Vehicle hail damage question

[Smitty192]

I went out of town and my truck got hammered during an overnight hail storm. Golf ball sized hail damage to every surface of the damn thing.

I'm familiar with how the process works on the property side, but not auto. Specifically, the threshold of repair vs. totaling a vehicle. I don't know how much damage paintless dent removal can repair. I'm not sure the process works of totaling a vehicle and options to buy it back from the insurance carrier.

I filed a claim and I'm waiting on the adjuster appointment.

Any insight or experiences would be greatly appreciated.

2020 Dodge Ram
115,000 miles
Last payment will be Sept. 2025
Kelly Blue Book value is $24,100

Thanks

 

[kl3309]

Paintless dent repair isn't going to work for a whole panel, especially if there are contour lines pressed into it.

 

[jet_lagged]

My best guess it that they will total it for the body damage. They may offer to let you buy it back, but it not, ask them if you can. If they say no, then find out who they are selling it to. There are two big companies that do auctions for totalled/stolen vehicles. It may take it a few month to show up at an auction. Give them only 1 set of keys and keep your spares if you are planning on buying it back, as sometimes the keys get lost.....

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[Darayavaus]

totaled, not worth blue book value anymore. probably not even half

 

[SWgeezer]

If you buy it back it will carry a salvage title.

 

[Jrb572]

If it’s large golf ball size hail it will take conventional repair. Probably get a roof and most panels replaced which will total it out. In 01 when I was a body man. My shop worked on hail repair for over three years. If it was up to me if my car got large hail. I would let them total it and go buy another used or new one. Fuck that repaired every panel shit.

Ask yourself do you want to drive around a beat up truck. Because if you ever decide to sell it with the salvage title it will be worth next to nothing.

 

[Jrb572]

Oh and watch out for the to good to be true deals in your area for awhile. We saw here where people did not have insurance cars got repaired and people tried passing them off as low mile great body never been repaired before cars. Insurance companies did not total them so carfax had no idea they were complete junk when people went to check. I had many cars people wanted to buy and I looked and found paint line, overspray and tell tail signs the cars had been painted before and it was either complete or almost complete resprays.

 

[Redmanss]

People repair hail damage? Huh...

Sincerely,

Hail Alley

 

[Sniperwannabee]

People repair hail damage? Huh...

Sincerely,

Hail Alley

Exactly just drive it

 

[Ronws]

Exactly just drive it

I have seen a lot of people do that. Just drive it. It won't have resale value or trade-in value but it will soon be paid for and keep it as a spare or sell it cheap to a high school student looking for his or her first vehicle. Extra points in my book if you sell it to a hunter.

 

[GUN NUT in IA]

My insurance agent drove a pickup that had the crap beaten out of it with hail damage.

He just told everybody it was like a golf ball . . . and the dimples made huge improvements in the gas mileage.

 

[sandhiller]

They make excellent ranch pickups.

Is it a 3/4 or 1 ton?

 

[Im2bent]

Typically if the repair exceeds 50 percent of current market value they will total it. So if they are going for 24k and its 12k to fix it, it will probably get totaled, ymmv of course.

 

[SilentStalkr]

I went out of town and my truck got hammered during an overnight hail storm. Golf ball sized hail damage to every surface of the damn thing.

I'm familiar with how the process works on the property side, but not auto. Specifically, the threshold of repair vs. totaling a vehicle. I don't know how much damage paintless dent removal can repair. I'm not sure the process works of totaling a vehicle and options to buy it back from the insurance carrier.

I filed a claim and I'm waiting on the adjuster appointment.

Any insight or experiences would be greatly appreciated.

2020 Dodge Ram
115,000 miles
Last payment will be Sept. 2025
Kelly Blue Book value is $24,100

Thanks

Paintless dent repair isn't going to work for a whole panel, especially if there are contour lines pressed into it.

I disagree! Our brand new pilot got stuck out in a hail storm, that sucker has dents everywhere. Hood, roof, front fenders, some rear quarters. Insurance paid for it and we took it to one of those PDR places and after 3 days and $6000 later it looked brand new. It wasn’t cheap and I debated it because I’m old school and thought fixing/replacing panels would be the best/only way! I was wrong. And it’s a pretty lucrative biz too, obviously, if you can get trained well enough on it.

 

[SDet]

Amount to total is state dependent. Wife's jeep had major hail repair last fall. Every panel, new hood, new tail lights, and windshield, it looks almost as good as new, but great for a 5 year old car with 110k. It was probably around 70% of the value, but Wyoming is 75% of value, and used values are still pretty high.

 

[Snipe260]

People repair hail damage? Huh...

Sincerely,

Hail Alley

Paint it white. Put callaway stickers on the door!

 

[akmike47]

Paint it white. Put callaway stickers on the door!

Use matte and it’ll look smoother