How to Check Your Car for Hail Damage
How to Check Your Car for Hail Damage
Hail dents hide. Out in a sunny parking lot you might see nothing at all, and then under shop lights the same hood shows dozens of them. That is why we look at every car clean, indoors, and under PDR lights before we write anything down. Here is how to check your own car first, so you know what you are dealing with before you call anybody.
Start with a clean car
Dirt, pollen and water spots hide small dents. Wash the car, or at least the roof, hood and trunk, and let it dry. We ask for the same thing: our estimating guidelines call for a cleaned vehicle, looked at indoors, with proper lighting.
Where to look first
- Roof, hood and trunk lid. Hail comes down, so the flat panels facing up take most of it.
- Roof rails and the top edges of doors and fenders. Dents along an edge or a body line are easy to miss and harder to fix.
- Trim, moldings and lights. Hail can dent moldings too. Some can be repaired, and some may have to be ordered.
- Glass and mirrors. Look for chips and cracks. That is not dent work, but your insurance company will want to know about it.
How to see dents without shop lights
Stand at an angle to the panel and look at a reflection of something with a straight edge: a garage door, a roofline, a row of lights in a parking garage. Walk slowly and watch the reflection slide across the paint. Where the line wiggles or pinches, there is a dent. An overcast day or dusk usually works better than bright noon sun.
Take pictures for your records
- One wide shot of each side of the car with the license plate showing.
- Close shots of each panel, taken at an angle so the reflections show the dents.
- A note of the date, the time and where the car was parked when the storm hit.
Check the paint
Paintless dent repair fixes the metal, not the paint. If a hailstone chipped or cracked the paint, that spot is not a candidate for paintless repair and will need paint work. Wraps, matte finishes, clear bra film, decals, custom paint and old damage can also limit how close to factory a panel can get. We will tell you that at the estimate, not after the job. (See our PDR information page.)
Do not try to push them out yourself
We have taken calls from folks who tried it themselves after watching a video. A home attempt usually turns a simple dent into a high spot or a crease that costs more to fix. Read our do-it-yourself warning before you try it.
Dents from falling acorns and walnuts look a lot like hail. If you park under trees, see our fall page on acorn and walnut dents. If your car has an aluminum hood, see dent repair on aluminum panels.
If you are filing an insurance claim
Whether hail is covered, and how much you pay out of pocket, depends on your policy and your insurance company. Call them, ask, and get a claim number. Our insurance page walks through the steps after a storm.
You also get to pick who fixes your car. The Illinois Department of Insurance says you are not required to use your company’s suggested repair shop, and that if your shop charges more than the company’s suggested shop, you may have to pay the difference (IDOI). Illinois rules also say an insurer shall not require you to travel unreasonably to get an estimate or to have the car repaired at a specific shop it recommends (50 Ill. Adm. Code 919.80(d)(1)(B)). We work with adjusters and bring the proper lighting so everybody is looking at the same dents.
Watch out for pop-up dent crews
After a big storm, crews come to town. Some are good and some are not. Get a written estimate, get a receipt, and call the number on the business card before any work starts. More on that in our fraud warning and pop-up shops pages.
Get an estimate
Call 217-306-4175, or send us the details on our contact page. Estimates are free. If it’s an insurance job, your claim number and email are all we need to get started.
Scheduling: We’ll be back home from a massive hail storm. Taking appointments as early as October 16, 2026.
- Springfield: 550 North Street, Suite 2, Springfield, IL 62704. Monday to Wednesday, 8:00 to 5:00.
- Lincoln: 2009 N. Kickapoo St, Lincoln, IL 62656. Thursday to Saturday, 8:00 to 5:00.