We’re taught about the four main types of precipitation in school: rain, sleet, snow, and hail. However, weather can be much more complex than that. Hail comes in different forms and severities. Sleet, graupel, and regular hail are all on the spectrum of frozen precipitation, but are very different, especially when it comes to the hail damage they can cause in Sioux Falls. Knowledge is the keye to being prepared for any kind of inclement weather.
Sleet
Smaller than hail, sleet consists of tiny balls of ice that tend to bounce when they make contact with the ground. Sleet can look like a rough, icy sheet when it forms a layer. Due to its size, it is unlikely that sleet will cause significant damage to your vehicle.
Graupel
Graupel forms when a snowflake is covered with a supercooled water droplet. Graupel is balls of ice that are softer than sleet, as well as larger. A ball of ice is considered graupel until it reaches 5mm in diameter. A large piece of graupel could potentially cause damage if it was going fast enough.
Hail
Hail is a ball of ice with a diameter of at least 5mm and is created when thunderstorm updrafts bring water vapor into an extremely cold part of the atmosphere causing it to freeze. Hail can range in size from less than an inch, to golf-ball-sized, to even as large as a baseball. The larger and faster a piece of hail is, the more damage it can cause.
Knowing one type of hail from another can help you better prepare for an incoming storm. If you’ve heard sleet is on its way, your car will likely be fine without protection, but if a hailstorm is approaching, your car could get seriously damaged. Make sure to take precautions to prevent hail damage to your Sioux Falls vehicle.
You may have seen auto hail damage consisting of round dents covering a vehicle’s surface, but that is not the only kind of vehicle hail damage. Hail can come in many forms, and so can its damage. It’s important to be aware of the types of hail damage you can get as well as the best repair option for each type. Being knowledgeable about hail and vehicle hail damage repair can be useful in the long run if you are unlucky enough to be caught in a hailstorm.
There are four main types of hail damage. The two main dent categories of hail damage are cosmetic and severe. Within those categories, damage could either have cracked your paint or left it intact. The type of vehicle hail damage repairs your car needs will be based on the kind of damage it has accumulated.
Cosmetic damage with intact paint
Likely the most common form of hail damage, cosmetic damage with intact paint consist of many small, round dents on your metal panels with no damage to your finish or paint. Cosmetic damage merely impacts the surface of your vehicle but can take away from your car’s appearance and resale value. This kind of damage can be repaired with PDR because there are no paint scratches.
Cosmetic damage with scratched paint
This type of damage also only affects your car’s surface but cannot be repaired with PDR since it contains paint damage. Vehicle hail damage repair for cosmetic damage containing paint scratches could be traditional dent repair or remove and replace.
Severe damage with intact paint
Severe damage affects a car’s external and internal features, which can require more extensive repairs. Dents on the surface of your vehicle can be fixed with PDR because they do not contain paint damage, but any internal repairs will need to be fixed differently.
Severe damage with scratched paint
Because this is the most extreme type of hail damage, it will likely cost the most to fix. Dents with paint scratches cannot be repaired with PDR, so will have to be repaired with another form of dent removal. On top of that, any internal issues must be fixed to ensure your car’s ability to function safely.
Sioux Falls hail storms can leave your car covered in small, round dents, creating an unsightly vehicle in need of repair. Not all hail dent removal costs an arm and a leg. Paintless dent repair is the best method of hail dent removal and is available at select body shops.
What is PDR?
Paintless dent repair, also known as PDR, is a process that repairs your dents without using filler or replacement body panels. Auto technicians use a range of tools to pull, push, and pop your dents out, eliminating the need for new parts or filler, which can be expensive. The cost of these supplies and their shipping can make your bill larger than you’d hope, and these extra steps can add unwanted time onto your repair process.
Repairs Without Losing Your Paint
Regardless of the side of the body panel they work from, Sioux Falls PDR technicians will not damage your paint. They are specially trained in PDR and know which tools to use when, as well as how to protect a car’s finish. PDR training ensures consistent results every time, making this form of hail dent removal extremely reliable.
Apart from all that, PDR is also great for the resale value of your car. Removing your dents will increase your car’s value, and paintless dent repair does not show up on service reports. Seeing that a car has been serviced could deter potential buyers, but with no record of your PDR, buyers will see nothing but your flawless vehicle.
If you’re in need of hail repair, paintless dent repair is undoubtedly your best option. Traditional forms of hail repair are expensive and time-consuming compared to paintless dent repair. PDR is a superior form of hail dent repair and should be your first choice for your dent needs in Sioux Falls.
