Hail Damage! How bad?

Paintless dent repair can only do so much. As you stated, the car is probably not worth the cost to do these kind of repairs. Unfortunately, the car is probably destined to the salvage yard.

 

Still it's funny that it would be "totalled", by cosmetic damage. Maybe just wax it frequently and keep driving? Maybe it's more aerodynamic now, like a golf ball.

 

If you just need to get from point “A” to point “B”, I would certainly have no problem keeping the car. After all, people run around with the knees of their denims all ripped out and tattered. Maybe you’ll start a trend.

 

I'm a little surprised that you carry comp and collision on an 8-year-old car....but since you do and have filed a claim on the hail damage then it's going to be up to the adjuster.
About the best thing that you can do now is pocket the check, remove comp and collision from the car's insurance policy or at least up the deductible....and drive on!
I do not think that you will be losing a lot of fuel efficiency from the dimples, and if you spot treat the rust then you will have no rust-through problems for the rest of the life of the car.

I have an 06 and an 09 car that I would not bother to repair with similar damage....

Remember that no matter what you do the car will be worth much less $$ than it did before the dimpling regardless of whether or not you spend a hunk of cash on the repair.
YOU will also now have a damage claim on your record.....the effects of which will vary over the next 5 years.

Good Luck!

 

Anyone remember the MythBusters episode where they covered a car with clay and cut out dimples over the entire surface to simulate a golfball? I seem to remember it actually improved gas mileage (your results may vary). Looks like you just need 3 or 4 more good hail storms and you should be good to go. Going that extra mile for better MPG!!!

 

You must be in Monument?

They'll cut you a check for $6-8K and sell you the car for $1,000 probably. You will make out great! Who cares if it has a salvage title. You can still sell it for $3-4k whenever and move on to a 2018

 

I'd be careful about relying on that.
If you file glass or paint claims time after time after time....then your rates WILL go up.

Of course, insurance is a state regulated thing...right?
And....insurance companies make more money when they sell comp and collision for downmarket cars.....right?
This means that they won't actually SAY that the number of claims that you file can influence your rates, but they ALSO will not publish their rates without looking at your Insurance score - Wikipedia, which comprises............what?

The answer.....may surprise you....and it's different for different states, some of which do not allow (wink-wink!!) credit scores to affect insurance scores....(wink-wink!)




Usually......the only people who assert that comp claims will not affect insurance rates, strangely enough........sell insurance, glass, or paint for a living or repeat junk that these folks told THEM.

 

If the cost of repair is greater than the value of the car, which I suspect is going to be the case, it will be declared totaled. If that's what happens, you can still buy back the car from insurance company as a totaled car. You will have to get a new salvage title for the car to drive it, but if you just want a car to drive around it should be fine. You can still pocket the check (full value of the car - wholesale price of salvage vehicle). That's exactly what I did with my old car on which I kept a full coverage. Let us know how it goes.

 

I was going to say the same thing. Here's the link.

And for the record, I think I'd buy it back and keep or sell it if it's totaled. If not totaled, I would probably keep the check and sell the car when I was ready to. Although, if it was my only car, I'd probably replace it so I wouldn't be showing up at nice events or places in a "junker." LOL!

 

this will be a great buy for someone on a limited budget, but needs reliable transportation.

 

Or the policy already has it built in... The OP is in Colorado, like where most of my vehicles are. Windshields may last a summer season, two if you're lucky. Hail the size of golf balls is very common. Nobody I know in the area hasn't had hail damage to a vehicle or house. It is just the way it is. Auto insurance rates and home insurance rates have all this built into them.

I also don't know of anyone around here who has ever paid for a roof with their own money. It's a given that you get a "free roof" every so many years, that's just how it works.

So no, hail damage claims on a car in Colorado won't raise your rates by themselves. Just like it won't raise your home insurance policy rates. And all my vehicles are fully insured, for this type of reason. Get a new windshield every 1-2 years, get body work done every couple years, that's how we roll.

With it being Colorado, pocket the insurance cheque until the end of the hail season. With all the storms that have been around here if you're not leaking somewhere wait until Halloween to get the car fixed before the snow starts. It's doubtful that would total the car. Just need a new hood and roof from the pictures. It'll be a few thousand dollars but not over the cost of the vehicle. If all the sides look like a golf ball too, then different story.

 

The hood is aluminum. The hood gets hot due to engine heat. So, I would say that the expansion/contraction rate of the aluminum would be a contributing factor to the reduction in size of the dents in the hood.
The cloud cover in the photos really accentuates the dent. Paintless dent removal technicians apply the same technique s towith a background matrix to accentuate the repair area.

 

Be sure to show, and then send your pictures to the adjuster--as you noted, even though the dents are smaller, the paint is damaged from the dent, but that may not be obvious later. You can have a similar problem with a flood claim (car or house), take pictures while still wet, so you can see the extent of the water penetration, because things will be partially dry when the adjuster gets there.

 

What is the payout and what is the price for buying it back? I think you are still better off buying it back and keeping remaining amount for your next car purchase.

 

Ouch! Sorry about the verdict. Weather can sure ruin things. Never had hail damage myself here in the Midwest, but, well, tornados.

From the movie Christine.