Living in the Midwest we are all too familiar with severe storms. As much as we love to watch them roll in, the aftermath can leave significant damage to our vehicles and homes. See our reference guide below for handling a catastrophic event and auto insurance procedures.
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Frequently Asked Questions Following a Natural Disaster
Right away, if you don’t contact them immediately, note the date and time of the damage so the insurance company can match your damage to the weather reports. Most insurance companies have online submission forms and you can file a claim within minutes from your smart phone.
While each insurance company is different, you select your policy and deductible amounts. Typically, when working with a catastrophic damage event the claim is considered a comprehensive claim.
A supplement is the report of additional damage identified once a vehicle is in the process of repairs. Once you are approved for repairs by your insurance carrier your chosen repair shop will thoroughly inspect the vehicle. Upon inspection, the body shop will document and report any damage that was not on the initial estimate, also known as the preliminary estimate. The repair facility is responsible for submitting this information to the insurance company. The insurance company will review the additional information and approve the additional repairs or ask for additional information prior to executing the extra work.
A DRP is a Direct Repair Program. This means the insurance company has a relationship with the shops on their program list and this expedites the review and approval process for estimates to be approved and repairs to begin. A direct repair facility is not required or necessarily better than a non DRP shop. If you use a non DRP shop, be sure the facility offers a lifetime warranty on their repairs and use OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) approved repair procedures.
Simply put, no. Hail stones can range vastly in size and shape, even during the same storm. Hail will also leave different severities of damage on different metals. For example, if you have an aluminum hood but a steel roof the damage could appear different since the metals vary in malleability.
It is also worth noting that the storm and wind patterns typically mean that one side of the car will sustain the majority of damage. It is not uncommon for one side to be heavily damaged and the other side to have minimal damage.
As mentioned above, vehicle body panels are made of multiple materials. Steel has a number of strengths and thicknesses; these all affect the malleability of the material.
Aluminum is damaged easier than most types of steel, which means it is more time consuming to work on. This is shown in the repair price, aluminum repairs cost more than steel.
Most bumpers are made from plastic and plastic is not typically damaged by hail.
Glass can be damaged with hail. Side windows and back glass can be broken with large hail stones. A common misunderstanding is that hail will chip the windshield, this is not true. Any chips you may see on your windshield are from rocks and debris hitting your windshield with regular driving. Hail cannot chip glass. Extremely large hail stones could crack the windshield or make large impact areas. The windshield is the only glass panel that will not shatter into the vehicle like the other glasses. It is a structural component and will crack but will not shatter into the car.
Aluminum is lighter than steel which is beneficial for better fuel efficiency and reduces wear and tear on the vehicle.
When layers of aluminum are combined, it is stronger than steel.
Aluminum does not have the memory component that steel does therefore it requires a higher level of skill and time to repair. More skill and time results in a higher cost of repair.
When a catastrophic event occurs, a large number of people are impacted. Insurance companies and repair facilities begin working people in for appointments as soon as possible but there could be thousands or even hundreds of thousands of people impacted by damage. When you call for an appointment, please keep that in mind all parties are working hard to take care of everyone affected in a timely manner. The date to receive an appointment could be weeks or months out pending the severity of damage.
Sometimes insurance companies designate specific repair shops to write estimates on their behalf. They will still review the information, but they will rely on a trusted shop to review and collect the damage data for them.
Other times, insurance companies have so many claims in a concentrated area they will set up a catastrophe team to manage their claim estimates. This scenario is typically a team of people who have a schedule allowing approximately 30 minutes to review the damage on a vehicle in unknown lighting and conditions. They will issue you an estimate report, once you schedule your repairs the insurance companies rely on repair facilities to assess and notify them of further damages, the further damages are known as supplemental damages.
If the insurance company writes their own estimate, there is no need or benefit to receive another estimate from a repair shop. No changes to an estimate can be made or submitted to an insurance company until the vehicle is actively being repaired.
Auto body repair shops are responsible for assessing damage and providing the damage report to the insurance company. Once the insurance company reviews the damage report, they can decide to allow the repair facility to move forward with repairs or they may ask for additional information to determine if the vehicle is repairable. Meaning, is it worth repairing the vehicle or could the value of repairs exceed the vehicle value and the vehicle be a total loss? This is true for DRP and non-DRP repair facilities.
Larger damage is easy to see, however, there is often damage that is more difficult to see. Especially depending on conditions such as cleanliness of the vehicle, lighting conditions and even the vehicle color. If you are unsure if you have sustained hail damage, consult an expert.
There are two common repair methods, conventional auto body repair and Paintless Dent Removal, known as PDR.
Conventional repairs are the typical type of repairs performed at an auto body shop. This is where the damage is removed with manual labor or a parts replacement then refinished.
PDR is performed by accessing the backside of the panel with a special tool and massaging the damage out buy pushing the damage to the surface and evening it out.
It is common for vehicles to have a combination of repair methods used to get the car looking great again.
Yes, just like collision damage, hail damage can also result in a total loss. If your insurance carrier decides the cost to repair the vehicle exceeds the value of the vehicle, they will deem it a total loss. There are a lot of factors that go into this decision by the insurance company. If you recently had any major work done to your vehicle, be sure to share the details and receipts with your insurance provider.
How to Avoid Scams Following a Natural Disaster
There are traveling companies who chase storms and show up to perform repairs and then leave town. Be sure to pay after services are rendered and ask about a lifetime warranty on workmanship. There are plenty of amazing companies, this is just a reminder to do the research before selecting a repair company. This advice can be applied to repair companies for your home as well.
*The information provided here is a guide, please contact your insurance company directly for details on your exact policy and coverage.
