Hailstone damage to...
 

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[Closed] Hailstone damage to car body

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After last nights storm, the wife's car has took a beating from the massive hailstones that were dropping.
She was over the other side of town so my car isn't affected.
Does anyone have any experience of getting this sort of damage repaired?
Looks like it would be a massive job to get them all removed. There are some pretty big ones in there to remove too but the number overall looks to be into the hundreds.
I know PDR will be able to sort it but how much is it likely to cost to cover it?


 
Posted : 14/09/2016 12:33 pm
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Likely to be an insurance write off if the damage is significant, surely?


 
Posted : 14/09/2016 12:46 pm
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How much is the car worth? Lots of superficial damage could be a bit cost, which if it's not worth much could actually write it off

Isn't that just a normal insurance claim?


 
Posted : 14/09/2016 12:47 pm
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I would have though it would just be a claim but wondering how well this sort of thing repairs.
Cars probably worth 12k, bonnet and roof are peppered. Bonnet would be easy fix but roof maybe not so.

Will get on to insurance.


 
Posted : 14/09/2016 12:57 pm
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leave it the dimples make it go faster.


 
Posted : 14/09/2016 12:58 pm
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Does insurance cover 'acts of god'


 
Posted : 14/09/2016 12:58 pm
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Friends in America have had two cars written off by hail damage.


 
Posted : 14/09/2016 12:59 pm
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From what I can gather it's classed as storm damage and most insurers will cover it.
The dimples might make it go faster but it looks awful...
I was enjoying watching the storm from the safety of the kitchen too.


 
Posted : 14/09/2016 1:00 pm
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Does insurance cover 'acts of god'

Do they do different cover for believers and atheists?


 
Posted : 14/09/2016 1:05 pm
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Roof damage is usually bad news ime. Something to do with the structural integrity but good luck anyway


 
Posted : 14/09/2016 1:07 pm
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(It's not an 'act of god' in any case - it was preventable, wouldn't have happened if she'd parked in a garage.)


 
Posted : 14/09/2016 1:11 pm
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It might not be that difficult to fix, they can fix dimples with a vacuum pump quite easily now I believe...?


 
Posted : 14/09/2016 1:14 pm
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It's not an 'act of god' in any case - it was preventable, wouldn't have happened if she'd parked in a garage.

I'd have thought all damage from "acts of god" is preventable by being somewhere different. certainly with anything that's not a building.


 
Posted : 14/09/2016 1:52 pm
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If God was one of the proper old fashioned fire and brimstone Gods he would be able to create a hail storm even inside a garage surely?


 
Posted : 14/09/2016 1:56 pm
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We just had a hail damaged car at our work. Ended up with pdr all over the car and a new bonnet. Then a full compound polish was an oldish vectra estate so wouldn't be worth 12k. The pdr guy took 2 days on it as it was peppered


 
Posted : 14/09/2016 2:10 pm
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PDR?


 
Posted : 14/09/2016 2:30 pm
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I'm gonna guess Preventable Dent Removal...


 
Posted : 14/09/2016 2:35 pm
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PDR - Paintless Dent Removal.

Gets rid of the dents without the need to paint the car afterwards.


 
Posted : 14/09/2016 2:37 pm
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Ooh, 2 out of 3 words right!


 
Posted : 14/09/2016 2:40 pm
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This happened in Perth (australia) you regularly see gold ball cars, many many got written off, loads got bought back for peanuts with the owners pocketing the difference!


 
Posted : 14/09/2016 2:47 pm
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Surely, if you believe in the one monotheistic god/religion, everything is, by dint of that belief, an act of God and thus preordained.
Doesn't it follow, then, that you're not covered for anything?


 
Posted : 14/09/2016 3:14 pm
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If you know of, or have any friends who can recommend a really good PDR'er it's worth speaking to them and letting them see the car to provide an estimate for you to give to the insurers. They should be able to remove most small dents, and should be able to improve the rest. But they should also be able to tell you straight away whether they can help you (awful lot of "Should" in there!).

Most insurers like to keep repairs in-house, but even if the quote comes in at £1k for a couple of days work, they'll probably go for it.

But the key is to get a good PDR'er to do it. There's some real cowboys out there who'll do more harm than good.


 
Posted : 14/09/2016 3:28 pm
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Doesn't it follow, then, that you're not covered for anything?

I think that is the general gist of insurance yes.


 
Posted : 14/09/2016 3:31 pm
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Our Mk1 Golf 1.1 got done by huge hailstones (golf ball size) early one morning in 1983 in South West France. Insurance paid out for a new bonnet and black vinyl roof so it looked like a Gti, except it didn't really.


 
Posted : 14/09/2016 3:41 pm
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TFS, hasn't been an act of God exclusion since before I started claims handling 30 years ago!


 
Posted : 14/09/2016 3:54 pm
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Time to reinvent vinyl roofs?


 
Posted : 14/09/2016 4:37 pm
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About 10 years ago there was a massive hailstorm here which damaged cars and property all over the city. The insurance companies set up massive inspection sites for car owners to take their cars there fo assesment. Some cars roofs and bonnets ended up looking like golf balls (funnily enough it seemed to be the VWs that were the worst). But AFAIK the insurance companies paid out. Most people just took the money and left their cars with dents, especially the cars that were a bit older.


 
Posted : 14/09/2016 4:45 pm
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My dad bought a Laguna estate the week before going to Switzerland for a camping trip, upon arrival there was a massive storm and it was peppered by large hail, tent was destroyed. Insurance wrote it off as every panel needed replacing plus a new roof. He bought it back eventually and sorted it, and I wrote it off again a few months later when a cattle grid broke as I went over it at about 15mph. Sorry dad.


 
Posted : 14/09/2016 4:53 pm

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