Hail Storm
05-20-2006, 07:19 PM
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: 02-19-2006
Location: Kentucky
Posts: 473
Hail Storm
I caught caught in a hail storm today in the Gatlinburg TN area. I've got about 20 dents in my hood and 4 or 5 on the roof. I'm going to push for the insurance company to put a new hood on. Anybody have a guessimate on the cost of a new hood before I contact the insurance company on Monday? What about the roof? Any bodywork people know how I should approach the insurance company about the roof? She is only 3 months old and it breaks my heart. She really took a beating 
05-20-2006, 11:46 PM
#3
New Member
Join Date: 05-15-2006
Location: So Cal
Posts: 20
KY Dave
I may be I can help, I currently work for a large insurance company, and have about 30 years experience in the body and paint, I owned a body shop prior to working in the insurance field and I do all my own body and paint work still today.
With 20 or so dents in the hood, the hood would probably be replaced since it most likely would not be cost effective to utilize paintless dent removal (PDR). PRD is a common repair method for hail damage, there are a number of PDR techs that specialize in doing hail damage. Your insurance company would owe O.E. MSRP for replacement parts, list on hood is $325.00, plus body and paint labor, if body rates in your area are around $38.00 per unit/hour labor cost for hood replacement would be around $250.00 plus paint materials and any tax. This would be just the hood, no blending of paint on adjacent panels, if adjacent panels are blended the repair cost would exceed $1100.00.
As far as your roof, if the dents are accessible for PDR, may require removal of the headliner for access. If they can be removed with PDR I would go with PDR repair and leave the original paint finish intact. If not traditional body repair methods would be your next best bet if there are only a few dents. Roof replacement would only be the last resort. I would be concerned about having the roof replaced, finding a repair facility that would do a quality job and be able restore the vehicle to a pre-loss condition would be difficult.
My job has me doing repair quality checks after repairs are completed by repair facilities that do business with my employer. About 90-95% of vehicle I inspect are returned to the shop for one reason or another. Some issues are very minor other are major, a number of times the shop that has done the repairs end up buying the car because repairs were done so poorly.
I hope this will help you with your vehicle repairs.
I may be I can help, I currently work for a large insurance company, and have about 30 years experience in the body and paint, I owned a body shop prior to working in the insurance field and I do all my own body and paint work still today.
With 20 or so dents in the hood, the hood would probably be replaced since it most likely would not be cost effective to utilize paintless dent removal (PDR). PRD is a common repair method for hail damage, there are a number of PDR techs that specialize in doing hail damage. Your insurance company would owe O.E. MSRP for replacement parts, list on hood is $325.00, plus body and paint labor, if body rates in your area are around $38.00 per unit/hour labor cost for hood replacement would be around $250.00 plus paint materials and any tax. This would be just the hood, no blending of paint on adjacent panels, if adjacent panels are blended the repair cost would exceed $1100.00.
As far as your roof, if the dents are accessible for PDR, may require removal of the headliner for access. If they can be removed with PDR I would go with PDR repair and leave the original paint finish intact. If not traditional body repair methods would be your next best bet if there are only a few dents. Roof replacement would only be the last resort. I would be concerned about having the roof replaced, finding a repair facility that would do a quality job and be able restore the vehicle to a pre-loss condition would be difficult.
My job has me doing repair quality checks after repairs are completed by repair facilities that do business with my employer. About 90-95% of vehicle I inspect are returned to the shop for one reason or another. Some issues are very minor other are major, a number of times the shop that has done the repairs end up buying the car because repairs were done so poorly.
I hope this will help you with your vehicle repairs.
Last edited by HHRnoPT; 05-21-2006 at 05:19 PM.
05-21-2006, 12:18 PM
#4
Senior Member
Join Date: 04-22-2006
Location: Cleveland, TN
Posts: 129
Originally Posted by KY Dave
I caught caught in a hail storm today in the Gatlinburg TN area.....
I remember your post from a couple of weeks ago....
"...For those of you around the Great Smokey Mountains, there is a Cruiser get together on May 20. I have gone in the past 2 years, but have traded my Cruiser for an HHR (thank goodness). I plan on going to watch them cruise while I'm leaning on my blue HHR.."
I was planning on being there....but stayed home instead. (weather was bad here in Cleveland, TN - 70 miles south of Gatlinburg)...guess I just got lucky!
Hope the insurance folks treat you right.....
05-21-2006, 02:45 PM
#5
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: 02-19-2006
Location: Kentucky
Posts: 473
You were lucky. It was one of the worse storms I have ever seen. Golf ball size hail came in two waves. I have 22 dents on the hood and 10 on the top. Breaks my heart. There were some nice Cruisers there. I hope how soon we can have mods for the HHR like there is for the Cruisers. I tried to upload some pics showing where the damage is, but for some reason could not get them to upload. By the way, I counted 7 HHRs in the area. We are getting our numbers up aren't we.
05-21-2006, 05:38 PM
#6
New Member
Join Date: 05-15-2006
Location: DFW
Posts: 20
We had a hail storm a few months ago, my fathers new Escape, my mother's new HHR, and my Intrigue all got pinned hard, but they estimated PDR with it, and it worked out really well and you can't tell at all. That's cheaper and looks like it did before we even got it. Try that out first.
05-23-2006, 02:54 PM
#7
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: 02-19-2006
Location: Kentucky
Posts: 473
Got the estimate today. $1,397.23. New hood, repair the top, blend the paint. Insurance is $250 deductible..........not bad. Would you believe I've been driving for 42 years, and this is the first claim I have ever had?
05-23-2006, 03:40 PM
#8
Senior Member
Join Date: 05-15-2006
Location: St. Joseph, MO
Posts: 241
Originally Posted by KY Dave
Would you believe I've been driving for 42 years, and this is the first claim I have ever had?
That is a really exceptional record!
I went about 13 years between accidents.
Of course, my streak came to an end after I had my HHR for only 3 weeks.
05-23-2006, 05:08 PM
#9
Senior Member
Join Date: 01-13-2006
Location: Superior, WI - Over the Hill Warranty Club member
Posts: 2,999
Originally Posted by KY Dave
this is the first claim I have ever had?
Got me a kamakazi bird the other day, Look Ma no dents this time!!