So your car got caught in a hailstorm and now your hood looks like a golf ball. Pretty frustrating, right? You might be thinking about fixing those dents yourself to save some cash. But before you grab a plunger or order some fancy dent repair kit online, there are a few things you should know.
Different Types of Hail Dents Require Different Fixes
First off, not all dents are created equal. Those little dimples might seem simple to pop out, but deeper dents or creases are a whole different story. Your hood usually gets hit the worst since it’s facing right up at the falling hail.
If the hail cracked your paint at all, you really need to be careful. DIY methods can make paint damage much worse—it might start peeling off and leave bare metal exposed, which leads to rust.
Also worth knowing: newer cars often have aluminum panels instead of steel. What works on your buddy’s old steel-body truck might seriously damage your newer aluminum hood.
Popular DIY Methods and Their Limitations
You’ve probably seen these popular fixes on YouTube:
- Suction Cups and Dent Pullers: These look promising in videos, but they only work on very minor damage. You have to be super careful using them or you might damage your paint or actually make the dent worse.
- Hair Dryer and Cold Air Method: Some people swear by using a hair dryer to heat the dent and then hitting it with cold air or ice to pop it out. But this can easily damage your paint and usually doesn’t work well.
- DIY Glue Pulling: The store-bought versions of the glue pulling tools that professionals use just aren’t strong enough for most real hail damage.
After my car’s hood got hammered in a hailstorm last spring, I started researching how to remove hail dents and found a helpful guide published by an auto hail repair shop in Denver.
I was about to try the hair dryer trick when it saved me from making things worse and introduced me to solutions like paintless dent repair as the best way to fix hail damage professionally.
Plus, I got to know that my insurance might actually cover hail damage repair. The guide suggested getting multiple quotes from repair shops to compare prices and checking with my insurance provider about coverage before paying out of pocket. That alone probably saved me hundreds of dollars.
Hidden Risks of DIY Dent Repair
The biggest thing those DIY videos don’t tell you? If you do it wrong, you can actually lower your car’s resale value. And there’s a real risk of making the damage worse if you don’t know exactly what you’re doing.
What starts as a simple dent can quickly become a complicated mess. And here’s something nobody thinks about until it’s too late: if you try fixing it yourself and make it worse, your insurance won’t cover that additional damage you caused.
When Professional Repair Is Necessary
You should definitely get professional help if:
- Your car’s paint is cracked or chipped at all. Once paint is damaged, you need professional repair techniques.
- You have multiple dents close together, especially on your hood. The hood has a complex structure underneath and what looks simple from the outside really isn’t.
- You care about your car’s resale value. Professional repairs keep your car’s value up, while DIY gone wrong can reduce what your car is worth.
Benefits of Professional Hail Repair
Professional repair shops use a technique called Paintless Dent Repair (PDR) that removes dents without damaging your factory paint. This preserves your car’s original finish and helps maintain its value.
Many shops also assist with insurance claims, walking you through the paperwork needed for coverage. This saves hours of frustration dealing with adjusters and forms.
Perhaps most importantly, professional repairs come with warranties that protect your investment. If anything goes wrong with the repair later, you’re covered.
