Expert: Richard Hixenbaugh - 11/6/2009

Question
Hello, I received hail damage to my vehicle.  The first estimate that was given to me by the insurance company only covered the hood and roof of my vehicle.  According to them the rest of the damage was not caused by hail.  Well, I decided to pursue the claim further.  Now, the second appraisal I received from the insurance company only covers my vehicle to be repaired at a Hail Dent Removal facility and gave me a check for paintless dent repair.  I am not satisfied.  I called the adjuster and she mentioned and basically forced me to use the check towards dent repair instead.  The insurance company doesn't want to cover anything else.  Is this right? What can I do? I feel because there were over 7,000 claims from that hail storm throughout the city, the insurance company is trying to reduce the payout on several claims.  

Answer
Hi Alex,

Paintless dent repair (PDR) is a viable method of repair. It is less intrusive than traditional body shop repairs, is less costly and does not require any re-painting of your car which helps protect the value of your car. If the dents in your car are able to be repaired using PDR this is a proper way to go. However, you should take your vehicle to the PDR facility to go over your car in comparison to the insurance company estimate. They may be able to determine that any other dents may also have been caused by the hail and will contact your insurance company for a supplemental inspection and additional payment if needed. If there are dents that the PDR facility feels can not be properly repaired utilizing PDR then those dents will have to be repaired at a traditional body shop.

I hope this helps
Richard Hixenbaugh