Hail Damage? Here's How to Repair Your Car in Texas

If you live in or near Tyler, Texas, there's a good chance you were awakened by the pummelling of hail that fell in the wee hours of Monday morning.

It was THAT loud.

Granted, we're no strangers to occasional hail during thunderstorms. Last night's hail was EXTRA loud. In addition to frightening our pets and kids, hail can also cause heinous damage to our vehicles.

I'm grateful my car was in the garage, but I do have two skylights at my house and I spent some tense minutes staring up at them hoping that serious damage wouldn't collapse their integrity and cause rainwater (and more hail) to start falling in my house.

According to CarFax, there are steps you can take to repair hail damage on your vehicle.

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A story shared on the CarFax website states that "Hailstorms happen in many parts of the U.S., but the states with the most hail-damage claims in the past few years were Texas, Colorado, and Nebraska."

Yeah. No kidding.

If you have comprehensive insurance coverage, there's a good chance that will at least help with the repair. CarFax suggests getting in touch with your insurance company as soon as possible. If your car has hail damage, others in the area do, too. Insurance companies can start to get pretty busy so it's good to place a claim as soon as you can.

If you don't have the type of insurance that will cover your car's hail damage, you may want to try fixing it on your own. There are tools that can assist you in that endeavor. These "tools for pushing or pulling dents are available through auto parts stores and other retailers, though they’re generally more effective on minor dents than on deep craters," according to CarFax.

I've seen these tools work well when the dents aren't super deep. If they are more than minor, you may want to consider a professional unless you have lots of practice or the skill set to do it well. But it is a possibility.

So, what are your next steps? Check this out for advice from those who know.

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