Hail Damage

Hail damagehandled without losing your factory paint

North Texas gets hail every spring, and it does not check whether your car is parked under cover. If yours took a beating, most of it can usually be fixed without repainting a single panel.

What to do after a storm

  1. Photograph itTake pictures in daylight, from a low angle so the dents catch the light. Roof and hood especially — those take the worst of it and are easiest to miss.
  2. Get it looked atCome by for a free estimate before you call anyone. Knowing what the damage actually is puts you in a better position for the conversation with your adjuster.
  3. Open the claimHail is normally a comprehensive claim. Tell your adjuster which shop you are using — that choice is yours to make.
  4. Bring it inWe inspect panel by panel and work out which ones can be done paintless and which need conventional repair.

Paintless first, wherever it works

If the finish is not cracked or chipped, paintless dent repair is almost always the right answer. The dent is worked out from behind the panel with the original paint left completely untouched. Nothing is sanded, nothing is sprayed.

That matters more than it sounds. Factory paint is better than anything that can be sprayed afterwards, and keeping it intact protects your resale value. It is also faster and less invasive than a conventional repair.

Where the hail has broken the finish, or where a dent is too sharp or in too awkward a spot to work from behind, that panel gets conventional bodywork and refinishing instead. Most hail cars need some of each, and we will walk you through which is which on yours.

Your claim, your shop

After a big storm, a lot of out-of-town outfits show up in North Texas, work fast out of temporary setups, and are gone by the time anything needs revisiting. We are on Harmon Rd year round. If something needs a second look in six months, we are still here.

Your insurer may point you toward a shop on their list. That is a recommendation, not a requirement — the choice is yours.

Have an old claim you never used?

This one catches a lot of people. If you opened a hail claim after a previous storm, took the payout or the approval, and never had the repairs done, that claim may still be good. Texas generally allows up to two years to act.

Bring us the claim number and we will find out where it stands. It costs nothing to ask.

Common questions

Is hail damage covered by my insurance?

Hail is normally handled under comprehensive coverage rather than collision, and comprehensive deductibles are often lower. Whether you carry it and what your deductible is depends on your policy — check with your agent, or bring your policy by and we will look at it with you.

Will filing a hail claim raise my rates?

Comprehensive claims are treated differently from at-fault collision claims by most carriers, and weather events are not something you caused. That said, rating varies by company and by state, so your agent is the right person to answer that one for your policy specifically.

Does paintless dent repair keep my factory paint?

Yes, and that is the main reason to use it. The dents are worked out from behind the panel, so the original finish is never sanded or resprayed. Factory paint is worth keeping — it matters at resale and it is better than anything anyone can spray afterwards.

What if the hail cracked or chipped the paint?

Then paintless repair is not the right tool for those panels. Cracked or chipped finish needs conventional bodywork and refinishing. Most hail-damaged cars end up needing a mix, and we sort out which panels get which.

The storm was months ago. Is it too late?

Probably not. Texas generally allows up to two years to act on a claim, so if you opened one after a past storm and never had the work done, that claim may still be usable. Bring us the claim number and we will find out.

Free estimate. No pressure.

Bring the car by, or call and we will walk you through what it needs before you commit to anything. We are at 13181 Harmon Rd, open Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm and Saturday mornings.