thomapa1

FYI - we got caught in a hailstorm last month in my wifes car (Mazda CX-7)...no where to go - crappy feeling just getting pounded.
End result = tons of dents on roof / hood / side trim...most about the size of a dime, no seen paint damage. Thought about leaving it - but why drive a car that looks like azz for years. Insurance recommended a PDR company. Their estimate came back as major damage, over $4,200 to repair. we pay $500 deductible (not sure how some people say act of god mean no out of pocket...we had our roof replaced from hail a few years ago and still had to pay deductible).
It goes in next week for repair.

Kevinmacd

No comprehensive covers act of God, which requires your part of the deductible. The good news is comprehensive claims usually will not drive your rates up as with a collision claim or liability claim. Go PDR as far as it can go then touch up and repair for those spots not a clean repair by PDR. You will find most are PDR and only a few will be touch up and spot.

nick49

PDR is for dents, and the OP stated there are no dents.

Take it to the best pro detailer and get their recomendation. There is also a detailing forum here.

I'm thinking for a 100% repair you may need the clear coat reapplied. Hopefully the damage is not into the color coat. Even with just the clear reapplied, things could turn out messy. If in any area the clear is sanded thru, you will have a blemish that will show after the clear is applied. Also it's important to have a real expert spray the final coat to get the stipple correct. A lot of shops will spray heavy then sand and polish to level and give a flat and high glossy finish. This looks "Hot Rod" and real shiny but not correct. The correct finish will have an even textured stipple and a very slight orange peel when looked at the correct angle. This should be uniform and can be very difficult to duplicate over the entire surface of the car. GL with what you decide.

Dock

Great comments.

My cousin builds and paints custom Harley's, and his paint repair objective is perfect stipple and orange peel matching...a real art form, and the reason it is very important to talk to the person who will be doing the work, and to see some examples of his handiwork.

As for the clear coat on these cars, it is VERY thin. So any thought of "buffing out" any damage that is anything even slightly deeper than a swirl is an act of having false hope.

x50type

One of my cars was damaged by hail recently. It is one of four insured by Hagerty - they were not happy that the car was being driven in hail and damaged, implying any car insured by Hagerty should not be subjected to inclement weather, but be put warm and cosy inside an air conditioned, closed garage well before any inclement weather approaches - and definitely should not be subject to hail damage. i would not be surprised to get a policy rider excluding hail damage from the covered risks or withdrawing the insurance.

They recently wrote to me demanding - quote, "a written statement indicating the estimated annual mileage and type of usage, e.g. pleasure, shows, daily driving, errands, back-up use, to work.school, etc.". The last four a known to be verboten.

Their web site says Hagerty wants us to enjoy our cars which should be driven and enjoyed; they even state - a trip to the ice cream parlor is fine [they may want to turn this into an errand which probably would not be covered] - but where a claim is involved they have a different view!

Surprise, surprise!

Michael-Dallas

From the sounds of it, I'd say a good detail job would fix the damage. However, I think we are all jumping to conclusions. A picture will say a thousand words. I suggest posting a high-res pic of the damage (in the best lighting that brings out the damage).

Michael.

manny_g

i agree with DOC's comment. if a good polish and buff can not get rid of the imperfections, then take it to a good paint shop and get it fixed. don't worry about diminished value. i have painted my bumpers and hood due to rock chips and the end result is a 1000 times better than the original. a good shop though makes a world of difference.

cruzbritt

I would get it fixed provided my auto insurance paid for it; by the time you decide to get rid of it, a dozen things could have happened to diminish the value, so you may as well enjoy driving a pretty car until then.