Hail Damage...repair question?

Yaajer · 04-24-2006, 04:06 PM

Is my car totally phucked? Does the repair (dent removal) restore it's condition? :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

bpbenda · 04-24-2006, 05:15 PM

Depends on the severity of the hail damage. If they are small rounded dents that can be easily popped out by a professional, than it should look like new when they are done. If your car was subjected to large hail and the dents are deeper and possibly even pinched, there may well not be a whole lot that can be done aside from replacing the damaged body part. But, again, have a professional look at it. If they are a professional and they say that they can make it look new, they should be able to. If you have a "Dent Wizard" in your area, contact them.

Hail can cause alot of damage to cars. With the hail that accompanied the recent tornados here in the Middle Tennessee area, I personally saw hail damage estimates in the range of $1500-$4000. A buddy of mine drives a recent Nissan Altima and had his car parked at my house, his estimate was $2000. A partner of mine in my firm drives an older Jaguar XJ8L and had $3500 of hail damage as appraised by his insurance company. So, yes, if you don't have comprehensive insurance, you are up a creek. But then again, if you own a brand new BMW, you should have comprehensive insurance no matter what it costs. And if you cannot afford it, you need to own a different car.

Yaajer · 04-24-2006, 05:32 PM

wtf is with "if you cannot afford it?" remark.

wow..

my freaken deductible is 50$ for compreshensive for this BMW.

the issue is whether or not the car will look "new" pre hail after the repairs. i'm basically asking if anyone has had previous hail repair damage and how it looked later. i'll be more obvious next time.

thanks for your response.

Pazzuzzu · 04-24-2006, 08:37 PM

Nobody wants to throw away money wether you can afford it or not. "if you can't afford it" phrases are part of the negative stereoptypes automatically associated with Bimmer drivers...

I find such comments stupid.

As far as dent removal, they usually do a great job but be sure to inspect the final work before you give the OK. What may look good to one may be unacceptable to others.

View at an angle under a close fluorecent light to reveal any faults. Check it over thoroughly cause if you see something later it's gonna eat at you.

bpbenda · 04-24-2006, 11:22 PM

I apologize if my comments were interpreted incorrectly. I was not trying to insinuate that you do not have comprehensive coverage or that you cannot afford it. The bottom line is that if you do in fact have comprehensive on your automobile, you have nothing to worry about because your insurance company will appraise the damage based on repair or replacement, whichever is cheapest and will bring the vehicle back to the way it was before the event. And with a $50 deductible on comprehensive coverage, you really have nothing to worry about other than having to drive another car while yours is being fixed.

I hate that this has happened to you, but without seeing the vehicle I would not be surprised to learn that the appraised damage could well be in the thousands of dollars. The $2000 and $3500 damage appraisals that I referenced in my previous post were on cars that really did not appear to be damaged until viewed at an angle under direct sunlight. So, yes, the damage could be very expensive, although it may ostensibly appear otherwise. But, again, since you have comprehensive coverage on your car, you do not have anything to worry about.

And I am not trying to be a jerk, and again I am not directing this at you, but I still believe that if anyone buys a $40,000 car they really need to have comprehensive coverage no matter the price. And if the cost of the insurance is too expensive, they should consider buying something else. That same principle applies to a BMW as it does to any $40,000 automobile. And the reason it is so important is for this very reason we are discussing here.

Your insurance company and a dent specialist will know better if the dents can be popped or if the panels will need to be replaced. That would be my next call, to a dent specialist. They will tell you if they can do it right, and if they can the car will look as it did before any of the damage. But if there is any question, you will want to seriously consider taking it to the body shop and having the damaged panels replaced. Just my two cents based on experience.

04-24-2006, 04:06 PM	#1
Yaajer First Lieutenant 50 Rep 308 Posts Drives: ActiveHybrid 3, X5 Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Madison, WI iTrader: (4)	Hail Damage...repair question? Is my car totally phucked? Does the repair (dent removal) restore it's condition? :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: __________________ 330I Spark Graph, 6spd, Prem, Sport, Heated Seats.
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04-24-2006, 05:15 PM	#2
bpbenda Private First Class 16 Rep 170 Posts Drives: 2006 BMW 325i Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Nashville, TN iTrader: (0) Garage List 2006 BMW 325i [0.00]	Depends on the severity of the hail damage. If they are small rounded dents that can be easily popped out by a professional, than it should look like new when they are done. If your car was subjected to large hail and the dents are deeper and possibly even pinched, there may well not be a whole lot that can be done aside from replacing the damaged body part. But, again, have a professional look at it. If they are a professional and they say that they can make it look new, they should be able to. If you have a "Dent Wizard" in your area, contact them. Hail can cause alot of damage to cars. With the hail that accompanied the recent tornados here in the Middle Tennessee area, I personally saw hail damage estimates in the range of $1500-$4000. A buddy of mine drives a recent Nissan Altima and had his car parked at my house, his estimate was $2000. A partner of mine in my firm drives an older Jaguar XJ8L and had $3500 of hail damage as appraised by his insurance company. So, yes, if you don't have comprehensive insurance, you are up a creek. But then again, if you own a brand new BMW, you should have comprehensive insurance no matter what it costs. And if you cannot afford it, you need to own a different car.
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04-24-2006, 05:32 PM	#3
Yaajer First Lieutenant 50 Rep 308 Posts Drives: ActiveHybrid 3, X5 Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Madison, WI iTrader: (4)	wtf is with "if you cannot afford it?" remark. wow.. my freaken deductible is 50$ for compreshensive for this BMW. the issue is whether or not the car will look "new" pre hail after the repairs. i'm basically asking if anyone has had previous hail repair damage and how it looked later. i'll be more obvious next time. thanks for your response. __________________ 330I Spark Graph, 6spd, Prem, Sport, Heated Seats.
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04-24-2006, 08:37 PM	#4
Pazzuzzu Private First Class 9 Rep 130 Posts Drives: 330i SP Arctic Metallic Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Montreal Canada iTrader: (0)	Nobody wants to throw away money wether you can afford it or not. "if you can't afford it" phrases are part of the negative stereoptypes automatically associated with Bimmer drivers... I find such comments stupid. As far as dent removal, they usually do a great job but be sure to inspect the final work before you give the OK. What may look good to one may be unacceptable to others. View at an angle under a close fluorecent light to reveal any faults. Check it over thoroughly cause if you see something later it's gonna eat at you.
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04-24-2006, 11:22 PM	#5
bpbenda Private First Class 16 Rep 170 Posts Drives: 2006 BMW 325i Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Nashville, TN iTrader: (0) Garage List 2006 BMW 325i [0.00]	I apologize if my comments were interpreted incorrectly. I was not trying to insinuate that you do not have comprehensive coverage or that you cannot afford it. The bottom line is that if you do in fact have comprehensive on your automobile, you have nothing to worry about because your insurance company will appraise the damage based on repair or replacement, whichever is cheapest and will bring the vehicle back to the way it was before the event. And with a $50 deductible on comprehensive coverage, you really have nothing to worry about other than having to drive another car while yours is being fixed. I hate that this has happened to you, but without seeing the vehicle I would not be surprised to learn that the appraised damage could well be in the thousands of dollars. The $2000 and $3500 damage appraisals that I referenced in my previous post were on cars that really did not appear to be damaged until viewed at an angle under direct sunlight. So, yes, the damage could be very expensive, although it may ostensibly appear otherwise. But, again, since you have comprehensive coverage on your car, you do not have anything to worry about. And I am not trying to be a jerk, and again I am not directing this at you, but I still believe that if anyone buys a $40,000 car they really need to have comprehensive coverage no matter the price. And if the cost of the insurance is too expensive, they should consider buying something else. That same principle applies to a BMW as it does to any $40,000 automobile. And the reason it is so important is for this very reason we are discussing here. Your insurance company and a dent specialist will know better if the dents can be popped or if the panels will need to be replaced. That would be my next call, to a dent specialist. They will tell you if they can do it right, and if they can the car will look as it did before any of the damage. But if there is any question, you will want to seriously consider taking it to the body shop and having the damaged panels replaced. Just my two cents based on experience.
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