Hail is one of nature’s most destructive forces, and it can sometimes lead to injury or even death in severe instances. In some cases, hail isn’t just responsible for personal damage, but also property damage. If your car is parked in an open spot, hail can have consequences for your car’s finish and sometimes even cause further damage such as broken windows. Can hail cause car paint to chip though? If so, how bad is the damage you’re looking at after your average storm?
Here’s what to know about hail, car paint, insurance, and the damage hail causes to cars every year in the United States.
Can Hail Cause Car Paint to Chip?
The short answer is yes.
Hail falls in the form of frozen water droplets, which turn into larger balls of ice as they make their way down. Hail has been documented as large as fists, sometimes even bigger, and falls at high speeds.
If your car is parked outside or you’re driving when a hail storm hits, there is a good chance it will damage your vehicle.
It’s better to deal with your insurance company than it is to deal with an injury due to being outside in a hailstorm. Car damage can always be fixed, but personal damage is always worse.
Signs of Hail
One of the first things you should learn to do as a driver is to look for the first signs of hail in the sky. We all know what rain clouds look like, and this is easily distinguishable from hail storms with just one factor: the darkness of the clouds.
Hail clouds are weighed down by the sheer weight of the hail, and their onset seems much heavier than the average thunderstorm. Clouds appear literally weighted down, and that’s when you should worry that you may have the potential for hail on the way.
Hail storms tend to hit suddenly and with no warning. This is one of the reasons why hail storms are so incredibly dangerous. If you are driving when hail starts to fall, find a safe and closed spot to park until the worst of the storm has subsided.
Repairing Hail Damage
The average hail storm may just cause a few nicks and bumps to your vehicle’s paint, though larger storms can cause worse damage. In fact, large hail can lead to huge dents that look like someone took a bat to your car.
Repairing hail damage is easy for an auto repair technician, but not something you should attempt to DIY unless you’ve got prior experience. Hail damage repair is not something we’d recommend trying after watching a YouTube video.
If your car has been damaged by hail, visit your local auto repair shop for a quote on paintless dent repair.
Protecting Your Vehicle Against Hail
If you live in an area that’s prone to storms or the weather report has revealed that there may be a storm on the way, you might be wondering how you can protect your vehicle against hail. If you’re out on the road and or your car is exposed to the elements, find a closed spot where you can park your vehicle.
Never expose yourself to protect your car in the event of a storm: that’s what insurance companies are for. Even if you don’t have insurance, risking yourself for your vehicle is not worth it – the car will always survive the impact.
Additional Information: Is It Worth Fixing Storm Damage on a Car?
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