A Pennsylvania hailstorm can leave a vehicle with anything from a few small dents to extensive body and glass damage. Leaving that damage unrepaired can become an issue later when you decide to sell or trade it. Bringing your vehicle to Bob Weaver Collision after a hailstorm can help you determine what needs to be repaired and the best way to restore the damage before it affects your car's value.

Key Takeaways

  • Unrepaired hail dents, chipped paint, and damaged glass can reduce what buyers or dealers are willing to pay for a vehicle.
  • Paintless dent repair may remove qualifying hail dents while preserving the vehicle's original factory paint.
  • Bob Weaver Collision repairs hail dents and damaged auto glass for drivers in Pottsville and throughout Schuylkill County.

Why Can Hail Damage Lower Your Car's Value?

AutoBlog reports that a potential buyer or dealership generally looks at a vehicle's overall condition when determining what it's worth. A hood, roof, or trunk covered with hail dents can make an otherwise well-maintained vehicle look neglected and give a buyer another reason to negotiate a lower price. Hail can chip or crack paint, damage exterior trim, and crack windshields or other glass. More extensive damage can make it more expensive to return to good condition, which can affect what someone is willing to pay for it.

A handful of dents may represent a relatively small portion of the value of a newer vehicle. The same repair bill can be much more significant on an older car that's already worth considerably less.

Does Hail Damage Repair Help Protect Resale Value?

Repairing hail damage before selling or trading a vehicle can eliminate many of the visible defects that would otherwise affect its condition. The repair method, however, depends on what the storm did to the vehicle.

Paintless dent repair (PDR) may be an option if there are few shallow dents with the paint intact. Techs use specialized tools to work the damaged metal back toward its original shape without sanding, body filler, or repainting.

However, deep damage, stretched metal, sharp creases, or cracked and chipped paint may require conventional body repair instead. An inspection can determine which approach is appropriate.

How Does a Hailstorm Damage Your Windshield?

A hard enough impact can chip or crack a windshield and damage side, rear, or sunroof glass. Small windshield chips and cracks can sometimes be repaired before they spread. More extensive damage, cracks in the driver's line of sight, and certain edge cracks may require windshield replacement instead.

What Should You Do After Hail Hits Your Car in Pennsylvania?

Once it's safe to inspect your vehicle, take photos of the damage before arranging repairs. Look beyond the most obvious dents and check the hood, roof, trunk, doors, fenders, windshield, side glass, rear glass, and sunroof if your vehicle has one.

Don't assume small dents are automatically harmless or that every dent requires conventional body work. An assessment by the collision repair techs at Bob Weaver can identify the extent of the damage and determine the appropriate repair method.

Protect Your Car's Value With Bob Weaver Collision

Pennsylvania weather may be beyond your control, but hail damage doesn't have to stay on your vehicle until it's time to sell it. Having the damage assessed and properly repaired at Bob Weaver can restore its appearance and help you protect the value you've already invested in your car.