How to Protect Your Car Before a Hail Storm
Central Illinois gets its share of spring and summer hail. You can’t stop a storm, but a little planning can keep your car out of the worst of it. Here are practical steps for the hours before hail arrives, and what to do once it has passed.
Watch the forecast
The National Weather Service office that covers central Illinois is in Lincoln. Its page at weather.gov/ilx carries local forecasts, watches and warnings. The Storm Prediction Center posts outlooks for severe weather, including hail, days ahead. If severe storms are in the outlook, make your parking plan early instead of when the hail starts.
Get it under a roof
- Your garage. Clear enough room to park inside before the storm season, not during the storm.
- A parking garage. Covered parking at work, a hospital or downtown can be a good place to wait out a storm, as long as you follow its rules.
- A carport or covered drive-through. Better than nothing, but wind-driven hail can still reach the sides of a car.
If you can’t get it under cover
- Thick blankets or a padded car cover over the hood, roof and windshield may soften smaller hail. Secure them so they don’t blow off and scratch the paint.
- Park facing the direction the storm is coming from, so the windshield, which is built stronger than the side and rear glass, takes more of it.
- Avoid parking under trees during storms. Wind can bring down limbs, and that is a different kind of damage.
None of these is a sure thing. Big hail can damage a covered car too.
If you are driving when hail starts
Your safety comes first. If you can do it safely, get off the road under a gas station canopy or into a parking garage, and wait it out. Don’t stop under an overpass in a traffic lane; it blocks traffic and can be dangerous.
After the storm passes
Look the car over once it is dry and in good light. Our guide on how to check your car for hail damage shows where to look and what to photograph. Paint-intact hail dents are what paintless dent repair is made for.
For local routes, see Rochester, Jacksonville, Petersburg, Pana and Clinton.
Whether hail damage is covered, and what you pay out of pocket, depends on your policy and your insurance company, so start by calling them. In Illinois you are not required to use your insurance company’s suggested repair shop, though if your shop charges more than the amount they will pay you may have to pay the difference (Illinois Department of Insurance). We can’t tell you what your policy covers, but we can look at the damage in person and write up what we find.
Be careful with anyone who shows up after a storm pushing a quick deal. Our page on pop-up dent repair places explains what to watch for.
Don’t fix it yourself
Hail dents are shallow and there are often a lot of them. Home kits and hair dryers can make them worse. Read our do-it-yourself warning first.
In-shop repairs only. We don’t offer mobile service. Drive-in customers are welcome at either shop during its open days.
Drive-in customers are welcome at Springfield (Monday to Wednesday) or Lincoln (Thursday to Saturday). Find the shop that fits on Services & Areas.
Get an estimate
Call 217-306-4175, email 217Dent@gmail.com, or send us the details on our contact page. Estimates are free. We bring more than 30 years of paintless dent repair experience to every estimate.
In-shop repairs only. We don’t offer mobile service. Drive-in customers are welcome at either shop.
- Springfield: 550 North Street, Suite 2, Springfield, IL 62704. Monday to Wednesday, 9:00 to 5:00.
- Lincoln: 2009 N. Kickapoo St, Lincoln, IL 62656. Thursday to Saturday, 9:00 to 5:00.
More: services and areas, shop locations, payments, site directory.