Can You Repair Hail Damage on a Car? | CARSTAR (2024)

The short answer is yes, you can repair hail damage on a car.

The long and more realistic answer is, although you can painstakingly figure out how to fix hail damage on a car and do it yourself at home, it’s a difficult—and somewhat risky—DIY project.

If you’d like to guarantee the outcome (and save time), bring it to CARSTAR, and we’ll take it from there. Hail damage repairs aren’t always as simple as they seem, so trust the experts.

DIY projects can be a blast when the potential risks are minimal, but when it comes to working on your vehicle, it may not be the best choice. The most unfortunate and probable situation is that there might be underlying problems with your vehicle that many car owners haven’t had the opportunity to learn how to identify.

Trust the experts and bring your car to your nearest CARSTAR location today, and we’ll walk you through your options!

How Do Professionals Repair Hail Damage on a Car?

Hail can damage your car significantly—even if it’s a small, seemingly harmless size. Hail damage is frustrating, and we at CARSTAR understand that. Hail damage can be fixed, and here’s how we handle it.

There are two basic types of hail damage: severe and cosmetic. Severe hail damage affects the car’s operation and is much more serious than cosmetic hail damage. Cosmetic hail damage affects the vehicle’s appearance but doesn’t damage functionality.

We can perform a paintless dent repair for cosmetic damage if the damage did not impact the paint. If the paint has been damaged, we recommend a dent repair with a paint job. The process for severe damage is the same at first, but we dive deeper to discover the full extent of the damage before starting repairs.

Whether the hail damage is small or large, we recommend bringing your car in as soon as possible. Don’t wait to repair it or assume all the damage is visible; bring it to your local CARSTAR, even if it appears to be solely cosmetic.

How to Fix Hail Damage on a Car at Home

Being able to fix the hail damage yourself is not advisable. It’s only a good idea to attempt a repair if there is no severe damage and the hail did solely cosmetic damage.

However, the only way to truly know what has happened is by bringing your vehicle to a professional and letting them diagnose the damage. If you do opt for a DIY hail damage repair, there are a few options you can try to execute the repair solo:

• Suction Cup: If you are attempting to eliminate dents on your vehicle and have an object with a suction cup available, it’s worth a try. Simply attach the cup to the dent and pull until the dent evens out with the rest of the vehicle.
• Hot Water: Your vehicle’s material is hard, and the hot water will make it malleable. Fill up a pot with boiling water, dump it on the dent, and push the dent out with a covered hand from the other side!
• Dent Removal Kit: You can find almost anything online, including kits to remove dents in your vehicle. Choose wisely, as some kits are more reliable and of higher quality than others.

Take these suggestions with a grain of salt, as the surest way to ensure your vehicle is repaired correctly is by bringing it to a professional. Patching it at home is a great idea in theory, but if there are undetected issues you simply didn’t know to look for, you could be driving in an unsafe vehicle—and potentially worsen the problem in the process.
Don’t worry about the stress of a hail damage car repair. CARSTAR is here to offer a stress-free alternative. Contact us today, and we’ll make an appointment to assist you.