Hail or storm damage: fix it, claim it or sell it

So the real questions are money questions: what the insurer will pay, what the deductible eats, and whether the storm did more than dimple the sheet metal.

Hail and the title: which states carve it out

Most states decide "salvage" with a repair-cost test. Several states treat hail damage differently under those tests.

• Kansas. A late-model car whose repairs reach 75% or more of its fair market value is salvage, unless the damage is merely exterior cosmetic damage from windstorm or hail (Kansas law). "Late model" there means the year of the damage or any of the six model years before it.
• Colorado. The statutory salvage definition covers collision, fire, flood, accident, trespass or another occurrence, with hail and theft excluded, and the cost test is repair to roadworthy condition above the retail value just before the damage (CRS title 42).
• Texas. Once an insurer has paid out on a hail repair claim, TxDMV's salvage manual says the car isn't a salvage motor vehicle. Hail repairs also stay out of the cost-of-repair math (TxDMV manual).
• New Mexico. MVD excludes hail damage by rule from its salvage definition (MVD manual).
• North Dakota. Glass damage and hail damage don't count toward the 75% figure (NDCC 39-05).
• Louisiana. Cosmetic hail damage at 75% or more of market value is not a total loss and isn't salvaged. The car gets a branded title instead of a salvage title (Louisiana law).

West Virginia goes its own way: when an insurer totals a car, the state can issue a salvage certificate, a "cosmetic total loss" title or a nonrepairable certificate (W. Va. Code 17A-4-10). Mississippi is the reverse case. Its rule lists hail among the causes when an insurer pays a total loss claim and takes the car, which makes it a salvage vehicle (Mississippi rule).

If your state isn't on that list, it doesn't mean hail brands the title. It means the ordinary salvage line applies, and the table below shows where each state draws it.

Which policy pays: comprehensive

Hail is a comprehensive claim. The NAIC describes comprehensive as paying for damage not caused by a collision, such as hail and windstorm (NAIC). AAA puts it the other way round: collision coverage doesn't cover hail, because hail doesn't involve another vehicle (AAA).

Two cautions before you call the insurer:

1. Look at the deductible. AAA warns that it can be bigger than the repair bill. On a car with light dimpling, you may end up paying the whole cost even with comprehensive on the policy.
2. Don't wait. The Texas Department of Insurance tells drivers to file a claim as soon as they can after hail or strong winds damage a car (TDI).

No comprehensive on the policy? Then the repair is yours to fund, and the fix-or-sell math below gets simpler.

Dimples or broken paint

How the dents get fixed changes the bill. AAA explains that paintless dent repair works the dent out from the inside of the panel and leaves the paint alone. That only holds while the paint is intact. Where hail chipped it, the spot has to be repainted to stop rust, and paintless repair doesn't do that.

AAA also separates two kinds of damage. Small stones may leave only cosmetic marks, but large hail can do structural damage that affects safety and how the car drives. A cracked windshield, a caved roof panel or a bent pillar is a different job from a field of shallow dents.

A quick way to sort your car:

• Shallow dents, paint unbroken: the cheapest case, and a paintless repair candidate.
• Dents with chips or cracks in the paint: add bodywork and paint to the estimate.
• Glass, roof structure or pillars damaged: treat it like a crash repair and get a full estimate.

Wind, falling limbs and other storm damage

The NAIC lists windstorm next to hail as a comprehensive loss, so wind damage from a tornado or hurricane falls on the same side of the policy. A tree or limb landing on the car is less clear-cut. We found no regulator page that says how every policy treats it, so read your own policy or ask the insurer directly.

Storm damage that brings water inside the car is a separate problem. Many states brand flood cars on the title, which hail-only cars avoid. If the cabin took on water, read the flood-damaged car guide before you decide.

Salvage lines state by state

This is where each state draws the salvage line, from its own statutes and agency pages. For a hail car it only comes into play when a total-loss payout or a huge estimate is on the table.

When repair makes sense, and when selling does

Fixing usually wins when:

• comprehensive pays and the claim is well above your deductible
• the paint is unbroken, so paintless repair can do most of the work
• the glass, roof and pillars came through fine
• the car was otherwise healthy before the storm

Selling the car unrepaired is the stronger choice when:

• you carry no comprehensive coverage, or the deductible swallows the claim
• chipped paint means panels need repainting as well as straightening
• the hail did structural damage, and the estimate nears the car's value
• the insurer totaled it and you'd rather not deal with a salvage or branded title

If the claim paid out and you'd rather keep the money than fix the dents, selling with the insurance check in hand covers that route. Already written off by the insurer? See the totaled car guide.

Selling us a hail-damaged car

We buy whole non-running and junk cars. You sell the whole car as it sits. There's no need to fix a dent or replace a windshield first, and there's free pickup anywhere in the US.

For an offer we'll want the basics (year, make, model, miles), plus whether the glass is cracked, whether the paint is chipped, and whether the title has a brand on it.

Prefer to talk it over? Call (877) 421-6008.