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.
With the growing popularity of DIY projects, dent repair solutions that can be done at home have become more prevalent online. Do-it-yourself repairs can be helpful with some household items, but when it comes to your auto damage, it’s best to get it fixed by a professional. DIY dent repair solutions may seem appealing, but they can either make no real improvement to existing damage or cause additional damage to your car. We wanted to debunk some old wives’ tales for home dent repair and illustrate the advantages of paintless dent repair at body shops in Sioux Falls.
Plunge Away Your Dents
Myth: The suction of a plunger will be able to pull dents out of body panels.
Fact: Plungers can actually make your dents worse. The suction created when the plunger is pushed down can enlarge dents rather than removing them.
Cool Your Dents Out with Dry-Ice
Myth: Placing dry-ice on the dent will cause the metal to quickly contract and make the dent pop out of the metal.
Fact: Dry-ice can soil your car’s finish, not to mention cause instant frostbite if it touches your skin.
Make Metal Pliant With A Hair Dryer
Myth: By heating up a dent with a hair dryer, the metal will be able to be bent back into shape.
Fact: Hair dryers don’t get hot enough to produce this kind of result.
The bottom line:
DIY dent repair solutions don’t make as much sense as taking your car to the body shop for paintless dent repair. PDR is approved by many insurance companies because of its reliable nature and it’s less expensive than traditional body shop repairs, so it’s well worth the trip to the shop. Sioux Falls technicians that are specially-trained in PDR work to remove dents using pressure and small hammers, producing excellent results that will improve the resale value of your car. If you’re worried about the repair going on record, don’t, as PDR does not show up on service reports. With such a convenient process offered by PDR pros, why try DIY dent repair when you can get professional repairs at a great price?
Before a hail storm, there are several preventative measures you can take to minimize the damage to your vehicle. You can read up on prep before a hail storm here. Unfortunately, many of us aren’t so ‘fortunate’ or ‘lucky’ to have that kind of time to prepare. In the event that you are caught off guard by a hail storm seek immediate shelter and wait until it passes. Once it is clear you can begin gathering information for your insurance providers, and start search for Sioux Falls hail repair experts near you!
First, gather as much information as you can. Start by taking pictures of the damage. You’ll want to make sure everything is in clear lighting and easy to see. A little bit of dirt or glare can easily hide some pretty serious dings. Jot down other important info such as license plate numbers.
Next, call your insurance provider. Let them know the full extent of the damage, and provide them the pictures you took earlier. This will help you determine whether or not to file a claim. For instance, if the damage does not exceed your deductible limit then you will be charged the full amount for repairs. In some cases it may be best to forgo the claim.
Finally, the search for your perfect Sioux Falls hail repair team near you begins. Look for a company that is trustworthy and reliable. Word of mouth is going to be your best resource, but you can often find reviews online. As for the techs themselves, you should find someone that enjoys what they do. Otherwise they may neglect their equipment or be out of practice.
The Best Tech in Town
Sioux Falls Dent Repair provides professional quality dent removal services to residents near and around the Sioux Falls area. If you need dents, hail, or minor collision repair, we are the safest, fastest, and most affordable option available. You can schedule a free damage estimate with us today by calling 605-595-4061 or by filling out our online contact form!
Paintless dent repair can depend on many different factors, making it a confusing endeavor for many inexperienced drivers. At first, most newcomers ask “can my dent be fixed with PDR?” Luckily, small dents are a PDR techs bread and butter. We can handle most minor body damage you come across. The only two limiting factors are the size and location of the dent. If you are having trouble determining whether you car is eligible for PDR, then sign up for a free quote today!
Sioux Falls Small Dent Removal Through PDR
PDR offers more than any other repair method when it comes to Sioux Falls small dent removal.
Faster Than Body Shops
It’s tough to beat the speeds that paintless dent repair is so famous for. Our turnaround times are days ahead of body shops, and minor damage can often be fixed in the same day. We don’t need to spend time sanding or preparing your car for paint. We simply knock the dent out until it looks like new!
Unbeatable Repair Rates
Repairs are never cheap; most drivers know this by now. But paintless dent repair rates stomp the closest competing body shops by nearly three times! This is because we don’t need any expensive materials like paint, primer, or filler. You’re only paying for our time and expertise.
Flawless Fixes Every Time
Often times, bad repairs can end up costing you far more than the damage itself. Novice technicians and DIY methods are always bad news. Unless you yourself are a PDR pro, we highly advise against fixing the dent yourself. Dent repair should be left only to the professionals. That being said, our work is no joke, and we are certain you will be satisfied with the results. Every dent is totally removed with no evidence of damage or service. PDR can even save you from inclining insurance rates.
You might be asking yourself, “Why do I need a technician specifically for my motorcycle? Dents are just dents right?” While not entirely wrong, there are several key differences that set motorcycle techs and normal PDR experts apart. It mostly comes down to what they have the most experience in. A car tech, for instance, has extensive knowledge of many different makes and models; when a car they have never worked on before comes around, they usually have no problem spotting patterns and similarities.
As for motorcycle techs, they need the knowledge to disassemble parts of the motorcycle and put it back together. Many of the parts on bikes are tightly packed and very small. This causes issues when trying to repair hard to reach areas, like certain spots on the fender. To overcome this, MPDR experts isolate the damaged parts and repair them individually, leaving you with a smooth, pristine, factory fresh finish.
Why Paintless Dent Repair?
Paintless dent repair is the premier method for removing all minor body damage on cars and motorcycles. Our technicians have dedicated years of practice to perfecting the craft of paintless dent repair. However, there is no way to learn everything PDR is capable of. It is an ever-evolving industry that continues to grow and improve. No other process can beat the fast, affordable, and quality service we provide.
To start with, the standard PDR job can take anywhere from 30 minutes to several hours, while hail damage usually takes a couple of days. This is nearly three times faster than competing body shops! Next, most paintless dent repair processes are very simple, and require no more than hand tools and the skills of a talented tech. This allows us to bring you the lowest repair rates in Sioux Falls. Finally, quality is the most important benefit of PDR. This is the closest you will ever get to never having the dent in the first place.
Can You Fix Every Dent?
90% of all minor body damage can be fixed using paintless dent repair. Here at Sioux Falls Dent Repair we fix cars and motorcycles, both modern and classic. However, what we are able to fix is limited by the size and location of the damage.
If the dent is too close to the edge of a panel, then the metal may be too tough to reshape.
If the dent is too sharp, then the metal may be stretched to far as it is.
And, if the paint is cracked or chipped, we can’t repair it because there are far too many quality problems.
This is rarely an issue with motorcycle fender repair. The paint is very malleable, and the material is easy to work with. If you need a Brandon motorcycle fender repair team, call us today at 605-595-4061, so we can start you off with a free damage assessment!
