Auto Hail Repair

We get it. Why get the hail damage on your car repaired when it’s only going to hail again?

Now that the ATX 2023 hail season has finally come to a close, you might consider just waiting until it hails again to get the repairs. After all, Austin, TX does seem to be Mother Nature’s new hotbed for severe hail storms. As practical as that may sound, Superior Dent Solutions will explain the pros & cons of waiting to file a hail damage claim & getting your auto hail damage repaired.

The Cons to Waiting to Get Your Auto Hail Damage Repaired.

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Read the top 5 reasons why waiting to get your ATX auto hail damage repaired could cost you more in the long run.

More Waiting Could Mean More Damage

If you have preexisting hail damage on your vehicle, a second hailstorm greatly increases the chance that your vehicle goes from repairable to totaled.  Your car’s metal can only take so much mangling before it’s impossible to get it back to its original shape. If a vehicle is declared totaled due to hail damage, you lose big every single time.

Inaccurate Inspection & Estimate to Repair

A majority of insurance adjusters do not specialize in hail inspections and will not quote the cost to repair you accurately. It is not uncommon at all for the initial estimate to be 40-50% of the actual damages to the vehicle. That means you end up with damage not accounted for resulting in out-of-pocket expense to you. Even if you don’t get your vehicle repaired now, we highly suggest scheduling a time to get your vehicle inspected by one of our paintless dent repair specialists to make sure ALL of the hail damage is accounted for and paid for by your insurance company.

Increased Repair Time

Estimating new hail damage on a vehicle with existing damage can significantly increase the amount of time your vehicle is in the shop. Not to mention, most insurance adjusters aren’t experienced enough to differentiate the damage. They do have enough experience though to know if the amount of damage is comparable to the hail damage of your neighbor’s damage. If you have preexisting auto hail damage and haven’t filed a claim from the previous storm, the situation becomes even more arduous. Expect much longer sitting around and “waiting” time while you jump through multiple hoops.

Accidents Happen

If you haven’t had your vehicle’s hail damage repaired, you are driving around with pre-existing damage. Let’s say hypothetically that you are involved in a minor car accident that results in a fender bender. Even if it wasn’t your fault, a repair that would typically cost $500-$1,000 to repair turns into a “total loss.” If you have pre-existing hail damage that bordered on that “totaled” precipice and then add the cost to repair the new damage, you run the risk of your insurance company deeming the vehicle unrepairable.

Multiple Deductibles

Your insurance company knows where your vehicle resides. They also know about any previous hail storms that have hit Austin and the many cities in and around Austin that had hail activity. Ultimately, they know about anything and everything that could potentially damage your vehicle. Insurance companies will collect wherever they can. After all, they are business and they will cash in anywhere they can to avoid costly payouts after a severe hail event. From charging multiple deductibles to under-estimating the hail damage on your vehicle, their #1 goal is preserving their bottom line.

The Pros to Getting Your Auto Hail Damage Repaired ASAP.

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NOW is the best time to get your hail damage repaired and here are 5 reasons why!

Get Into the Best Austin Paintless Dent Repair Shops

The sooner you file your auto hail damage insurance claim in Austin, the more options you have. The best auto hail repair shops in Austin fill up quickly after a hail storm. What makes one shop better than another? Austin has many auto body shops and dealership repair shops but not as many paintless dent repair shops.

Why? PDR shops are dent repair shops that work primarily and sometimes exclusively in auto hail damage repair. After a major hail event, auto body shops & dealership repair shops will either temporarily hire or contract with independent paintless dent repair technicians to take on hail repair work. Your BEST option ALWAYS is to bring your vehicle to an actual paintless dent repair shop for the highest quality of repairs, service, and price.

Accurate Hail Damage Repair Estimates

A majority of insurance adjusters do not specialize in hail inspections and will not quote the cost to repair you accurately. It is not uncommon at all for the initial estimate to be 40-50% of the actual damages to the vehicle. That means you end up with damage not accounted for resulting in out-of-pocket expense to you. At Superior Dent Solutions, we never start repairs until after we do a reinspection. As mentioned above, we typically recover thousands of dollars of missed hail damage by your insurance adjuster. When we discover additional damage, we submit a supplement request to your insurance company to make sure you do not pay any out-of-pocket expense for missed damage.

Faster Repair Time

After a severe hail storm accurance, especially in a large city like Austin, there will be hundreds of thousands of hail damaged vehicles. The sooner you file a hail damage claim on your vehicle, the faster you will get an adjuster out to estimate the damage and get your car in for repairs. If you get your claim submitted within 2 weeks of the storm, repair times typically only about 3-5 days. 2-3 months after the storm, repair times can go up to 7-10 days…sometimes longer.

Rental Car Availability

Procuring a rental car while your vehicle is in the shop for repairs can be tricky after a hail storm. If your insurance policy covers the cost of a rental car, we highly suggest you file your hail damage claim ASAP. When you do this, you will be provided a ‘rental code’ to mention to the rental car agency which will put you in line immediately to pick up a rental. At Superior Dent Solutions, we work with Enterprise & Hertz on a day-to-day basis and in many situations have to wait until a rental is available for our customer before we can start working on the repairs. If you have a secondary vehicle to use while your car is being repaired, that is going to be your best bet. If your insurance policy does NOT cover a rental, Superior Dent Solutions has a fleet of rentals that are complimentary for our customers to borrow while their car is in the shop.

Superior Dent Solutions Perks

Superior Dent Solutions is an Austin, TX local paintless dent repair shop. We have been in business for over 25 years. We also have an in-house auto body repair division that takes care of any paint damage, panel replacement, dents that can’t be repaired with PDR, and more. We pay up to $1000 of your deductible. We have a fleet of rental cars that are complimentary for our customers who do not have loaner coverage. Hail damage inspections are free and can be done at your location or ours. All repairs come with a Lifetime Warranty.

Most importantly, Superior Dent Solutions works for YOU, not your insurance company. We are NOT a Direct Repair Shop and never will be. We never cut corners, use after-market parts, or ask you to pay for anything that should be covered under your insurance policy.

We guarantee it.

Suggested Reading

Top 5 Reasons Vehicle Owners Wait to File Hail Damage Car Claims With Insurance Company

If you live in an area recently hit by a hail storm severe enough to cause dent damage to your vehicle, this is a common question if you carry comprehensive insurance coverage on your vehicle and want the hail damage repaired. Superior Dent Solutions is an auto hail repair shop located in Austin, TX, and we are NOT a DRP—a direct repair provider. What does this mean?

Direct Repair Provider VS Independent Repair Shop

Direct repair shops are auto body shops or paintless dent repair shops that are contracted with your insurance company in order to be placed on their “DRP” list.

Why would an auto body or paintless dent repair shop want to be a DRP?

When an insurance company partners with a shop, the insurance company sends the shop business. This cuts back on the shop’s advertising dollars and ensures a steady flow of business.

What is the difference between a DRP and an independent local auto body/paintless dent repair shop?

Insurance companies usually choose big box repair shops/franchise shops to partner with for a few reasons.

• One reason is because they have multiple locations in multiple cities.
• Secondly, they are usually corporate-owned, and the business model is primarily based on quantity, not quality.
• DRPs often use aftermarket parts instead of original manufacturer (OEM) parts. These parts are mass-produced to work on a myriad of vehicles. As a result, they tend to be of lower quality and rarely fit as well as they should. 
• Finally, labor is cheaper.

Some common DRP shops in the Austin area are Gerber Collision Center, Caliber Collision, Austin Body Works, Crash Champions, Maxwell Ford, and Jeffs Auto Body Repair.

Common Steering Tactics Insurance Company Use

Insurance companies will do everything in their power to send you to one of their DRP shops, they will even employ scare tactics to make you believe that you have no other option. This is all very illegal.

The insurance company sends you to a specific shop for an initial adjuster estimate.

Once you get there and they give you the estimate, the shop tries to tell you that you have to get your repairs done there. They will tell you whatever they can to make you believe THEY are your only option. Insurance companies get very busy with claims when a big hail storm hits your area. Sometimes, they will send their customers to their “Direct Repair Facilities” instead of sending out an adjuster. When they do this, it is an easy way to get you into their pocket.

Remember, DRP shops work for the insurance company to get the best deal so they can pay out less, make as many repairs as possible quickly, and keep a tight grip on the entire hail repair process.

Common scare tactics used in this scenario:

• Insurance won’t cover the repairs if you don’t use them.
• You won’t get a lifetime warranty if you go elsewhere.
• “This is just the process.”

When you file your claim, they start the steering process.

This is when you are most vulnerable. You are already flustered and not sure what your next steps are. Remember, the auto hail repair shop you use to repair your vehicle is your choice. It is called steering, no matter what your insurance company, insurance adjuster, or DRP shop tells you.

For example, this comes directly from State Farm’s website.

“You can choose any shop you like to repair your vehicle’s damage. But if you go with a shop that’s in the State Farm^® Select Service network, you could save time and effort.”

Common scare tactics used in this scenario:

• Insurance won’t cover the repairs if you don’t use them.
• You won’t get a lifetime warranty if you go elsewhere.
• They provide the highest quality and most experience.
• This will make the process faster.

Insurance companies know it’s illegal but steering is still a common practice.

Insurance companies call DRPs many names, but they are still DRPs.

Each insurance company has its unique way of convincing you to use one of its preferred shops. They call them many different things, but in the end, they are all just shops that have agreed to get more business in return for a discounted cost.

State Farm = State Farm Select Service^®

Geico = Auto Repair Xpress

AllState = Good Hands Repair Network

Liberty Mutual = Guaranteed Repair Network Shop

Farmers = Guaranteed Repair Shops

Esurance = E Star Repair Facility

Know Your Rights

You choose who repairs your vehicle, not the insurance company.

Conclusion: Independent shops work for you. DRPs work for the insurance company.

Research before hiring any auto body shop or paintless dent repair shop.

Expedite the Austin Auto Hail Claims Process

2024 Austin Updated Hail Claims Process

The Superior Dent Solutions team has created this guide to help customers file their hail claims with their insurance company, get their vehicles repaired faster, and get back on the road.

We all know Texas is a hot spot for damaging hail storms & every storm is different regarding the hail claims process. After a few weeks of repairing vehicles from a particular storm, we like to share what works best for our customers.

1. Call your insurance provider and start the claims process. If you need assistance, we are happy to help. We can set up a 3-way phone call with you, your insurer, and one of our team members.
   • Progressive – 1-800-776-4737
   • AllState – 1-800-255-7828
   • GEICO – (800) 841-3000
   • AAA – 1-833-806-7833
   • Esurance – 1-800-378-7262
   • Farm Bureau – 1-800-226-6383
   • Farmers Insurance – 1-800-435-7764
   • Liberty Mutual – 800-225-2467
   • Shelter – 1-800-743-5837
   • State Farm – 1 (800) 782-8332
   • USAA – 800-531-8722
2. Questions asked and information you will need.
   • Name
   • Policy number
   • Date of birth
   • Date of occurrence (storm)
   • Where was your vehicle when it was damaged? 
   • What is the size of the damage? 
   • What panels are damaged?
   • Was there any glass damage?
   • Is the vehicle drivable? 
3. Identify your paintless dent repair shop of choice.
   It is up to you where you take your vehicle to repairs. Some insurance companies will imply that you need to take your vehicle to a shop that is within their “preferred network.” This is a practice referred to as “steering.” This is not a legal practice and it is well within your rights to choose the shop you trust. Superior Dent Solutions guarantees all repairs with a lifetime warranty. We have 25+ years of experience and work with ALL insurance companies.
4. Information you will want to ask for from the insurance company when you file your claim.
   • Claim number.
   • Rental car verification code.
     • Ask the agent to set you up with a reservation with a car rental agency.
       • Enterprise – Option 4 – Option 2
       • Hertz
     • Your insurance company should give you a verification code. We will need this information to make sure a rental car is available. 
5. You will be assigned an adjuster to handle your claim. Within 24-72 hours, you will receive an email from your assigned adjuster.
   • **To expedite the repair process, you can choose to forward the email you receive from your assigned adjuster to your Superior Dent Solutions representative. Once we receive this information, we can send the adjuster pictures and schedule a time for them to come by the shop to look over the vehicle and provide an estimate to repair the damage.
   • You can wait for the adjuster to get ahold of you to schedule the estimate. You can have the adjuster meet you at your location or at our shop. Just give us a call with the date/time and we will block a time at the shop for you and the adjuster.
6. Reserve a rental car or if your policy doesn’t cover a rental, request a complimentary loaner from us.
   • If you have rental coverage. After a big hail storm, rental agencies get busy and rental vehicles get booked fast. We are happy to do this for you or you can do it yourself, whatever is easier for you. We will call the rental agency and ask for the next available rental. Give them the verification code provided by your insurance provider. Sometimes rentals take 5-7 days to reserve. Once we have this information, we will call you. We will meet you at the car rental agency to pick up your vehicle and take it to our shop for repairs. If you have decided to make the reservation, just give us a call and provide us with the details.
     Enterprise Locations
     Enterprise 4352 I-35, Austin, TX 78745  (512) 462-9009
     Enterprise – Airport Location – 3819 Presidential Blvd, Austin, TX 78719 – 737) 484-3896
     Enterprise – 319 S Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX 78704 – (512) 472-1373
   • If you need an SDS loaner. Superior Dent Solutions has a fleet of complimentary loaner vehicles available for our customers. If you need a loaner while your vehicle is in the shop, we will get you in line to borrow one of ours. Get in line now!
7. Vehicle inspection by the insurance adjuster.
   Option 1: Schedule for an adjuster to look at your vehicle at your home or office.
   ***Option 2: Drop off your vehicle at the shop to be inspected. We regularly have adjusters come by the shop to inspect vehicles and provide estimates. You are welcome to stay for the estimate or you can drop off your vehicle and we can go through the estimation process with them.
   ***This is beneficial for 3 reasons.
   • Before the adjuster arrives, we can thoroughly inspect and identify each panel under our LED light panels and mark the damage.
   • You will save time by knowing ALL of the damage has been identified. If the adjuster misses damage while inspecting your vehicle at your location and we find additional damage once it’s in the shop for repairs, we will not need to submit a supplement request to cover the additional damage found.
   • Once the estimate has been created and approved, we can immediately get your vehicle in line for repairs. If you rented a vehicle from Enterprise or are borrowing one of our loaners, you can leave your vehicle with us for repairs.