Sunday, May 18, 2014

The Sky Is Falling: How To Handle The Danger Of Spring Hailstorms

Warmer weather is here, meaning hail storms are working their way across the nation, leaving dented, dinged and damaged vehicles in their path.

Is your car or truck ready to confront nature itself this spring?  Do you have the right insurance to recuperate from any problems?  And how can you make sure that your vehicle is restored to its pre-storm condition without making a huge dent in your pocketbook?

Steve's CARSTAR Auto Body Repair sees large amounts of vehicles that have been damaged by hail storms every year. Steve's CARSTAR Auto Body Repair in Arnold, Missouri offers these tips to help vehicle owners the damage left by any recent spring hail storms.

missouri stl metro east illinois arnold auto body collision repairAfter getting hail damage, the first thing to do is speak to your insurance provider prior to consulting a repair center.  In many cases, if there's a very big storm, the insurance companies will call in what’s known as a Catastrophe Team.  If you are going around town and you are getting a lot of estimates, regrettably, it'll just be a lot of wasted time for you.  The insurance providers are going to want you to go and have their Catastrophe Team take a look at it, begin the claim process, and then you can bring it to Steve's CARSTAR Auto Body Repair or any body shop, and they’ll work with the insurance company from there to make sure that all the dents get fixed on your car.

Even if you do not think your vehicle was battered too badly, it is essential that you get it looked at as quickly as possible. There can be a lot of damage that you cannot see when you are just visually looking at it.  Once you get it under some of the right kind of light, and you really take a good look at it, there are a lot of dents that you will not see until you possibly go to trade your vehicle in, and then you’ll be stuck with a lot of hail damage.  Your best chance is to get a claim processed, and get it into a qualified shop, and have them really look over the vehicle carefully.  Once you get it under  florescent lights, what you thought was only ten or fifteen dents ends up being fifty or one hundred dents.

Check Your Coverage

The time to take a look at auto insurance isn't whenever you hear the hail smashing brutally into your car.  Read your policy now so that you can understand what is covered and what isn't, what the deductibles are, if you have rental coverage and what to do whenever the storm hits.

Comprehensive coverage shields against most harm from natural disasters.  Two other choices to consider are gap coverage – which pays the difference between what you owe on your loan and what your car is worth -- and rental reimbursement.

One thing that you should be aware of – if you filed a previous damage claim and received a check from your insurance company, but did not have the vehicle repaired – the insurance company will deduct that amount from your estimate for the storm damage, and charge you a second deductible, too.

Protect Your Vehicle

When you know that a hail storm is on the way, get your vehicle to some higher ground or under cover.  If you don't personally have a garage at home, find a covered parking garage to protect your car.  If you have to park your car outdoors, park it on the highest ground possible away from trees and phone poles.

For hail storms, cover your car in an old blanket and a car cover that you can get from your local automotive retailer – before the storm hits.  This will give some protection for your hood, roof and rear deck-lid. If a storm comes up without warning, look for an awning at a service station, the drive-through at the bank or self-serve car wash to get under for immediate protection. On the highway, try to find cover under a bridge or viaduct.

Get Your Car Repaired without Despair

Dealing with the aftermath of a big hail storm can be traumatic, particularly if you have had damage to your home, too.  Getting your car up and running again shouldn’t add to your stress, if you are ready for the repairs.  To help with this process, Steve's CARSTAR Auto Body Repair offers these tips:

•   Copy of your vehicle registration, title, insurance card and driver’s license and put those copies in a safe, dry place.
•   After the storm clears, record any damage with photos or video.
•   Know where you’d like to have your car fixed ahead of time so you do not have to make a sudden decision.

When you choose a body shop for repairs, don't forget:

•   Check out the shop, their track record, business or trade associations they are a part of and if their technicians are I-CAR educated.
•   All reputable repair facilities will provide a warranty of some sort for the work that they complete…also make sure that it is written down and well explained to you.
•   Only trust your vehicle to a well-established body shop business operating before the storm. Beware of fly-by-night operators trying to make a fast buck off of the storm.  If they are set up in a location that isn't permanent, don’t trust them with your vehicle.
Once your car arrives at the body shop for repairs, there are a few things you should keep in mind to get that top-quality repair:
•   Review the estimate in detail, but keep in mind that it is for the visible damage and what it will take to return the vehicle to its pre-accident state. If the estimate does not cover the whole extent of the damage, a Supplement will be created, submitted to your insurance company for approval.
•   Get a detailed assessment of the parts to be changed and whether they are OEM, new or refurbished, and in what condition the car will be in whenever it is returned to you.  Most insurance policies specify pre-accident status, so your seven-year old minivan may not come back looking brand new.
•   Get a timeline of when the work is to be done and when the job is going to be completed.
•    Detail the payment terms and methods, with down-payment, final payment and costs for any follow-up work.
•   Ask the store manager for regular updates on the progress of the work, and require approval for any work done outside the original estimate.
•   Do not allow yourself to be pressured to accept the completed repair if you don’t think it is repaired properly.  Get in contact with your insurance agent for guidance.

While your car is in the body shop, it’s a good time to have other dents repaired in addition to ones from the hail storm.  It is often more cost-effective and your car will benefit in the end.
For more tips on dealing with an accident or having your car repaired after a collision, visit www.auto-body-arnold-mo.com. Steve's CARSTAR Auto Body Repair offers quality, reliable repair service.  Just call 636-464-6080 when you need a vehicle repair and they will send the tow truck, contact your insurance company, arrange for a rental car and repair your car.

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