Has Your Car Been Damaged By Hail? Here's What You Should Do
- By Tony Mers
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- 18 Nov, 2018
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Hail can cause significant physical damage to your vehicle and end up costing you a lot of money, especially if you don't take care of the damage right away. Primarily, serious hail damage can cause two main types of damages: dents and windshield cracks. Repairing dents from hail and windshield cracks might cost a bit at first, but it will end up saving you much more in the long run, since these damages can often worsen over time.
There are six basic types of windshield breaks: surface pit breaks, half-moon breaks, bullseye breaks, star breaks, and cracks. Taking your vehicle to an experienced auto body shop can clear up the majority of these cracks, but make sure you act quickly. Over half -- 53% -- of windshield crack replacement jobs are from breaks at least seven to 12 inches long.
Dents, on the other hand, have a broader range of damages. Here are some of the most common types of vehicle dents:
- Round -- These dents are caused by objects that are round in nature. Hailstones are the most common source of these round dents.
- Creased -- Creased dents are mainly caused by low tree branches, bicycle handlebars, and trailers.
- Sharp -- Sharp dents are severe and have a defined valley. These dents are commonly caused by doors slamming into the side of your vehicle.
- Extreme -- When something large impacts a vehicle at a decent speed, an extreme dent can occur. These dents are much larger and irregular shaped, but can be easily repaired by skilled technicians.
Though it's best to head to professional auto body repair services for repairing dents from hail, there are some things you can do. Here are some great tips that should help you when you're repairing dents from hail:
- Park your vehicle in a sunny area when working on your car.
- Apply hot hair to all the dents on your vehicle.
- Apply dry ice to the dents
- Utilize dent repair kits
- Use a dent puller
Whether you experienced significant hail dents or windshield cracks on your vehicle, don't neglect any of those damages because you'll end up spending a lot more money down the road. Take your vehicle to a professional window and dent repair service -- visit River North Collision Repair today.
