“I’m just gonna wait to get my hail damage fixed”…
Over the years we have heard this more than once. But because we know it is in your best interest to get your hail damage repaired immediately, we will offer this bit of advice rather strongly…DO NOT WAIT!
So why is it so important to get your claim filed and car fixed immediately?
Scenario #1: Your car was damaged by hail and you have not had it fixed…and it gets hailed on again this fall, you are going to face the following:
- Two deductibles (we can only cover one)
- The adjuster having to sift between old damage and new (extremely difficult)
- Your car will probably be totaled by insurance
- If you are upside down on your loan, you won’t have a car to trade in, leaving you paying thousands out of pocket on a car you no longer own to make up for the negative equity on your loan.
- Car shopping and coming out of pocket for down payment on a new car
- Insurance rates may go up when purchasing a newer vehicle
The good news is all of these things are avoidable, all you have to do is call All Star PDR today and we will help you get the process started.
Scenario #2: If you filed a claim and received a check for the initial estimate but didn’t get the damage repaired, you are subject to the “unrepaired damage clause” that exist on most insurance policies. Simply put, if insurance writes you a check and you don’t get the damage repaired, all future claims will be denied until you have the damage repaired.
To be clear, you don’t have to have it fixed for the amount of the check they wrote you, you just have to get it into a shop so they can begin the supplement process and get insurance to pay the full amount of repairs.
Scenario #3: Most insurance policies have a time limit to complete a claim. Typically that time frame is one year. Beyond that point they will deny any further action on the claim, cancel any payments made, and make life very difficult if your car gets hailed on in the future.
In the event you fall into this scenario, it’s critical that you contact your insurance company immediately to find out the deadline for you to get your car repaired.
You pay for you insurance on time every month. Insurance exists to make you whole again in the event of loss. Make sure you use your policy and get your car fixed so you can avoid the pitfalls of not having your hail damage repaired.
Final Thought: Some people try to “game the system” and keep the insurance payment without getting their car fixed. If you do that, not only will you be subject to the “unrepaired damage clause” in your policy, you will soon find out that trading or selling your car with hail damage is extremely difficult.
New car franchises get away with it because of the massive incentives they can offer and frankly the false promises (aka lies) made to customers about the cost of getting the hail damage repaired. Most of those cars end up at the auction by the way. In reality, very few people purchase cars with hail damage and if you try to trade your car in with hail damage, you can expect to get about half of the market value.
For more information about getting your hail damage repaired, contact All Star PDR today at 214-587-0277.
If you would like to get started immediately, you can request a FREE hail inspection by clicking here.
