Superior Dent Solutions

Paintless Dent & Auto Hail Repair: Austin

Carrie Atkins

Hail Damage Repair Killeen TX

Dent Repair Killeen Complete Guide

You have hail damage, and all you want is a reliable, trustworthy, and knowledgeable hail repair solution, but the entire dent repair process is really stressing you out. We get it.

This article will cover everything you need to know about the paintless dent repair process most easily and understandably.

Let us prove to you have stress-free Killen dent repair can be!

Hail Damage Repair Killen TX

Circling Hail Damage

Writing Estimate/Supplement

Killeen Hail Repair…Simplified

Superior Dent Solutions takes the stress out of hail damage repair. We’ve walked hundreds of Killeen vehicle owners through the process and can do the same for you. We’ve seen it all, dealt with every insurance company, and know the fastest route to get you where you need to be (and dent-free.)

  1. File Claim – Schedule Adjuster Estimate ASAP
    Why? This is a ‘must have’ before you can get your vehicle in the shop for repairs. Don’t be concerned if the adjuster’s estimate seems grossly inaccurate and underestimated. It will be. It’s ok. The number they give you is a formality. We’ll explain more in a second.
  2. Be Wary of the Wolves
    When a major hail catastrophe hits a city, so do the hail chasers. They set up tents in parking lots and drive brightly colored mobile hail repair semis and trucks. They will also promise you nothing short of their firstborn child. Just remember, as quickly they roll into town, they will hit the road as soon as the next big ticket storm hits another city. Learn more here.
  3. Schedule Inspection or Repair
    Reputable shops fill up quickly. You are good to go if you have filed your claim and have your adjuster’s estimate. You can always schedule your free inspection, but we highly suggest just going for the repair. Do your research—check Google reviews and social media. You will learn a lot.
  4. Estimate Number Two
    Before any vehicle is repaired, it is thoroughly reinspected. We use specialized LED light boards to identify even the smallest dents and a paint-friendly erasable marker to circle every dent. Adjusters typically miss 35-50% of the hail damage. We submit a supplement request along with our estimate to your adjuster. Once approved, we start repairs. It is a rarity that a supplement is disapproved. We do all of this in-house if panels need to be replaced or painting is required. Including any glass damage.

Current Promotions – Auto Hail Repair Killeen

In addition to the following promotions, we offer free inspections, free customer loaner cars, complimentary car wash & detail after repair, and a lifetime warranty on all repairs.

No Deductible – $0 Out-Of-Pocket

It’s not your fault your car has hail damage and forking out that unexpected expense is not something you planned on. That’s why Superior Dent has got you covered. We take care of the deductible and make Killen hail repair affordable.

Learn More

$150 Cash Back Offer

We try to eliminate all unnecessary steps in repairing your hail damage. If you bring your vehicle to our shop for repair, we will pay for a UBER to get you to your rental car and thank you for business with a $150 cash bonus to cover the driving expense!

Schedule Repair

I was really impressed! I initially spoke with Carrie, who was super helpful, and then dealt directly with AJ from then on, and he was great to work with. Communication was great, and they followed through with everything they said. Our car got wrecked by hail, and they got it looking brand new. It was an 11/10 experience.

– Grant Hammil, Google Reviews

Get a project quote today!

We’ll put together a customized quote about your project and work with you to get started on your project. Let’s build something together!

Get in touch today!

Local vs Out-of-Town Dent Repair Company

What are the benefits of choosing a local Austin auto hail repair shop?

We’ve all seen them.

Dent repair pop-up shops have taken over Austin. You can find them on the roadside, Walmart and other big box store parking lots, and anywhere they can squeeze a short-term rental out of.

They come in many shapes and sizes

They travel like gypsies. Some offer repairs in oversized tents, and others have semi-trucks fully equipped to function as mobile dent repair shops. They are adorned with verbiage such as hail catastrophe team, free hail estimates, and more.

Pop-Up Austin Hail Repair Sightings

Big promises. Here today, gone tomorrow.

One factor remains the same: They are not local. Their promises and guarantees—including the lifetime warranty — disappear once business slows down or a bigger and better hail storm strikes.

Top 3 Biggest Customer Complaints Regarding Out-of-Town Dent Companies in Austin

  1. Flyers of Mass Destruction. To add insult to injury, these hail companies are stalking Austin hail-damaged cars and placing flyers and postcards between the windshield wiper and windshield glass. Sure, this is annoying, but when it rains, the flyers adhere to the glass, leaving behind an ugly mess.
  2. Solicitation in the Suburbs. We can’t point too many fingers because we do door-to-door here and there, but we respect the front doors with a ‘no soliciting’ sign. Due to so many complaints from current customers about out-of-town auto hail repair companies inundating neighborhoods with solicitation, we have nearly cut this out of our marketing practices. We’ve heard horror stories you couldn’t believe. One customer said that on a single night, 5 hail repair companies came to their door. The one that stood out was when the homeowner asked the solicitor to leave, he stormed off right through their flower bed and smashed a series of newly planted flowers.
  3. Big Promises. No Guarantees. The auto hail repair companies that flocked into Austin after the first major hail storm of the season have now come and gone. Customers who had their hail-damaged cars repaired by a few are left wondering where to go after discovering dents that were overlooked during the repair. They were promised a lifetime warranty, but now, the tent is gone, and the big hail catastrophe team semi-truck is on its way to the next big storm…and not answering calls. The $500 deductible they covered is used to pay a local Austin auto hail repair company to finish the job.

Shop Local. Austin is home to some of the BEST Auto Hail Repair Shops.

We want to say that we are one of them. Superior Dent Solutions is an Austin-local auto hail repair shop that started as a paintless dent repair shop but now offers in-house auto hail repair ANYTHING shop! From paint damage to broken windshields, we return your car to its pre-damaged condition. Plus, we aren’t going anywhere. Promise.

Schedule a FREE hail damage inspection at our brand-new Liberty Hill, TX, location. Don’t worry, we just moved from across the street to a bigger facility to add auto body, paint, and glass to our paintless dent repair services.

You can call us at 512-430-5855 or visit our online scheduling page to choose a date/time that works best for your schedule.

Hail Damage After First Car Payment

Purchased car new, just made first payment, and now hail damage.

It’s just heartbreaking. Unfortunately, this is not an uncommon scenario, especially in Austin, TX. The good news is that it CAN be repaired with paintless dent repair to its ‘brand new’ pre-damaged condition.

Even though paintless dent removal has been around for nearly a century, many vehicle owners don’t know much about it. In this article, we will discuss the history of the technique. If your vehicle is a good candidate for PDR, the auto hail repair process, share some before-and-after photos and a video showing a technician using the technique on a hail-damaged vehicle.

The History of Paintless Dent Repair

Paintless dent repair is a specialized technique that has been used to repair dents and dings for nearly a century. It started in 1931 with a man named Frank T. Sargent, who published a book called “The Key to Metal Bumping.”

The Key to Metal Bumping by Frank T. Sargent

Thirty years later, paintless dent repair was further refined and put to perfect use by a man named Oskar Flaig. In 1960, at the “International Motor Sports Show” in NYC, Flaig’s primary function was to repair any paint and dent damage produced by the public during the day so that the vehicles would look like new for the next day’s show. He discovered that if he pushed gently on the back side of a dent with a hammer handle, the dent disappeared without repainting! 

Today, paintless dent repair is synonymous with auto hail damage repair in Austin and all over the world. Experienced PDR technicians can reverse the dent & ding damage caused by hail without the use of fillers, sanding, and repainting. This saves the factory finish on your vehicle, which cannot be replicated or reproduced. 

Paintless Dent Repair for Auto Hail Damage

What kind of damage qualifies for paintless dent repair?

As long as the paint surface is intact, it can be repaired. Common practical uses for paintless dent repair are hail damage, door dings, creases, body line dents, and minor collision damage.

Even if the vehicle is brand new, right out of production, it can be 100% repaired and restored to its showroom floor condition. A PDR repair will not show up on a CarFax as the damage was reversed. It is not uncommon for our customers to claim we used some kind of sorcery when they see their severely hail-damaged vehicle returned to its pre-damaged condition.

Allen Sparks, Austin, TX Customer Review

“I worked with Andrew during the whole ordeal, and he was great. He approached me at my house, and I showed him my car, which had hail damage. He handled all the back-and-forth with my insurance, which was amazing.

Andrew also went above and beyond with the rental car and is a true expert in his industry. I had a reservation with Enterprise, but he suspected that the local enterprise shop might not have a car for me. He showed up before me at the enterprise and got my reservation moved to an enterprise that had a car. He saved me over an hour of time with that alone. Additionally, they were always willing to Uber me to/from their shop or rental car place to pick up my car or rental if needed.

Andrew and the others were also kind enough to explain the inner workings of the insurance industry and how things shake out with the back-and-forth. I’m a nerd like that, and I like to know how things work.

I did not have a deductible but was given a credit, so that was great.

TL:DR: Andrew and the entire outfit are awesome, honest people. If something wasn’t right, they went out of their way to make it right. They were a pleasure to work with, and they gave me warmth and fuzzies. Oh, yeah, my car is fixed, too.”

Read more reviews from our auto hail repair Austin customers here.

What kind of damage does not qualify for paintless dent repair?

Factors such as paint damage, stretched metal, or an already re-painted panel can inhibit the success of a PDR repair.

Other FAQ About Paintless Dent Repair

What if my hail-damaged car has paint damage?

Superior Dent Solutions started as a paintless dent repair exclusive shop in 2016. In 2023, we added a full-service auto body shop complete with paint and glass repair/replacement.

When should I get my hail damage repaired?

After a severe hail catastrophe, insurance companies get busy, and Austin paintless dent repair and auto body shops get slammed. It is always a good idea to start your hail damage claim ASAP. This doesn’t mean you have to get your vehicle repaired immediately, but it does start the repair process.

The Austin Auto Hail Repair Process

What are my next steps in the auto hail repair process?

Schedule Inspection

While you wait for the insurance adjuster to inspect your vehicle, you can start shopping around for a paintless dent repair shop in Austin. Schedule an inspection with a paintless dent repair shop. At SDS, this gets you into our system and essentially saves your place in line because we’ve already accessed the damage and will know the next steps after your adjuster gets you their estimate.

Insurance Adjuster Estimate

We consider the estimate from your insurance company to be simply a starting point. Many estimates are written up after a video inspection. They are well aware that not all of the damage was accounted for and expect a supplement request from whatever repair shop you decide to take your vehicle to. We do have to have that initial insurance estimate before we start any repairs on a vehicle.

Rental Car Reservation or SDS Loan Car

After your claim has been filed and you have rental car reimbursement on your policy, you should get a rental reserved ASAP. We can help you with this by calling the rental agency and setting you up. If your policy does not cover a rental car, we will get you in line to use one of our customer loaner cars.

If your repair takes longer than the car rental allowance designated by your policy, we will cover the overage amount by cutting you a check once the repairs have been completed.

Schedule Vehicle Pick-Up or Vehicle Drop Off for Repair

Once you have your insurance estimate, we schedule the vehicle for repair. Together, we schedule a day that works best for your schedule. If you drop off your vehicle at Superior Dent Solutions, we will put you in an Uber to pick up your rental car.

Before any work is done on your vehicle, we thoroughly re-inspect it. We circle all of the damage and compare it to your insurance company’s estimate.

Supplement Request

Any missed damage will be recorded in a supplement request and immediately submitted to your insurance company. Once the supplement request is approved, we will contact you to let you know that your vehicle is ready for repair.

Part Replacements

Sometimes, panels need to be replaced, and parts need to be ordered. These can be side mirrors, windshields, vehicle panels, sunroofs, body rails, etc. We will text you at every step of the repair.

Paint

If your vehicle has paint damage, the hail damage is repaired first and then it is prepped for paint. Again, we will send you text updates as your vehicle moves through the auto hail repair process.

Paintless Dent Repair Technique Video

Schedule Your Free Hail Damage Inspection

Superior Dent Solutions offers free hail damage inspections at our shop located in Liberty Hill, TX. To schedule a home inspection, please call us at 512-999-7909.

Austin Hail Storm Damage Goes Beyond Dents & Dings

When hail season hits in Austin, the damage can go beyond dents & dings.

This article touches on some dangers that can arise after the storm.

Since we started our business in 2016, the auto hail repair industry has changed—some for the better, some for the worse.

Not only do hail-damaged car owners have to deal with the headaches that come with getting their cars repaired, but they are also faced with parking lot stalkers, circus tent set-ups, out-of-town hail chasers, and auto hail repair company scammers and impersonators. 

Dent Repair Scammers - Austin
CircusTent Dent Repair
Caught red handed?
After Picture Dent Repair Scam
Impersonator Dent Company Claiming to be Superior Dent
Parking Lot Dent Repair Guy Stalker

Austin Auto Hail Repair Scam Red Flags.

Parking Lot Stalkers

The persuasive stranger claiming to “fix” dents in your car. You can find them lurking in big box parking lots, car washes, and grocery stores. They promise a quick fix at a low cost. Even if you refuse, they harass you, follow you home, and/or “fix” your car while you’re not looking and then demand money. 

Out-of-Town Hail Chasers

Auto hail repair is an insurance-driven industry, which makes it very appealing for paintless dent repair technicians who don’t drum in enough business with door dings & parking lot mishaps. Some of these technicians might be good at the art of dent repair, but when the storm is over, they take their lifetime warranty guarantee with them.

Circus Tent Set-Ups

They come in all shapes, sizes, and colors, but one thing is for sure: they are hail chasers. Like the parking lot stalker, these pop-up dent repair guys love big box stores, supermarkets, and abandoned roadside parking lots. They make their living on the go, following hail storms like the ‘deadheads’ followed The Grateful Dead back in the 70s, but instead of smelling like patchouli – they smell of empty promises and subpar repairs.

Scammers & Impersonators

This particular ‘red flag’ was inspired by an actual impersonator experience we had with a couple of paintless dent repair company competitors of ours. They say impersonation is one of the biggest forms of flattery, but we certainly didn’t take it that way. We received a phone call from a gentleman who suspected he was being scammed by a sales guy claiming to work for us. We were concerned and surprised but just assumed it was a one-time-thing. Then, it happened again.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on Identifying and Handling the Red Flags of Auto Hail Repair in Austin

What are some common ‘tells’ that the person or company wanting to repair my car hail damage is a questionable character?

They approach you in a parking lot, make big promises, and don’t seem that interested in your vehicle. They offer you a cheap repair on the spot. They don’t have a website, and you can’t find them on Google or anywhere else when researching who they are.

How can I tell if this dent repair company is local or from out of town?

Number one, Google them. If you can’t find them as a legitimate Austin auto hail repair company, decline. If you do find them on Google or social media, check for reviews. A quick Google search can save you time and potentially thousands of dollars.

Is this dent-guy for real?

First of all, if this is a thought that pops into your head, they are likely not. If you choose to go against your better judgment, because it happens to all of us, ask for a business card. Ask them questions like Do you work for a local Austin shop? How many years have you been repairing hail damage? Do you have any pictures of your work? Do you have a website? What proof do you have that you are a legitimate paintless dent repair technician? 

How does the parking lot dent repair scam work?

BBB says, “A person approaches you in the parking lot of a store stating they noticed dents on your car. It just so happens that they work at a body shop and can fix them for you! They promise to charge much less than what a shop would and they can make the repairs on the spot while you are shopping. The “repair person” may try to appeal to your altruistic side by claiming that you would be supporting their small business”.

Real-life encounter stories of dent repair scammers.

Parking lot dent repair scam.
Fake Auto Body Repair Scheme Targets Victims With Dents In Cars (Video)
Car Dent Con Artist (Article)
How To Avoid Dent Repair Parking Lot Scammers (Video)

Superior Dent Solutions latest blog posts.

One Claim, All Repairs, Zero Out-of-Pocket: Austin Hail Damage Solved!

Tired of Multiple Claims and Endless Shop Visits? Say Goodbye to Hail Damage Hassle in Austin! Are you sick of filing multiple claims, being herded from one shop to another, only to wait for the shops to coordinate to actually get the repairs completed? Do unexpected expenses keep popping up? Are you sick of hassling…

Continue Reading One Claim, All Repairs, Zero Out-of-Pocket: Austin Hail Damage Solved!

Is a Hail Damage Claim Worth It? 

There is an undeniable weight of anxiety and fear that lives in the shadow of a catastrophic hail storm. These are the top concerns Austin vehicle owners have mentioned when it comes to filing a hail damage claim and whether it is worth it.

Fear of a Total Loss From Hail Damage

We love our cars. We do our due diligence when seeking out the ‘perfect’ car to mirror our lifestyles. This fear rings very true for later-model vehicle owners.

For example, you want the best value for your money when purchasing a used vehicle. You know you could run down to your local dealership and purchase a brand new model but you are more than fine with a gently used quality vehicle. Therefore, you do your research and track down a car, truck, or SUV that has better-than-average ratings, good to great miles-per-gallon, and retains its resale value. After you find it, you purchase it and protect it with a comprehensive insurance policy. You are more than satisfied with your new-to-you vehicle and then it happens.

Total Loss Hail Damage Car Austin Claim
Auto Hail Claim “Total Loss”

It hails and you might start praying. After the storm, you check for hail damage and sure enough, every panel seems to have damage. Now what? As most used car owners know, the value of their vehicle is more pride than monetary resale value.

The Dreaded ‘Total Loss’ Verdict

The dreaded ‘total loss’ phrase creeps into your mind. If the insurance company totals it, you still have a loan to pay off. You know that replacing it will be nearly impossible. Now you start questioning whether filing a hail damage claim is even worth it. This is a tough scenario to swallow.

The vehicle was purchased for $10k, and you have $3k left to pay on it. The insurance adjuster comes out and, unfortunately, calls it a ‘total loss.’ The cost to repair the hail damage exceeds the Kelly Blue Book value of the car after considering depreciation. A few days later, you get a settlement offer plus a buy-back option.

Option 1

Filing a Hail Damage Claim on Your Vehicle

  • Settlement Offer: The car’s pre-loss value is $8,500, and minus your $500 deductible, you are left with $8k. You pay the balance on the loan. You are now down to $5k to purchase another vehicle, but now, you are $1.5k in the hole.
  • Buy-Back Option: Your insurance company offers to let you keep the vehicle for $3.5k. After the $8.5K minus $3.5K minus the $500 deductible, you keep the car plus they write you a check for $4.5k. You pay off the remaining $3k owed to the bank, and you are left with $1.5k and the hail-damaged vehicle that now has a salvage title. You can’t purchase comprehensive coverage on a salvage-titled vehicle.

Option 2

Not Filing, Keeping Vehicle With Hail Damage

If you decide to skip filing a claim altogether, consider the following:

If you have an outstanding loan on the vehicle or it is a leased or rented car, you have a legal obligation to file a claim for hail damage in Austin.

If you own the title on the vehicle, it is up to you to do whatever is right for you. If you do have full coverage, you are paying for a service for events such as hail damage or any other act of nature that might have damaged your car. Filing a hail damage claim is your right and, in many cases, your best option. We will outline why in the next section.

Risks of Keeping Your Vehicle With Hail Damage

  1. Resale value. If you plan on keeping the vehicle until it’s no longer mechanically sound and don’t mind the aesthetic of hail damage, this is your best bet. If you think you might want to sell the vehicle at a later date, expect to sell it cheap.
  2. Future damage. This might not be a scenario you have considered but let’s say you get rear-ended. Hypothetically, you’ve just had it, changed your mind, and decided to file a hail damage claim, after all. An adjuster comes out to assess the damage. They tell you that the damage caused by the hail could have been repaired, and the vehicle wouldn’t have been considered a total loss, but now, with the additional damage, it is a total loss.

DIY Car Hail Damage Inspection

This is something you can easily do at home to get a pretty good idea of whether your vehicle has a pretty good likelihood of being deemed a total loss as a result of hail damage.

Do a quick wash of your vehicle. Move the vehicle into the sunlight. Look at every panel and count the number of dents you can see. Now add 20% to that number. If you see damage, we can almost guarantee there are some small dents that aren’t easily visible without proper PDR LED lighting. Do this for every panel.

You can download the DIY Hail Damage Inspection Worksheet PG 1 | PG 2 to make it easier.

Download FREE!

DIY Hail Inspection Worksheet

The Easy Solution

Austin Auto Hail Damage Inspections are FREE

…and without obligation. If you aren’t sure about your next steps and need some more information, consider calling Superior Dent Solutions for a free inspection at 512-999-7909. If you live in Austin or within 60 miles of our shop in Liberty Hill, we can come to you. We can pretty quickly determine if the hail damage on your vehicle is repairable or a ‘total loss’ if you decide to file a claim. We can also offer solutions and additional options.

Superior Dent Solutions has been repairing hail damage since 2016, and 95% of the vehicles come into our shop for repairs.

Where Would You Like Your Inspection?

Call Superior Dent Solutions today at 512-999-7909 or click on the links below to schedule your free 15-minute hail damage inspection.

Home/Office Inspection
Superior Dent Shop Inspection