Auto Hail Repair

What happens if StormWise’s estimate is higher than my insurance company’s estimate?
Estimates are subjective opinions of damage and can vary widely. As industry leaders in auto hail repair, we are experienced with resolving and negotiating differences like this. DON’T worry about having to come out of pocket for differences we find in our estimate versus the insurance estimate; that will NEVER happen.

We will contact your insurance company directly for any additional funds (called supplements) necessary to repair your vehicle to its pre-loss condition.

How long is my hail damage repair estimate valid?
In most cases, your insurance will want you to make a claim and repair the car within 1 year of the incident. This varies by policies though, so it’s best to check with your provider to be sure. You don’t want to wait and risk not being covered. If you do wait, you will likely be asked by your insurance the reason you waited to make the claim and get it fixed. When insurance is involved, you always want to make sure you do things in a timely fashion.

What if I decide not to fix my hail damage?
If you choose to forego the hail damage repairs to your vehicle and settle your insurance claim for a cash payment, a restriction for any un-repaired damage will probably be placed on your insurance policy,

What does this mean? You run the chance of having outstanding un-repaired damage deducted from any future Collision or Comprehensive claims on your vehicle. This can be problematic for a number of reasons. Say for example your insurance company initially says you have $3,000 in damage, and you own a car that is worth $20,000. The insurance company pays you the amount of your damage ($3,000) minus your deductible ($500), which is $2,500 and you keep the money and don’t repair the car. Then down the line, maybe even just a couple months later, you decide to trade the car in (because you hate looking at the damage). The dealership says that they will offer you $10,000 for your car that should be worth $20,000, Why is that? “Because” they say, “there is $10,000 in hail damage on the car that we will have to have fixed before we resell it.” $10,000? But they only paid me $2,500! This is because there is usually, and by usually we mean 99.9% of the time, more damage on the car than what the insurance adjuster sees and pays for on that initial insurance estimate. So at this point, how much is that $2,500 really worth if it just cost you $10,000 on your trade-in? It’s a real life situation that we see happen over and over again.

Also keep in mind that If you choose to repair the hail damage later on down the line, you will need to notify your agent to have the restriction removed. We can help you with this so that you become fully insured again.