THINGS TO KNOW WHEN FILING AN AUTO HAIL DAMAGE CLAIM

If you don’t have comprehensive coverage, your insurance provider will not cover the hail damage. In this case, repairs will be 100% out-of-pocket.

If your vehicle has hail damage, check to see that there isn’t any glass damage that needs to be taken care of immediately. Ensure there’s no possibility for water damage in the event that it rains shortly after/during a hail storm. After that, you can file your hail claim with your insurance company.

When you file a hail damage claim, it is sometimes easiest to call the national claim line, due to the local backlog. Some insurance companies allow the shop of choice to file the claim on behalf of the insured. USAA will not allow shops to file claims on behalf of their customers. Have your policy card handy and be ready for a barrage of questions about where you and your vehicle were during the hail storm. IMPORTANT: When/if they ask you where the damage is located, tell them all over! If you single out one specific spot, the adjuster may take that as a signal that he/she doesn’t need to thoroughly inspect the vehicle because you told the insurance rep that you only saw damage on the hood. While you’re filing your claim, that’s a good time to ask about details of your policy like your comprehensive deductible and rental coverage.

After you file your hail claim, an insurance adjuster will contact you to set an appointment. Be flexible, but remember, they are there to serve you. If you don’t want to drive to their shop you can request they come to you. The estimate process, if there isn’t people in front of you, won’t take long. After the adjuster is done looking at your vehicle, he/she will issue you a preliminary estimate. The estimate may contain a check, it may not, it just depends on your ownership status and your lienholder’s policies.

Once you have your preliminary estimate, you’re ready to give us a call. We’ll help you schedule your rental and drop off. We’ll handle any insurance calls and paperwork. From here on out your job is done. Repairs can take anywhere from a couple of days to a couple of weeks, it just depends on the severity of the damage, the speed of your insurance company and how busy the shop is.

Am I covered?
What constitutes an "Act of God?"

HAIL CLAIM MYTHS

MYTH:
"If I file a claim, my rates are going to skyrocket."
Hail claims do not count against your driving record, which is the primary factor in rate hikes. Physical damage can be covered under comprehensive or collision. When you file a collision claim, it raises your rates because the “accident” is connected to your driving record (whether you were at fault or not). A hail damage claim however, is covered under comprehensive because the damage occurred due to an act outside of human control; therefore insurance companies cannot single you out for a rate hike.

"If I don’t file a claim, my rates will stay the same. Those folks who filed claims are going to see premium increases."
Unfortunately, a hail storm’s massive reach gives insurance companies a loophole to gather back some of the claims they paid out. If an insurance company can demonstrate a “catastrophe” or even a trend of increased claims, they can raise rates on everyone as the pool as a whole gets assumes a higher risk.

"I can just claim the hail damage again next time it hails."
True-ish, but mostly false. Some insurance companies will outright deny you if you cannot produce a repair receipt. Others will allow you to file a claim, but don’t expect anything on top of what they paid out last year. Remember, the new hail damage, on top of the old hail damage, with a new deductible, will likely not leave anything to pay out. Also, if you purchased a vehicle with hail damage, assume that the previous owner or the dealership filed a claim and didn’t fix it. This will overwhelmingly be the case, which is why hail-damaged vehicles can be risky purchases.

"I’m just going to keep the insurance check and trade my vehicle in."
Be careful there. This path is fraught with risk. It usually ends in the vehicle owner “trading up” into a new vehicle and rolling the hail damage into your new car loan. Slick car salesman won’t let you get hung up on the trade-in value, they go straight to your payments and skip right over the crappy trade-in value. Most people are too happy about their new car to notice that they just financed the cost of their hail damage. This means you end up paying much more in the end, as you’ve financed that 1000-2000 the insurance gave you to fix your vehicle. Last thing is, if you’ve pocketed the money and you live with the hail damage, you are more susceptible to your vehicle being totaled due to the damage and its’ effect on your vehicle’s value.

"I’m just gonna hold off on doing anything."
Has this strategy ever worked on anything before? Depending on your ownership status and your policy, you may be required to get your vehicle fixed. Some insurance companies will not honor a future dent claim until prior damage is repaired.

"I can’t get it fixed because my insurance company didn’t give me enough money to fix it."
Insurance companies like to give hand out “estimates” that are 20-70% of what it costs to fix the vehicle. Insurance adjusters are required by law to let you know about the “supplement” process. The “supplement” is the difference between the insurance quote and the shop quote. Supplements are common practice in hail damage repair claims.