How to Avoid Auto Hail Damage

Tony Mers • July 8, 2020

If you live in a hail-prone city like Wyoming, your car is likely to be damaged by hail during a hailstorm. Hail damage causes small to medium dents on your car, mostly on the roof, hood, and trunk. It may also smash your windscreen and cause cracks.

Car Damage by Hail

Depending on how severe the auto hail damage is, you can opt for collision repair services or paintless dent repair in Chicago. Some hail may not be severe enough to cause hail damageon your car, but an intense hailstorm will leave your car in need of dent repair and collision repair. After a hailstorm, your car may sustain large dents, small pea-sized dents, or medium-sized dents. In any case, you are best suited seeking auto body repair services to fix your car.

Paintless Dent Repair for Hail Damage

When the hail causes pea-sized dents on your car and does not destroy the original car paint, then you can opt for paintless dent repair (PDR). PDR is a modern technique of dent repair that does not utilize paint in the repair process. A PDR technician accesses the car dents from the inside and gently pushes them back in position. This ensures that the factory paint of the car is left intact, and eliminates the need for sanding down, painting, or removing car panels.

Collision Repair for Hail Damage

Large hailstorms cause significant dents in your car. Large dents usually destroy the original paint of your car, and this calls for collision repair. It is key that you have an experienced collision repair technician work on your car because the process requires extreme caution to restore the original finish of the car. Collision repair services fix the hail damage in a professional way that does not leave marks and new-paint patches on your car body.

However, sometimes it may be hard to tell if the hail damage on your car should be fixed by PDR or collision repair. The good thing is that once you take your car to an auto body shop in Chicago, the professionals will apply the best fix for the hail damage.

How Can You Prevent Hail Damage on Your Car

You can’t control a hailstorm, but you can protect your car from hail damage. If you live in a hail-prone area, it is easier to prevent hail damage than getting your car fixed every time hail causes dents on your car.

Here are some of the ways to prevent hail damage.

1. Invest in a Carport

If you do not have a garage, having a carport is the next viable option. Although carports may have two sides open, it keeps off most of the hail. It is unlikely that your car will sustain major hail damage when under a carport.

2. Buy a Fitted Car Cover

You may not have the space for a garage or a carport. However, fitted car covers will protect your car from hail damage. Car covers work better than using random blankets to cover your car during a hailstorm.

3. Reduce Your Driving Speed and Park Your Car

When a hailstorm hits when you are on the road, you should reduce your speed and find the nearest parking spot. Driving at high speed may lead to a more serious accident besides sustaining hail damage.

4. Use Structures and Buildings as Shields

You may not be able to access parking in the middle of a hailstorm. In such a case, you should look for a building or structure that blocks the strong winds of the hailstorm. Park your car in close range to the building so that the walls shield your car from the hailstorm.

According to a recent survey, it is estimated that 77% of cars need maintenance and repair. A big percentage of these repairs are dent repairs that, among other reasons, are caused by hail damage. You should consult the nearest dent repair technician when your car sustains hail damage.

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Why Ignoring Small Dents Can Lead to Bigger Problems

January 30, 2026

It is an awful feeling when you walk out to your car after a long day and see a small dent on your passenger door. While it may appear to be just a cosmetic issue, you should still get it fixed, because ignoring small dents can lead to bigger problems for your vehicle. Don’t let small dents on your car go untreated; let's talk about why you need to tackle these issues ASAP. Rust Loves Chicago Winters We all know the drill here in the Windy City. We have beautiful summers, sure, but we also pay the price with brutal winters. And what comes with winter? Salt. Tons of it. Your car’s paint job acts as a suit of armor protecting the metal body underneath. Even a minor dent often comes with microscopic cracks in the paint—sometimes too small to see with the naked eye. Once that seal is broken, moisture and road salt sneak in. They settle against the bare metal and start a chemical party you definitely don’t want to host. Oxidation begins immediately. By the time you notice bubbling paint or that tell-tale orange stain a few months later, the rust has already been eating away at your door panel from the inside out. Resale Value Takes a Nosedive For many people, maintaining their car is a valuable part of purchasing a new vehicle. When that day comes, curb appeal is everything. Used car buyers (and dealership appraisers) will judge your car by its exterior appearance. If they see a vehicle riddled with door dings, bumper scrapes, and ignored scratches, they see a car that wasn't cared for. They assume that if you didn't care enough to fix the outside, you probably didn't care about the rest of it either. It lowers the perceived value instantly. Maintaining your car’s body and its paint is an investment in your future trade-in value. Paint Damage Spreads Like a Virus When a dent or scrape compromises the integrity of the paint, the surrounding paint loses its grip. High-pressure car washes, wind, and temperature fluctuations cause the paint to flake away from the initial injury site. A scratch the size of a quarter can grow into a patch the size of a softball over a couple of seasons. It’s Easier (and Cheaper) Than You Think Here is the good news: fixing these things early is surprisingly affordable. Modern body shop technology is amazing. For many small dings where the paint isn't cracked, we can use techniques that massage the metal back into place without spraying a drop of paint. River North Collision Repair offers paintless dent repair in Chicago to fix minor dents. Regardless of what nicked your door, we can help remove the dents and maintain a seamless look for your vehicle. Don’t Wait for Problems Don't let minor dents turn into a big nightmare. Save your future self the headache (and the cash). Swing by River North Collision Repair for your quick and easy repairs. Because driving a car you’re proud of? That’s a feeling you can’t put a price on.