Cars damaged in hailstorms are tempting to buy, as they often come with deep discounts. Plus, hail damage tends to be superficial, affecting only the body panels and glass, leaving the vehicle’s key functions intact. If you just need a way to get to work every day, a dimpled roof, trunk and hood may not matter. Before you seek out hail damaged cars for sale, though, you should take the following risks and drawbacks into account.
Why Dealerships Sell Hail-Damaged Cars
This is a great place to search for a new car. Dealers opt for fixing any damage they can. Fixing the damage helps the car find a new home. Paintless Dent Repair (PDR) specialists often fix hail damage at wholesale rates for dealers. Sometimes the figure to buy a car the salespeople may give you can be exaggeratedly low since they want you to buy the vehicle. This number should tip you off as to how bad the damage really is. Make repairing the car a condition to buying it. This is generally a good idea. Dealers may have a PDR specialist on site to make the repairs but these specialists don’t always have the necessary experience to fix dozens of hail dents.
Does it come with a Warranty
A warranty or money back guarantee should be given. If there is no warranty it may suggest the damage is worse than it looks. Additionally if you get a vehicle with a salvage title be sure that is has a “hail” designation to distinguish it from more severe damage such as floods or accidents.
What’s the Likely Resale Value
Resale value will be impacted if you buy a hail-damaged car. Buying a low cost damaged car initially may cost you the same as buying an undamaged new car. Make sure lenders cover hail-damaged cars if you plan to finance your purchase.
Inspect the car carefully before making a purchase. Taking care to avoid unwanted surprises. Get a background check to look for undisclosed damage as well. Sometimes a car may be already repaired before you see it, hiding the extend of the original damage. Using the vehicle identification number, plug it into Carfax, AutoCheck or similar site.
How Will Affect Your Insurance
Ask your insurance agent if the hail damage puts your comprehensive insurance at risk. If you don’t have the initial damage repaired, you won’t get the future damages covered or your insurance my deduct the damage from any claims. For example, you have a fender bender. It results in a $1000 claim, you might only receive $500 if you have $1500 in unreported damage.
Before Buying, Ask Yourself…
Never drop hard-earned money for a hail-damaged car before asking yourself: Who does this benefit the most, the dealer or you? Once a dealership suffers a hailstorm they have little or no choice but to sell their inventory at deeply reduced rates. Now you’re in a position to haggle more than ever. By the same token, could you sell that damaged car to someone in the future? Try to see through sales techniques to get the real value of the car.
A Good Option for Your First Car
For your first car, a hail-damaged one may be a good option. Basic transportation, students, folks who don’t drive much and tight budgets might benefit from hail sales.
Whats the Actual Cost of Fixing The Car
The average cost to repair hail-damage to a car is $2500. This cost can vary widely from shop to shop. Take the car to an independent shop for an estimate before you purchase. But remember, with every dealership discount there is usually a trade off. And that trade is…dealers are able to get their inventory repaired cheap because they have so many cars to repair. Often times it’s around 1/4 of the actual repair cost. And when you have someone who is repairing cars for 1/4 of the normal repair cost you will get a job that it reflects.
Summary
You can never do to much research when buying a hail-damaged car whether is new or used. If you don’t fix it you’ll probably always be upside down in it. Never sign on the dotted line before you thoroughly inspect it yourself and maybe by another PDR expert. An expert will spot missed dents. Check for “broken paint” along the edges. How they will repair the paint? Will they use a traditional body-shop or a “paint touch up vendor”? The difference is huge. So leave no stone turned. Your due diligence is mandatory.
We are here to meet all your PDR needs here in Texarkana. Let’s answer a few questions you may have:
What is PDR?
PDR, or Paintless Dent Removal, is a procedure in which a technician removes dents, dings, and creases from a body panel by gently massaging the damaged area back into its original shape. This process requires specialized tools and training and should be left to certified individuals.
Is PDR covered by my insurance?
Absolutely! In fact, this method is often the preferred repair route for dents, dings, and creases in most cases.
What are some of the benefits of PDR?
There are many benefits to PDR, but by far, the greatest benefits are its low cost and quick repair turnaround. Because PDR is not as invasive as traditional repairs, it’s cheaper to do it; most repairs will cost you less than your insurance deductible. Likewise, it’s much faster to do, with most repairs taking a couple of hours to complete.
Does PDR damage the paint on my car?
NO! PDR is the only method of repairing dents on your car without damaging the factory paint on your vehicle.
Can you perform PDR on aluminum body panels?
Absolutely! Although PDR on aluminum requires more skill and further specialized tools, a good PDR technician will perform repairs on aluminum panels without any problem.
How do I find a good quality PDR technician in my area?
One way is to look for a NAPDRT member technician. NAPDRT is a not-for-profit organization that is at the forefront of setting nationally accepted standards for our industry. NAPDRT technicians agree to a set of standards and are bound by a CSI (Consumer Satisfaction Index ). In addition, many NAPDRT members are Vale National Certified. This is the only nationally recognized independent certification available to PDR technicians.
Can all dents be fixed?
No. The most important factors in determining whether or not PDR can repair a dent are depth and location. Dents the size of a dinner plate or larger can be fixed successfully as long as they are not too deep. On the other hand, some dents that are as small as a dime but very deep cannot be fixed using PDR because the metal is too stretched. Cracked paint can also be an indication that a dent is too deep. The best case is not to assume yes or no, and swing by for an estimate.
The most common dents fixed are the size of a golf ball and under. Most (about 95%) minor dents can be repaired. About 5% of minor dents can’t be fixed due to depth or location. Areas such as some quarter panel opening lips, some forward areas of heavily braced hoods, or the very edges of some panels are examples of bad locations.
If you have questions we didn’t answer here, door dings, dents, creases, or damage to your vehicle, please reach out to us at the shop. We would love to help clear anything up and understand how you want to proceed with your car’s repair. We are here to make your repair easy, seamless, and we are here to help. We want to get you back on the road with a car restored to its factory condition. Please give us a call or stop by the shop to estimate the damage. We want to explain the dent removal process to make things seamless and easy and get you back on the road and cruising. Call Us Today at 903-280-8190 or fill out our contact form here!
We come to you when you need to have a ding repaired and you need it done fast. Our Genoa ding repair shop uses only the latest in Paintless Dent Repair to get your vehicle back to its pre-damaged condition fast.
Changing The Way We Do Repairs
PDR has revitalized the auto repair industry. It is the best approach to repairing dings because of its simplicity. At our Genoa ding repair shop, this progressive and state of the art approach is the only one we use because we know it is the best. It’s fast, affordable, and best of all we bring the repairs to you!
How Is PDR So Fast?
PDR is faster than traditional ding repair methods because it does not require a paint job. When you need a Genoa ding repair shop, but do not have the time available to drop off your vehicle, do not worry. We take the hassle out of arranging for a repair because we come to you! Since our expert technicians do not have to match paint to your vehicle, it is even less likely that anyone will ever notice the repair, even in direct sunlight.
Saving You Money At Every Turn
Small dings are no match for our mobile PDR Genoa ding repair technicians. Our technicians can complete the repair from the underside, meaning it is seamless and flawless on the exterior.
First, we assess the ding with a multipoint inspection of the damage. Our qualified Genoa ding repair team uses special lighting to evaluate the curve and shape of the dent and then forms a plan on how to repair it. This way we don’t need to use any expensive paint, primer, or filler!
Small dings can occur anywhere – from parking lots to garages or street parking. Often dings are the result of someone else’s negligence and do not reflect the care you take with your vehicle. Do not let someone else’s mistake mar the beauty of your vehicle. When you discover a ding, call our mobile Genoa ding repair team at (903)-280-8190.
When you need hail repair done quickly and flawlessly, look no further than Preferred Paintless Services. Our Genoa hail repair shop specializes in paintless dent removal, a non-invasive body repair technique with an emphasis on speed and affordability. We can handle a wide array of dents, and most importantly, hail damage! Our experts have been in the industry for years and have the knowledge to provide you with a personalized experience.
Dent Repair Is More Than A Profession
Driving a hail damaged car can be a real headache. It’s tough to see your precious vehicle in such a state, and ultimately hail is no good for it’s long term value. When you need repairs, our Genoa hail repair professionals will be the first to jump at the opportunity. To us, restoring a vehicle is a work of art. Before we begin any work, we will carefully review the canvas we are going to be working on. This is achieved with a set of professional lights that emphasize the imperfections in body panels.
PDR Is The Key To Maintaining Value
After we review the damage, the next step is to find the best way to access the dents. Generally, we start by approaching from the back of the body panel, lightly hammering out the dent until it’s contour matches the rest of the car. We can also use glue tabs and slide hammers to supplement the other steps by pulling at the dent from the top. Since we never break the paint or cover it with filler, there is no need for expensive repainting and you can keep your valuable factory finish!
Our Repairs Come To You
At Preferred Paintless Services we believe in strong customer service and the value of time. That’s why we’ve decided to bring our Genoa hail repair to you. If you need a few hail dents removed, or would like to schedule multiple appointments, we can meet at your garage or parking lot. Now you don’t need to miss those important meetings or family get-togethers.
Do not let vehicle body damage destroy the value of your investment. Instead, trust it to our Genoa body repair shop. Our team of experts are specially trained in the process of paintless dent repair. We use the latest in dent repair technology and techniques to deliver the best results to our customers.
Why Should You Try Paintless Dent Repair?
In short, paintless dent removal means that you won’t need to pay for a custom paint job every time your car gets a little ding. Instead, our Genoa body repair experts can flawlessly remove the body damage, and it can take as little as one hour!
What Is PDR?
Paintless Dent Removal is a revolutionary way to approach body repair to vehicles of all types. Repairing body damage used to be a complex and complicated process that involved multiple steps. It was costly, time-consuming, and even the best repair jobs could still leave an unsightly spot. However, thanks to the non-invasive nature of PDR we can remove all kinds of dings without the hassle of filling and repainting.
How Is PDR Saving You Time and Money?
Instead, we opt to attack the dent from it’s weakest point, either the top or the bottom. If we decide the dent can be removed without reaching behind panels we can use glue tabs to pull it out from the top. Different sizes and consistencies ensure that we pull at precisely the right position with the perfect amount of strength. If it’s better to approach the dent from behind, then we use long reaching tools like slide hammers, and tough points such as our knockdown tips to accurately mold the body panel back to its original shape.
Quick Responses From Genoa Body Repair Experts!
At Preferred Paintless Services we go into careful detail to provide you an accurate quote before any repairs begin. You can request a quote today through our online tool or by texting 903-280-8190. Our Genoa body repair technicians usually respond within an hour.
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