Any one that has been through a severe hailstorm knows how damaging it can be. Cars are usually victims, with damage ranging from purely cosmetic to totaling the car. Getting a free vehicle history report will allow you to look into the car’s hail damage occurrences before you buy.
Why Car Hail Damage is a Problem
For many vehicle owners, car hail damage is too costly of a repair to swallow. While smaller dings may be fixed with paintless dent repair, if a car was caught outdoors during a hailstorm, it may have so many dents that doing repairs is not a cost effective way of dealing with the damage. In these cases, as reflect from any free VIN number search you’ll run, the insurance company might decide to total the car instead of making the repairs.
Even if the car is not totaled, it is important to realize that not all hits to the car will be cosmetic. Heavy hailstorms can severely damage the vehicle, breaking glass, compromising window seals, and damaging key systems. Cars that were outside during a hailstorm may have other damage as well, including water damage to the interior if exterior damage was severe enough.
Knowing the history of a car
If you are planning on purchasing a vehicle, a vehicle title will give the first warning as to the car’s conditions. A car that has been totaled from car hail damage will now have a salvage title instead of the standard vehicle title. While the car may be drivable and fully repaired, getting insurance on a salvage title vehicle can be difficult.
For minor car hail damage, a free vehicle history report will allow you to see exactly what insurance claims have been made on the car. If car hail damage was a claim filed, you will want to conduct a thorough inspection of the car to make sure that all of the damage was indeed repaired. Find out if the insurance company will back the repairs made, and if there are any remaining warranties on parts used. You do not want to buy a vehicle, only to find out afterward that the insurance money was used for some other purchase than repairing the car.
The more you know about the vehicle that you plan on purchasing, the better a decision you can make as to whether or not the car is right for you. Do your research on car hail damage before you buy to make sure that there has been no damage to the car. If damage has occurred during some point of the car’s history, use a cautious eye to make sure that all of the repairs have been effectively made.