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When you are living in cold climates, you can expect it to hail at any time. Frozen precipitation falling at varying thicknesses and speed is what is hail. These frozen precipitation pieces can be of various shapes and sizes and can cause damage if it falls on your car or any surface for that matter. Imagine having ice cubes, big and small falling from the sky if you haven’t seen hail.

If your vehicle has been subject to hail storms, it will have significant damage which is undesirable. Your next question will be about how to repair hail damage in cars which is what we are going to answer through this article along with some other related headings.

Damages Caused To Your Car From Hail

Frozen precipitation pieces falling on your car can cause several damage to it. Among them the common ones are

• Dents and dings on the hood, doors and sides of the car
• Broken windshield
• Broken windows
• Broken back glass
• Missing, misaligned or broken mirrors

Taking your car to a mechanic may be the best thing to do if your car falls a victim to  They start with looking for the above-mentioned damages and do the necessary.

Hails can be of varying levels. Minor hail storms only will cause slight damage while heavy hail storms can cause huge damage to your car which cannot run without repairing immediately.

How To Avoid Hail Damage?

Prevention is always better than cure. Avoid subjecting your car to hail storms. However, some hail storms can be unpredictable and can come without any warnings.

• It is always good to have a good weather app that will give you regular weather updates.
• When you get hail storm warnings, try parking your car inside a garage or a covered parking area. This will provide a good shelter for your car. If you are driving, pull over under an overpass or covered gas filling station.
• If your house lacks a garage, invest in a hail protection blanket for your car. This may not be completely effective but this is better than nothing.

How To Repair Hail Damage In Cars On Your Own?

It is always best advised to take your car to a mechanic than do the repairing yourself. But it is possible to repair dents and such in your car caused by hail storms. But you need the right tools for the same.

Doing the repairing work on your own can save you a lot of money compared to the expensive bodywork done by professionals. However, repairing them on your own is not possible if there is heavy damage to your car and a trip to your mechanic is important.

Here are some methods you can try on your own to repair your car

1. Heating And Cooling

Dents formed in your car because hail pieces stretch the metal. Some people try the heating and cooling method to fix the issue. This method uses a hairdryer or heat gun to lightly heat on medium to low settings depending on the depth of the damage. After heating, dry ice is put on these dents to make them normal.

The principle behind this method is that heat expands the metal slightly and the rapid cooling contracts it quickly thus making the dented metal pop back up to normal.

Experts usually do not advise trying this method on your own because too much heat can damage your car’s paint, worsening the situation. If you are still sure about adopting this method, make sure that you won’t heat your car’s surface hotter than you can touch.

2. Pushing Tools

Pushing Tools are made in such a way as to help you reach inside or under your car’s body panels. These are used by most mechanics for the same purpose, especially for hail damage repair. These are usually sold in kits. Carefully keep them under the dents caused by hail and gradually push on its underside until the dent disappears.

However, the method is quite hard to complete as applying pressure carefully to push up the dent can be tiring as it will use up a lot of your strength.

3. Pulling Tools

This is the most recommended method if you are asking how to repair hail damage in cars on your own. This tool also comes in a kit containing a pulling handle, a glue gun and a wide variety of plastic plungers. They are designed to anchor the dented area of the vehicle.

Pulling Tools are considered safer than Pushing Tools. However, pulling tools also require gentle handling to get good results. A plastic plunger of the perfect size is stuck to the dented area. Then the handle is attached to it to which you have to attach the pulling handle. You have to keep pulling little by little to finally get the result, that is dent pulled back to normal.

How Much Can It Cost To Repair Hail Damage In Cars By A Mechanic?

Simple hail damage repair techniques like S.M.A.R.T repairs using Small, Medium Area Repair Technology or P.D.R. repairs using Paintless Dent Removal will cost between $500- $1000. These cheaper alternatives are generally termed ‘contained’ repairs.

Another type of repairing technique is ‘multiple sites’ which is needed if your car has significant hail damage on multiple spots. Your car might have several dents, broken windshields, windows and mirrors if it gets subjected to a heavy hail storm. In such a case your car will need a thorough repair which will cost you a minimum of $1000 for minimum damage. It is better to cover the repair cost using insurance.

Frequently Asked Questions :

So, here are some of the frequently asked questions about do-it-yourself repair hail dents , do dent pullers work on hail damage etc?-

Conclusion

Hail storms are a natural enemy to your car. Your car will have a great deal of damage if it becomes a victim of a hail storm. Instead of searching how to repair hail damage in cars once the damage is done, it is always better to do everything to avoid getting you or your car to be hit by hail storms altogether. Hope this article helped you by answering the question you were seeking.