HOW TO PROTECT YOUR CAR FROM HAIL

The best way to reduce repair costs for hail damage to your vehicle is to prevent the hail damage from happening in the first place. While it is not always possible to have your vehicle tucked up safely in a garage at home when a hail storm hits, there are a few things you can do to reduce the risk of it being damaged. There are also a few myths out there about how to stop hail stones damaging your car, and it may be difficult to determine which are true and which will leave you with a car full of dents.

When at home or work, the safest place to park your car is in a closed garage or in an undercover carpark. Carports also offer some protection, but if they have open sides, strong winds have the capacity to drive hail stones into the sides of your vehicle.

One myth that we hear all the time is that parking under trees will protect your car from damage during a storm. While this may seem like a good alternative to storing your car in a garage, heavy storms with strong winds and hail stones may cause branches and other objects to fall on your car, causing extensive damage.

Another myth that we regularly hear is that placing a blanket over your car or covering it with mats or pillows will stop hail damage from occurring. As a last resort, a thick blanket may provide some protection against small hail stones, but larger hail stones will still leave your car dented. Unless they are tied down securely, they can also be blown away. Padded hail covers can also be purchased, which offer protection in a similar way to a blanket, but the level of protection they offer will depend on the type of cover purchased and the size of the hail stones. In Brisbane and Gold Coast we can get some big hail and this often results in a lot of damage being done.

Due to the unpredictable nature of hail storms in and around the Queensland area, there is always a risk of being caught out unprepared. If this happens, you could park your car as close as possible to a building, but remember to park on the opposite side of the building to the approaching storm. By doing this, hail may hit the building, but winds from the storm may blow the hail straight over the top of your vehicle.

Other places to look for protection when caught driving in a hail storm could include a service station shelter, a shopping centre carpark or under a bridge. If these options are unavailable, find a safe place to stop on the side of the road until the storm has passed. You may be left with hail damage, but a moving car can not only be unsafe, it can also increase the extent of the damage when the impact of the hail is compounded with the speed of the moving car.

One final, yet very important, point to bear in mind is to always put safety first. Never put yourself or others in danger in an effort to protect your vehicle. Panels can be repaired, but people can never be replaced.

If you find yourself with a hail damaged vehicle, give Wayne from PDR 2U a call on 0448844328. If you have one hail damaged vehicle or hundreds, our team at PDR 2U can have the damage repaired quickly and efficiently, with a lifetime guarantee on all paintless dent removal repairs. Whether it be an insurance repair or a private job, customer satisfaction is our number one priority.