In today’s video, we are going to check out some of the hail damage tools that we use here at Sioux Falls Dent Repair. We will be looking at some of the pushing tools or hail rods that we use to get out all kinds of hail damage. While most of these tools can be used for all kinds of dent repair, they have twin tips which is specifically designed for hail damage repairs.
As you can see on the first tool, we can attach two different sized tips so that we can take out all the damage from a panel without having to change tools constantly. The tips are interchangeable and all depend on the size, depth, and severity of the dent itself. The bigger tip is the R4 from DeadDentTools.com and we use a Cherry Hard Tip on it to get out the initial damage. On the other side of the hail rod we have a sharper tip that is available on EdgyTools.com and is used for fine tuning and completing the job. There are companies that have even taken it even further and produced a four sided hail rod for holding four different tips but we haven’t gotten around to using one of those, yet.
The next rod is not only one of the first ones we got, but it is also one of the best ones we have in the shop. It is called the 36-inch Hail Interchangeable Tip Rod from DentCraftTools.com and it is all made form metal and is extremely durable. Going up from there, we also use the 60-inch Hail Interchangeable Tip Rod which is exactly the same – just bigger.
Tools Made From Carbon Fiber?!
The first rod that we saw is made entirely from carbon fiber and is available on CarbonTechPDRTools.com. The one we use is the Hail Rod and it comes in three separate pieces at 12-inches, 26-inches, and 46-inches. When we put the rod together, it measures 7-foot and gives us access to all parts of a damaged panel with ease. However, they do sell extensions to make the rod even longer. While it might not make sense for most to have a 10-foot hail rod, it is actually extremely helpful when you’re looking for extra leverage on larger vehicles.
Carbon Tech also has some grips on offer which are made from aluminum and make using the rod easier. Another great handle option from the brand is the T Handle which allows us to use both hands for some of the more stubborn dents that we have to deal with. We also use the T Handle to twist and push out the damage from tighter spaces where the entire tip head will not fit. Also, when dealing with tight spaces like truck beds, the twin tip head can be replaced with a single tip head – also available from Carbon Tech.
Another attachment you can get is the Single Bend Pick Tool and is used for taking out the smaller dents. There is also a Double Bend Pick Tool and they are great for getting under the roof of a car and pushing out any damage. Lastly, we also have a Whale Tail extension that lets us get out dents from tiny spaces.
If you have any queries or questions give us a call or text at 605-250-1023 we’ll be happy to chat with you.
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.
When you contact us via our website and get to our hail page, this is what you will be now seeing. We are insurance approved and have worked with them all. Just simply read over our information on the page and let us know what you think.
Need A Repair?
If you are in need of damage to be repaired, please go on our page and fill out our form. This form will then follow up with you via text message and email. This is great because it will contact you within one minute of this form being submitted. This works all times of the day, and allows us to continue the process even if we are out of the shop for the day. It makes the process so much better for everyone and gets of all the info we need to help process everything and get this going faster!
Shoutout Time
We could not have done this without the help of Dave Streen at DentRepair.com and Linh Tang with Beyond Ideas. They both have helped us so much in the web process with getting this all setup. Thanks guys!
This video was originally shot LIVE on our Instagram page on 10-16-2020, be sure to follow us there to see more content: https://www.instagram.com/sioux_falls_dent_repair
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.
