According to National Geographic, hail is water present in the atmosphere. It’s formed when water droplets freeze together in the upper part region of thunderstorm clouds. The ice chunks formed are called hailstones which measures 5 millimeters to 15 centimeters. They come in round formation or jagged, meaning having uneven edges.
Mother nature can be so unpredictable as you’ll never know when a hailstorm could happen. One thing’s for sure, and when hailstones start falling from the sky, they can do damages to your car. People are left curious about how their vehicles will look new again. Here are some methods on how to make your car look good after hailstorm damage:
- Paintless Dent Repair
Paintless dent repair, also known as PDR, is the best method to remove dents and dings on your car caused by hail. This process will leave your vehicle’s paintwork intact. The best thing about getting a PDR is it works well regardless of the dent’s size.
PDR method works by pushing the car’s indented surface back into shape. It’s a crucial step because the car’s paintwork is at stake. Professionals use tools to put back the metal to its original form carefully. If you’re wondering if you can fix the dent yourself, you might be able to, but it’s unlikely. The best way to make your car look new is by contacting paintless dent repair professionals such as uDentiFix for quality repair.
- Heat Gun Repair
When vehicles get dents, their metal surfaces stretch to certain degrees. In the case of hail damage, cars happen to have numerous dents. The stretches can be fixed using a heat gun called the heating and cooling method.
Each of these dents is warmed using the heat gun on a low to medium setting. After being heated, the surface’s dent will be cooled down using ice or any other cold element. Heating the damaged surface makes it pliable to push or pull the dent out of the vehicle.
- Pushing Tools
Pushing tools are commonly used by bodywork specialists. These are made from thin metals with long handles. They’re designed this way to reach under or inside body panels by carefully and gradually pushing the opposite of the dent until it entirely disappears.
By using the pushing method to fix hail damage, repair specialists don’t need continuous pressure to repair the dent. The pushing tools are designed to make a quick pulsing pattern that removes the ding one tiny bit at a time. Let professionals fix your car because trained specialists can only do this process.
- Dent Removal Kit Method
If there’s a pushing method, there will also be a pulling method. Dent removal kits are available for DIYers to repair by themselves. These kits include plastic plungers, adjustable pulling handles, and a glue gun.
Plastic plungers come in a variety of sizes. It’ll depend on the dented surface as to which shape or size you’ll use to repair the damage. Once the plunger is glued onto the surface, a gentle pressure going outwards is applied. Pulling tools require a careful and gentle hand to get excellent results. If done incorrectly, your vehicle might even get damaged more than what it got from the hailstorm.
- Boiling Water Method
When it comes to repairing a car dent due to hailstones, heat is the best way to go for individuals without tools available at home. It’ll be easier just to apply boiling water over the dented surface. All you need is water and a kettle which are easily and readily available at home.
Try working with the hot water and see if the area springs back to its original shape. At first, it might sound too good to be true to repair a dent with just boiling water. After pouring the hot water, splash some cold water after the dent returns to the original shape to cool down the surface.
Final Thoughts
Restoring your hail-damaged vehicle can be tricky. It’ll depend on how big the damage is, whether your car has a small or big ding. There are always methods you can rely on. You can choose among PDR, heat gun repair, pushing tools, dent removal kit method, and boiling water method.
You can do some of these methods all by yourself in the comfort of your own home. However, if the damage is bigger than you thought, seeking help from car repair shops is a must to avoid further problems to occur. To avoid getting your car dented by these hailstones, try to stay at home when the weather is not safe to travel.
