quarter panel glass is missed and has damage, those windows can range from a few hundred to over a thousand dollars to replace and that is just one side! The reason being is the molding is bonded to the glass, the glass must be replaced with the molding since they are all one piece.
Also remember the person selling the vehicle is trying to get rid of it. They are a salesman! We see it time and time again of people being taken advantage of when buying a damaged vehicle. Unfortunately we end up becoming the ones to deliver the bad news that the vehicle will not actually cost as low of a price to repair, it will actually cost much more. We typically tell a person expect the ACTUAL repair costs to be double at least but probably closer to four times the amount mentioned by the vehicle seller. Remember, they are TRYING to sell the vehicle, not actually repair it!
Our Actual Experiences
All of the pictures featured in this article were either taken by us or sent to us by customers. All of these photos show damage that we will not be repairing.
The silver car, the Toyota was purchased by a customer then brought to us for an estimate. The entire top side of the vehicle needs to be replaced and taken to a body shop.
In 2018 we had a customer come to us with a newer BMW 7 series with hail damage. He purchased the vehicle out of Colorado and was shocked when he found out the cost of the repairs. Here he thought he had basically stole the vehicle. He was given over $7,000.00 off of the price! When we looked at the vehicle the cost to replace just the hood, roof and trunk lid and NOT counting any other damages was over his $7,000.00 savings. Its unfortunate but we hope to combat these dilemmas for future customers by informing them before hand!
Our Final Thoughts and Input
Think of it this way, with hail damage, there is a reason we ourselves do not typically buy hail damage cars and fix them ourselves. We can do these repairs for just the cost of our time and still choose not to. It is just not cost effective.
Want to read more about future insurance claims, future repairs, Carfax history reports and more?
There are a few steps you should take before filing your claim. First, you should take pictures of the damage from as many angles as you can, in the best light you can find. This will help your insurer and dent repair company prepare a quote, so be diligent. Next, contact your insurance provider. Let them know the extent of the hail damage, and provide pictures if you can. Finally, you can start searching for you preferred Sioux Falls auto hail repair team!
Do You Work With Insurance Companies?
Many of our customers go through their insurance companies to file large claims on hail damage. This is usually a great idea, since it can save you a ton on multiple dents and dings. Just make sure you have the right coverage. Comprehensive insurance covers most ‘non-accident’ incidents including theft, vandalism, and of course, hail damage. We love helping clients navigate their way through the complicated process of filing for an insurance claim. Our hope is to make getting your Sioux Falls auto hail repair as streamlined and easy as possible.
Will Making a Claim on Hail Damage Increase My Rates?
Rising insurance rates are a great concern for many modern drivers. It seems like every little bump or bruise can cause them to skyrocket. Luckily, making a claim on hail damage will never increase your rates as long as you have comprehensive coverage. Since hail falls under the category of ‘other than collision,’ you will only have to pay the deductible amount. However, sometimes the damage may not be worth making a claim over if the repair cost does not exceed the deductible. This often leads to drivers avoiding hail repair. Ultimately, you get to make the final decision as to whether or not your car needs repairs. Just keep in mind that if you decide to forgo Sioux Falls auto hail repair, that amount will be deducted from you next claim as well.
When your car is struck by a stray shopping cart or nasty hail storm, you are left with a small reminder of that incident. This could be one or many dents of different shapes and sizes. Despite their humble demeanor, these small imperfections can have a serious and long lasting affect on the value of your car. However, over the last 10 years, automotive paints and metals have undergone many changes that make it very easy for technicians to work out minor dings without the need for replacing paint. Sioux Falls Paintless repair features many benefits now, such as:
Extremely fast turnarounds
No increased insurance rates
Affordable rates
No insurance claims
No Carfax reports
Quality Repairs for Life
With Sioux Falls paintless repair you no longer need to worry about week long wait times or shoddy repairs. Our work is guaranteed to last and we do it right. No more expensive rentals, scratched paint, or swirly finishes. Just you and your flawless finish.
We repair a variety of body damage ranging from simple dings to hail catastrophes. Our most frequently used services include:
Minor Collisions
Not all collisions require a trip to the body shop. Today, more and more drivers are switching to PDR for fender benders and bumper repair thanks to the amazingly low rates we offer. Any kind of minor vehicle damage can potentially be fixed with paintless repair. Just bring it to our Sioux Falls paintless repair shop, and we’ll give you a free estimate; or you can fill out this online form, and we will get back to you with a quote at our earliest availability.
Hail Storms
One of the worst disasters that could happen to your car is a nasty hail storm. They are relatively easy to avoid if you have a garage, but for those that aren’t so fortunate these tips might help. If you still find yourself caught in the thick of an icy downpour, then contact a paintless repair technician right away. We’ll give you a free estimate, and let you know if there is any serious threat such as exposed metal.
Accidents
The most common source of minor body damage is simple accidents. This could be caused by somebody leaning on your hood, a stray shopping cart catching your bumper, or an oblivious passenger opening their door. They are among the most unpleasant annoyances a driver could face, but worst of all they are nearly impossible to avoid, since they are completely out of your control.
