Horrible Hail Damage

sr4b · 05-07-2006, 01:02 PM

I was caught in two freak hail storms (believe it or not). My car has hundreds of dents in the roof, hood, trunk, left and right side. The insurance adjuster and one shop has told me that paintless dent removal is not an option because there are so many dents that the metal is too stretched to do it properly. He did allow for a full repaint of the car (except the plastic bumpers).

Is there a way that this could work out? My car is mystic blue. I was thinking that since the whole car is repainted that it wouldn't be obvious that it's been repainted. GEICO pushes their recommended shop, but I can go anywhere and while the shop seems knowledgeable about dent repairs, they don't specialize in repainting luxury cars (more of the honda/toyota crowd).

I'd really can't trade-in right now. The car looks ugly and I'd probably take more than a $6k hit because I have 5k plus miles and hail damage. Unfortunately, I'm also in San Antonio, which isn't a mecca for BMW repair. What would you guys do?

JSpira · 05-07-2006, 01:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sr4b

I was caught in two freak hail storms (believe it or not). My car has hundreds of dents in the roof, hood, trunk, left and right side. The insurance adjuster and one shop has told me that paintless dent removal is not an option because there are so many dents that the metal is too stretched to do it properly. He did allow for a full repaint of the car (except the plastic bumpers).

Is there a way that this could work out? My car is mystic blue. I was thinking that since the whole car is repainted that it wouldn't be obvious that it's been repainted. GEICO pushes their recommended shop, but I can go anywhere and while the shop seems knowledgeable about dent repairs, they don't specialize in repainting luxury cars (more of the honda/toyota crowd).

I'd really can't trade-in right now. The car looks ugly and I'd probably take more than a $6k hit because I have 5k plus miles and hail damage. Unfortunately, I'm also in San Antonio, which isn't a mecca for BMW repair. What would you guys do?

You should work through your dealer - that way you will get a BMW approved shop and have resource (through your dealer) for any problems.

torzeck · 05-07-2006, 01:15 PM

I would get quotations from the best, most expensive body shops.
I am curious what the cost will be as the damage sounds extensive.
Perhaps it might be considered a Total Loss if all the panels are damaged.

Good luck and do not go with the GEICO recommended shop!

ska///235i · 05-07-2006, 01:15 PM

wow..that sucks, hope everything will work out

yea..show us some pics

sr4b · 05-07-2006, 01:16 PM

My local dealer just recommends a body shop, but won't vouch for it.

The insurance adjuster said that BMW paint has codes which allow shops to make paints that match the factory paint exactly---because BMW makes that information available. He assures me that it would look as good as new, but I'm still skeptical/scared of such major work...

ska///235i · 05-07-2006, 01:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sr4b

My local dealer just recommends a body shop, but won't vouch for it.

The insurance adjuster said that BMW paint has codes which allow shops to make paints that match the factory paint exactly---because BMW makes that information available. He assures me that it would look as good as new, but I'm still skeptical/scared of such major work...

if is repainting the enitre body..then it should be fine

05-07-2006, 01:27 PM

Go through your dealer, as Jonathon recommends.

nyyankee · 05-07-2006, 01:32 PM

I would deffenatly not go with the recomended shop.
I had to take my car to a recomened shop for a quote, after that i went to Vista BMW and they told me that the insurance recomed ded shop didn't know squat about removing pannels and other stuff that might be dammaged.
I got in a minor accident in which the front fender had 2 big dents in it. The dealer told me that they will replace the dented fender, blend the passenger side door and hood. They said that I should only take it to a bmw dealer that deals with european cars.
Some Bmw Dealers around here deal with BMW's Honda and Mercury's (holman Honda) they use the same paint for all the cars. There not going to paint a Honda with BMW calaber paint .
so be careful!

BrunoT · 05-07-2006, 07:36 PM

Get at least 3 opinions and quotes on the best way to repair the damage. Everybody has their own opinion.

I had a Dodge Ram with massive hail damage and the paintless dent guys worked wonders on it. One dent near the door top on the roof was literally about the size of a small soup bowl. But amazingly, it came out and I couldn't see any sign of the damage. Even the inspector who went over it when I turned it in at lease end said it was in better shape than any vehicle he'd ever seen after 39 months. I didn't volunteer the hail damage, but he was looking for paint damage and didn't see anything. I was sure it would leave creases and such, but it didn't.

It may come down to cost of the pdr labor vs just replacing the body parts and repainting. On a car like this, I would choose my own shop.

ward · 05-07-2006, 07:55 PM

how does repainting fix dents????

JSpira · 05-07-2006, 08:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sr4b

My local dealer just recommends a body shop, but won't vouch for it.

The insurance adjuster said that BMW paint has codes which allow shops to make paints that match the factory paint exactly---because BMW makes that information available. He assures me that it would look as good as new, but I'm still skeptical/scared of such major work...

Shops that insurance companies recommend tend to be the ones that have either formal or informal pricing agreements with the insurer - and this can work to your disadvantage. You want the BMW-approved spare no expense shop.

volsfan0911 · 05-07-2006, 10:26 PM

GF and her Dad (lifer jar head) were loyal USAA customers for 40 years plus. She blindly dropped her VW off at their partner body work shop after a wreck on the GSP. First trip to pick it up and I am walking around, pointing out to the manager "uh - you guys didn't fix this panel". It got worse after that. Bottom line - your insurance company cannot force you to use any particular shop. Tell your adjuster "no" politely, go find the BEST shop possible, then get two other estimates for giggles. Personally - that much hail damage? A repaint isn't going to do anything, except make the dents shine.

BzsBimmer · 05-07-2006, 11:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sr4b

I was caught in two freak hail storms (believe it or not). My car has hundreds of dents in the roof, hood, trunk, left and right side. The insurance adjuster and one shop has told me that paintless dent removal is not an option because there are so many dents that the metal is too stretched to do it properly. He did allow for a full repaint of the car (except the plastic bumpers).

Is there a way that this could work out? My car is mystic blue. I was thinking that since the whole car is repainted that it wouldn't be obvious that it's been repainted. GEICO pushes their recommended shop, but I can go anywhere and while the shop seems knowledgeable about dent repairs, they don't specialize in repainting luxury cars (more of the honda/toyota crowd).

I'd really can't trade-in right now. The car looks ugly and I'd probably take more than a $6k hit because I have 5k plus miles and hail damage. Unfortunately, I'm also in San Antonio, which isn't a mecca for BMW repair. What would you guys do?

sr4b
Was this the freak storm that just happened on the 2nd/3rd?
I was in SA on those days and I had just gotten to my hotel when it started up. Good thing I had a rental and it wasn't damaged but I heard that several cars got beat up and windows were broken from golf ball sized hail!
I'm starting to re-think moving to SA no matter how much Toyota wants to pay me!

PittWm · 05-08-2006, 12:04 AM

I don't know, I have seen Paintless Dent guys doesn't voodoo magic to restore hail damage car a few years back when a freaking hail storm swept thru here. Many of the dealer inventory were fix that way and they all look perfect. Our 2000 X5 had $8000 worth of damage and it went to a body shop. After 2 mths of repair, it absofuckinglutely look like shit. Thats after I went back to complaint twice about shitty workmanship and missing interior pieces.

I then gave up b/c it was a leased car and on last year of lease.

E90330iS · 05-08-2006, 02:32 AM

really sorry, pictures plz.

javajaws · 05-08-2006, 01:21 PM

Its been a regular hail festival here in Texas these last couple weeks. Its been so bad I'm now in the habit of checking the doppler radar before I get my car out of the home/work garage. What happened to our hot drought filled days?

You should have seen all the hail damaged cars at the Austin BMW dealership last week. They were repairing most of them onsite using some sort of dent removel methods - you might want to give them a call and find out what/who they were using...they should have lots of practice by now.

05-07-2006, 01:02 PM	#1
sr4b New Member 2 Rep 8 Posts Drives: 2006 bmw 330i Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Texas iTrader: (0)	Horrible Hail Damage - Full Repaint? Please help. I was caught in two freak hail storms (believe it or not). My car has hundreds of dents in the roof, hood, trunk, left and right side. The insurance adjuster and one shop has told me that paintless dent removal is not an option because there are so many dents that the metal is too stretched to do it properly. He did allow for a full repaint of the car (except the plastic bumpers). Is there a way that this could work out? My car is mystic blue. I was thinking that since the whole car is repainted that it wouldn't be obvious that it's been repainted. GEICO pushes their recommended shop, but I can go anywhere and while the shop seems knowledgeable about dent repairs, they don't specialize in repainting luxury cars (more of the honda/toyota crowd). I'd really can't trade-in right now. The car looks ugly and I'd probably take more than a $6k hit because I have 5k plus miles and hail damage. Unfortunately, I'm also in San Antonio, which isn't a mecca for BMW repair. What would you guys do?
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05-07-2006, 01:15 PM	#3
torzeck Lieutenant 54 Rep 400 Posts Drives: 2011 X3 35i, 2020 X3 30i Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Portland Oregon iTrader: (0)	I would get quotations from the best, most expensive body shops. I am curious what the cost will be as the damage sounds extensive. Perhaps it might be considered a Total Loss if all the panels are damaged. Good luck and do not go with the GEICO recommended shop!
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05-07-2006, 01:15 PM	#4
ska///235i ***** noob 1370 Rep 10,479 Posts Drives: 325xi>M235i>428GCx Mspor Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Boston iTrader: (34) Garage List 2006 325xi [0.00]	wow..that sucks, hope everything will work out yea..show us some pics __________________ 2006 325xi (Sold) 2014 M235I (Current) 2015 428xi Gran Coupe (STB)
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05-07-2006, 01:16 PM	#5
sr4b New Member 2 Rep 8 Posts Drives: 2006 bmw 330i Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Texas iTrader: (0)	Closest two dealers do not have body shops My local dealer just recommends a body shop, but won't vouch for it. The insurance adjuster said that BMW paint has codes which allow shops to make paints that match the factory paint exactly---because BMW makes that information available. He assures me that it would look as good as new, but I'm still skeptical/scared of such major work...
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05-07-2006, 01:27 PM	#7
CMD Guest 0 Rep n/a Posts Drives:	Go through your dealer, as Jonathon recommends.
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05-07-2006, 01:32 PM	#8
nyyankee The Ultimate Posting Machine 42 Rep 419 Posts Drives: 2006 BMW 325I Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Ft.Lauderdale iTrader: (1) Garage List 2006 325i [0.00]	I would deffenatly not go with the recomended shop. I had to take my car to a recomened shop for a quote, after that i went to Vista BMW and they told me that the insurance recomed ded shop didn't know squat about removing pannels and other stuff that might be dammaged. I got in a minor accident in which the front fender had 2 big dents in it. The dealer told me that they will replace the dented fender, blend the passenger side door and hood. They said that I should only take it to a bmw dealer that deals with european cars. Some Bmw Dealers around here deal with BMW's Honda and Mercury's (holman Honda) they use the same paint for all the cars. There not going to paint a Honda with BMW calaber paint . so be careful! __________________ DISCLAIMER: Poster makes no guarantee that the above expressed information is accurate, complete, current, funny, new, spelled correctly, or grammatically correct. The above-stated information is instead provided on an "AS IS" basis, and is subject to revision with or without notice.
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05-07-2006, 07:36 PM	#9
BrunoT Second Lieutenant 9 Rep 242 Posts Drives: 2012 F-150 Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Atlanta, GA iTrader: (0)	Get at least 3 opinions and quotes on the best way to repair the damage. Everybody has their own opinion. I had a Dodge Ram with massive hail damage and the paintless dent guys worked wonders on it. One dent near the door top on the roof was literally about the size of a small soup bowl. But amazingly, it came out and I couldn't see any sign of the damage. Even the inspector who went over it when I turned it in at lease end said it was in better shape than any vehicle he'd ever seen after 39 months. I didn't volunteer the hail damage, but he was looking for paint damage and didn't see anything. I was sure it would leave creases and such, but it didn't. It may come down to cost of the pdr labor vs just replacing the body parts and repainting. On a car like this, I would choose my own shop.
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05-07-2006, 07:55 PM	#10
ward Major General 155 Rep 6,158 Posts Drives: F Join Date: May 2005 Location: T iTrader: (0)	how does repainting fix dents????
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05-07-2006, 10:26 PM	#12
volsfan0911 Private First Class 28 Rep 135 Posts Drives: 2017 VW GTI Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Ellicott City, MD iTrader: (0)	GF and her Dad (lifer jar head) were loyal USAA customers for 40 years plus. She blindly dropped her VW off at their partner body work shop after a wreck on the GSP. First trip to pick it up and I am walking around, pointing out to the manager "uh - you guys didn't fix this panel". It got worse after that. Bottom line - your insurance company cannot force you to use any particular shop. Tell your adjuster "no" politely, go find the BEST shop possible, then get two other estimates for giggles. Personally - that much hail damage? A repaint isn't going to do anything, except make the dents shine.
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05-08-2006, 12:04 AM	#14
PittWm Second Lieutenant 7 Rep 209 Posts Drives: 06 330i SP pack, Prem pack, CW Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Paducah KY, USA iTrader: (0)	I don't know, I have seen Paintless Dent guys doesn't voodoo magic to restore hail damage car a few years back when a freaking hail storm swept thru here. Many of the dealer inventory were fix that way and they all look perfect. Our 2000 X5 had $8000 worth of damage and it went to a body shop. After 2 mths of repair, it absofuckinglutely look like shit. Thats after I went back to complaint twice about shitty workmanship and missing interior pieces. I then gave up b/c it was a leased car and on last year of lease.
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05-08-2006, 02:32 AM	#15
E90330iS Major General 143 Rep 6,333 Posts Drives: BMW M4 Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Arcadia, California iTrader: (56) Garage List 2006 330i [0.00]	really sorry, pictures plz. __________________ 2017 BMW M4 DCT Lease Transfer: https://f80.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...8#post23736398
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05-08-2006, 01:21 PM	#16
javajaws Private 16 Rep 80 Posts Drives: 2010 335i AW/Saddle/msport Join Date: May 2006 Location: Round Rock iTrader: (0)	Its been a regular hail festival here in Texas these last couple weeks. Its been so bad I'm now in the habit of checking the doppler radar before I get my car out of the home/work garage. What happened to our hot drought filled days? You should have seen all the hail damaged cars at the Austin BMW dealership last week. They were repairing most of them onsite using some sort of dent removel methods - you might want to give them a call and find out what/who they were using...they should have lots of practice by now.
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