Hail Damage in Texas: What to Do in the First 48 Hours
Central Texas gets serious hail, and it arrives fast. If your vehicle has just been caught in a storm, the steps you take in the first 48 hours affect how smoothly your claim goes and how well your car is restored. Here's a practical guide.
Document everything first
Before anything else, photograph the damage thoroughly — wide shots of each panel and close-ups of the dents, ideally in good light. Note the date and time of the storm. This documentation is the foundation of your insurance claim, and the more complete it is, the less friction you'll face later. Hail claims often involve many small dents, and good photos make the scope undeniable.
Understand your coverage
Hail damage is typically covered under the comprehensive portion of an auto policy, usually subject to your deductible. Check your policy or call your carrier to confirm what's covered before you assume anything. Comprehensive claims for weather events generally don't affect your rates the way at-fault collision claims can, but confirm the specifics for your policy.
Don't rush to the first shop
After a major hailstorm, pop-up and out-of-town repair operations appear quickly, chasing the volume of claims. Be cautious with them. Hail repair on a luxury vehicle should preserve your factory paint through paintless dent removal wherever possible — and that requires skill, not just availability. Choose a shop based on how they'll repair the car, not how fast they can get you in.
Why paintless repair is usually right for hail
Hail typically leaves many small dents without breaking the paint, which is the ideal case for paintless dent removal. PDR works the dents out from behind the panel and leaves your original finish untouched — preserving both appearance and value. Where hail has stretched metal or cracked paint, those panels need proper refinishing instead. A good shop assesses each panel and uses the right method.