Most people can enjoy a bit of light hail but hailstorms are a whole other story. They are noisy, dangerous, and damaging, to say the least. If you live in the midwest, you are no stranger to hail and hailstorms.
There have been over 30 confirmed reports of hail in Sioux Falls so far this year and over 20 severe weather warnings in the last 12 months. During bad weather occurrences, residents of Sioux Falls and people who are traveling through may get caught in a hailstorm while driving.
This can be dangerous.
Let’s discuss what you can do in this situation and how Sioux Falls Dent Repair can help repair your car’s dents and dings after the hailstorm with Paintless Dent Repair (PDR).
What Should You Do?
Here is a step-by-step guide for what you should do if you get caught in a hailstorm while driving in Sioux Falls.
Do Not Leave Your Car
As much as you want to just leave your car and get indoors, do not make the mistake of leaving your car during a hailstorm. Severe hailstorms mean golf ball-sized hail, which can easily land you a trip to the hospital. Your car’s roof is ample strong, and you should wait out the hailstorm in your car.
Pull Over to Safety
Driving in a hailstorm is not an option. Moreover, the speed of your car and the hailstorm can do greater damage to your car and even shatter windows. Your best bet is to slowly pull over to the side, away from traffic, and switch your hazard lights on.
Move Away from Windows
Huddle to the center of your car and away from the windows to avoid injury in case the window breaks. Every inch counts so pull everyone near the center of the roof.
Cover Eyes & Head
Shattering glass can fly very far. Find an extra jacket, blanket, or any thick fabric to cover your head and eyes, and the same goes for the passengers.
Drive to Safety Before Getting Out
Once the hailstorm passes, which you will know when the noise stops, drive your car to safety. Drive to safety before you check your car for damage. It might have gone through a lot, but it cannot get any worse till you reach safety.
Hail Damage on Your Car
It is inevitable that your car’s roof, hood, and other parts look like they were popping corn. After a hailstorm, it is best to get the dents and dings fixed quickly, and Sioux Falls Dent Repair‘s Paintless Dent Repair (PDR) is the best and fastest solution.
Why Sioux Falls Dent Repair PDR?
Sioux Falls Dent Repair provides the most experienced, reliable, and certified technicians for PDR in and around Sioux Falls. Their certified technicians are experts in repairing dents and dings with PDR on any make and model of cars.
They can get your car repaired in the fastest time with the best results that restore your car to its original form.
If you want to learn more about Paintless Dent Repair (PDR) at Sioux Falls Dent Repair or how you can get a free estimate for your car’s dent and dings, click here to get started!
You do not necessarily have to be in an accident for dents to occur, they can happen even when you are not behind the wheel, although this is less common. Dents and dings are unpredictable, and the best approach is to get them fixed immediately.
For best results, always opt for a Paintless Dent Repair (PDR), specifically from the certified PDR technicians at Sioux Falls Dent Repair, as they are the best in the business.
Let’s discuss some common causes of dents on your car, why PDR is a good option and what are its benefits.
5 Common Causes of Dents on Your Car
Here are the 5 most common causes of dents on your car as they occur.
Back Up Into Garage Door
We’ve all been there, and it is not that shameful. Even the most expert drivers can sometimes back into their garage door, causing a ding or dent on their cars.
Hail Damage
The most common natural cause of disastrous clusters of dents on your roof, hood, trunk and sometimes even the sides of your car. Depending on the severity of the weather, hail damage can cause some serious dents and dings.
Shopping Carts
Shopping mall parking lots are prime for shopping cart collisions. These carts often leave dents and dings on cars when people lose control of them or they are distracted by any number of things. Sometimes, they even slide on uneven surfaces and cause car dents when left unattended.
Car Doors
Whether intentional or unintentional, other cars parked close to yours can sometimes leave a dent or a ding on your car when they open their doors carelessly.
Fallen Tree Branches
Bad weather does not only directly cause dents and dings from hail damage, often windstorms and other weather conditions can indirectly dent or ding your car when damaged tree branches fall on your car.
Why Paintless Dent Repair (PDR)?
There are many reasons to use paintless dent repair (PDR) for the dents and dings caused by the mentioned occurrences. These include saving time, money, paperwork and the originality and resale value of your car.
Benefits of Using Paintless Dent Repair
Saving Time
Unlike traditional dent repair, PDR can be done in a few hours on the same day you bring your car to Sioux Falls Dent Repair. This is true even for the extensive hail damage and you will save plenty of time with PDR.
Saving Money
There are not extra material costs of fillers and paints, which means you only pay for the skills of a certified PDR technician at Sioux Falls. This ends up costing you far less than a traditional dent repair.
Paperwork
Since PDR is so inexpensive, you can pay out of pocket and forget about the hassle of filing any paperwork with your insurer.
Originality & Resale Value
PDR does not scrape or damage the original paint coat of your car to repair dents. Which means it preserves its originality and saves its resale value for longer.
Conclusion
Whether your dents and dings occur from the mentioned causes or any other cause, PDR is the best option, and you should always opt for one. If you live in or around South Dakota, then we highly recommend Sioux Falls Dent Repair for all your PDR needs.
Today, we are answering one of the common questions we get asked and that is; “Should I Buy a Vehicle with Hail Damage?” We have actually had two cars come in on consecutive days where the customer purchased the vehicle with hail damage already on it.
We here at Sioux Falls Dent Repair, get calls from across the country on a regular basis with customers wanting to get an estimate of how much it would cost to get out hail damage on a vehicle they are thinking about purchasing. Also, we get calls from customers who have already purchased a hail damaged vehicle and are looking to get the damage out.
Our advice to anyone looking to buy a hail damaged car is to not do it because it doesn’t matter how big a discount you got on the car, it will never cover the cost to repair the hail damage. Out of the two cars that came in with hail damage, one was a 15-year-old Chevrolet Equinox and the customer got an $800 discount on it from the car lot where they purchased it. However, when the customer brought the car in, it turned out that there was several thousand dollars’ worth of damage. Even when the customer requested that we look at a specific part of the car, our estimates were higher than the $800 that they received as a “discount” from the car lot.
These kind of cases are deemed total losses by the insurance companies and car dealerships therefore have no other option but to sell them at a lower price. Nevertheless, the sellers never run at a loss and entice customers with “unbelievable” price cuts and discounts. We have come across cases where the cost of repair supersedes the price of vehicle. So, any hail damaged vehicle should be avoided at all costs unless you get the car for free or the damage is very minor.
This brings us to the follow-up question we get asked. “What is the vehicle has very minimal or medium amount of damage?” Again, with us being in this business for so long, we have seen a lot of hail damaged cars and generally the estimates for those vehicles end up being anywhere between $3,000 – $5,000. That number goes up with heavier damage and drops when the damage is not as severe. When it comes to $800 – $1,000 in hail damage repair, a regular car owner won’t even recognize the damage because the damage would have to be that minimal.
Another common mistake customers make is think they have a couple of dents on their car and ask for an estimate based on that and here is when we ask them to bring the car into the shop because we know that there cannot just be a few dents after the vehicle was caught in a hail storm. It is only under the PDR lights that the true extent of the damage is visible.
There is a lot of work before we can actually start getting the hail damage out and we inform the customer of that in our estimate. On a bigger job where hail damage is throughout the body of the car, without actually touching any of the damage, we first have to remove the hood, take off any kind of assemble (if there is any), remove the trunk lid, take off the headlights and taillights, both the front and/or rear bumper, and other panels. The cost only to have these panels removed and installed (R and I), is about $500 – $800. So, as you can see, buying a hail damaged car and then looking to repair it just does not make sense.
Eventually, the decision is the customer’s and it all depends on the situation. If a customer is looking to buy a cheap car just to drive it, a relatively new hail damaged one can save them a pocket full of cash. However, if the customer is buying a hail damaged car to fix it and then resell it, it is definitely not worth it.
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State Farm offers a wide range of claim service options for vehicle repairs and estimates, including hail repair and damage. It has a particular ‘Select Service Program’ that involves a network of auto repair workshops committed to providing professional and quality repair services to its customers.
Sioux Falls proudly announces that we accept State Farm insurance for paintless dent repairs (PDR) and strive to get your vehicle all fixed up after that horrendous hail damage. All you have to do is bring your vehicle to our workshop, get an estimate, and relax while we complete rid of the dings and dents for you.
Additionally, you can also avail the following benefits by having a State Farm Insurance:
A written, national limited lifetime repair warranty
Guaranteed completion dates
Direct payment to the shop once hail repair is complete
How Does State Farm Insurance Works?
Step 1: Choose a shop for your Hail Repair
You can quickly and conveniently choose Sioux Falls Dent Repair as your choice and get rid of the dents and dings from our expert PDR technicians.
Step 2: Contact Us to Schedule an Estimate
You can call or text us at 605-205-8865 to schedule a free hail damage estimate.
Step 3: Repair Begins
Once the estimate is approved, then PDR begins to undo all that heart-breaking hail damage.
Step 4: Simply pay your deductible directly to our shop
Step 5: Lastly, State Farm will receive the bills as soon as the repairs are dealt with.
Insurance Accepted for PDR at Sioux Falls
The PDR or Paintless Dent Repair process eradicates hail dents and other kinds of damage from a vehicle’s external surface panels without disturbing the original factory paint.
How Paintless Dent Repair (PDR) Works?
Specialized PDR tools are used to apply pressure on the backside of the damaged panel to remove surface dents and dings.
It also involves bonding a device or a tab to the exterior of the damaged surface and pull the dent from the topside.
Refinishing is not required
The expert PDR technicians at Sioux Falls will guarantee customers’ satisfaction for their impeccable job at paintless dent repair.
What Are You Waiting For?
Our expert PDR technicians do their best to get rid of those dreadful golf-ball-sized dents and dings and make sure that the original factory paint of your vehicle remains intact. Give us a call or leave a text at 605-205-8865 to use your State Farm insurance for your next PDR job. You can also click here for a free hail damage assessment.
Have you ever witnessed how one moment the weather seems amazing, but in the next, the mighty mother nature decides to create havoc and leaves a massive trail of damage in her wake?
Car hail damage is one of the devastating outcomes of such scenarios. Dents and dings of the size of a golf ball or a grapefruit, are often witnessed by several vehicle owners. The US alone bears an average of insured hail damage losses of about $15 million each year for both auto and home claims.
Read on further to know how hail damage assessment is done by professional technicians at Sioux Falls to ensure you can timely claim for the insurance, get your car fixed and put it back on the road.
Hail Damage Assessment at Sioux Falls Dent Repair
Often there are times when hail damage can result in a total loss for customers. But we at Sioux Falls try out best to help our customers in the best possible way to not just get their car fixed but also to claim for insurance for the catastrophic hail damage.
Hail Damage Assessment Process
When a vehicle reaches our workshop for hail damage repair, our expert repair technicians carefully assess each nook of the car for probable damage. Before initiating the fixing process, mark each damage according to its severity.
Cracked Vehicle Paint
Cracked paint is the result of an ice piece hitting the surface of the vehicle with so much force that it hits the car’s inner structure and leads to the paint cracking outwards. Our expert technician analyzes the car for any indication of cracked paint and marks it either with a circle or writes ‘cracked paint’ on the spot with a temporary marker.
Over-sized Dents
A very simple but effective way to assess over-sized dents is using a magnet that is the size of half a dollar coin as a reference to analyze hail damage. If the damage is more significant than the magnet coin, the damage is considered to be over-sized. These over-sized dents are marked with the alphabet ‘X’ for reference during the repair process.
Severe Damage
Usually, on the roof of the vehicle, there is hail damage so severe that merely repairing it cannot undo the damage. For this purpose, the vehicle will be sent to the body shop for complete replacement; Where the entire roof is cut off, and a new roof is positioned. Other parts of the vehicle are also assessed to determine if they also need to be replaced or not.
Earlier Work on Vehicle
Apart from assessing the hail damage, our expert technicians also check the vehicle for any previous work such as PDR or paint job, etc. This allows them to devise a repair plan that is most suitable and effective for the vehicle.
Insurance Claim
Apart from assessing the hail damage, our technicians make sure to take pictures of the damage and prepare a comprehensive written damage report or estimate that can be sent for the insurance claim.
How Can You Reach Us?
If you are worried about the damage that this hail has caused, then we’ll be more than happy to get you all fixed up for your hail damage, get you all set up for the insurance claim, and get your vehicle back on the road.
Give us a call at 605-205-8865 or click here for a free damage assessment.
