Hail damage to your car: What to do about it

If you’ve lived even one summer here in Central Florida, you know just how bad the afternoon thunderstorms can get. High winds, heavy rain, tons of lightning, and even hail are a daily possibility, which means it takes some prep work to ensure your car is ready for it. Hail damage is some of the worst damage your car can sustain during thunderstorms, and our Clermont Toyota body shop is here to explain the ins and outs of it and how to both avoid and deal with this type of vehicle damage.

What will hail damage do to your car?

Hail damage may sound like no big deal, but it can do a ton of very costly damage to your car. It can leave dings and dents all over the body, destroy your car’s paint, crack glass and plastic, and more. The damage can quickly add up and leave you with a very hefty bill.

So how can you avoid it? Obviously, the best way to avoid hail damage to your Clermont Toyota is to stay out of bad weather as often as possible. This means securing a covered parking spot for your car (a garage or parking garage is best, but any sort of carport or covered parking can help) as well as watching the weather so you can avoid driving during bad thunderstorms in the summer.

But let’s say you couldn’t find a covered spot or a storm sprung up on you unexpectedly. Hail damage has taken its toll on your ride – what should you do next? Check out these tips from the experts at our Toyota of Clermont body shop:

#1: Don’t try to repair the hail damage yourself. Trust us – it’s tricky to fix, can be extensive, and can also involve paint repair. Unless you’re a seasoned body shop repair tech, leave the work to the experts at Toyota of Clermont and let them handle restoring your car to its prior condition.

#2: Contact insurance. It’s more than likely that body damage done by hail will be covered by your comprehensive policy. You’ll have to pay your deductible, but it’ll be a lot less than paying for the repairs out of pocket. Plus, in some states (like Florida), your windshield can be replaced for free if cracked under your car insurance policy.

#3: Get an estimate via your insurance. Set up a time and place for someone from the car insurance company to come take a look at your car and give you an estimate on the damage. Then they’ll cut you a check so you can get repairs started.

#4: Choose someone you trust for repairs. Make sure you choose a trusted repair shop to restore your car to like-new condition. Like we said, it’s work-intensive and tricky, and you only want the best of the best for your repairs.

Schedule repairs at Toyota of Clermont

Have questions about hail damage or need your car fixed? Visit Toyota of Clermont today at 16851 State Road 50. You can also call us ahead of time to set up an estimate appointment at (352) 404-7000.

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