After the summer heat in april, a thunderstorm with heavy rain is now expected to move in. owners should photograph damage to their car caused by hail from different angles and report the damage to their insurance company immediately, advises dekra.
How to take care of your car
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Partial or fully comprehensive insurance covers hail damage to the car. Car drivers, however, must ensure that the damage does not get any worse. This so-called duty to mitigate damage means, for example, that you cover smashed car windows. However, you must always discuss emergency or partial repairs with your insurance company beforehand so that you do not have to pay for them.
Hail damage can be repaired at low cost
Hailstones can cause unsightly dents and paint damage. Nowadays, there are various methods of repair with which you can restore your vehicle to its original condition at low cost. Whereas in the past the resulting small dents had to be squeezed out and sanded over a large area in order to repaint the damaged area, today there are much faster and improved dent removal techniques. It is not necessary to repaint every time there is damage.
Repair by painting
One way to repair hail damage is to paint it. How the online portal "hail damage.Info" hail dents are sanded down over a large area, leveled and then coated with filler. After a drying period, the repaired area is repainted.
It is also possible to heat a hail dent with a Bunsen burner, so that the dent curves outwards. This curvature is then sanded with the help of a file and then repainted. painting is expensive and time consuming. The repair time here is between three and four days, depending on the extent of the damage. In addition, the vehicle suffers a loss in value due to repainting.
Repairing hail damage using the "gentle repair" method
A common method of repairing hail damage nowadays is the so-called "gentle hail damage repair", like hagelfix.De writes. A specialist uses metal rods and a special chisel tool to remove small dents and dings from the body of the vehicle.
the dent is pushed and pulled out of the body with the tools, without having to drill or sand the body. Compared to repair by painting, this type of repair only takes between ten and 20 minutes – subsequent repainting of the damaged area is not necessary, which is why the vehicle does not suffer any loss of value.
However, this form of repair is not always applicable. If the hail dents are too deep or even entire body parts such as a door are damaged by the hail, the repair by painting has to be resorted to, which is expensive in terms of money and time.
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Does the insurance pay in case of damage?
According to the german automobile association (ADAC), every driver should have at least partial comprehensive insurance coverage to be covered in the event of damage. Partially comprehensive insurance is essential, especially for storm and hail damage. If your vehicle is only covered by third-party liability insurance, you will have to pay for the damage yourself. Check with your insurance company to find out exactly what you’ll be covered for in the event of a claim. Tip: report hail damage to your insurance company as soon as possible to avoid disagreements or payment refusals later on.