When a storm damages your vehicle, the resulting dents and breakage follow a pattern that is much different from that of a regular car accident. Often, the damage is concentrated on the upward-facing parts of the car, such as the roof, hood, and trunk lid. You may also have parts sheared right off the vehicle. The mirrors are some of the most susceptible, but your bumpers and header panels are also vulnerable.
Repairing Your Vehicle from Storm Damage
In order to get this type of storm damage repaired, it’s important to look for a collision repair shop that knows how to deal with situations that are outside of the usual. Our team can take care of the details, like repairing car roofs, which are often undamaged in standard collisions. We also understand that some types of collision-related damage, such as misalignments and frame damage, almost never happen with storms. Therefore, you won't be charged for work that your car does not need.
What Work is Likely to be Needed
Storm damage to your car's body will typically cause dents. It may also break your car windows, shear off mirrors, and shatter fiberglass parts like bumpers. Therefore, you should expect to need dent removal as well as the replacement of parts that have been outright broken.
When parts are replaced with new ones, they almost always need color matching in order to look just right. This is because the paint on your car will have weathered so that it's not the same shade it originally was. Meanwhile, fresh paint that is exactly the factory color will be unweathered, and this will make it stand out against the older coating. If your damaged car was less than a year old, you may still be able to get a match with the straight factory paint, but this is a rare occurrence.
The extent and type of damage is another consideration to keep in mind. Hail damage that has dinged up the entire top surface of the car, for example, needs more work to repair than if a falling tree has caused one big dent in your hood. Even so, it is possible to restore the car to its original appearance in all but the most extreme circumstances.
To have your car's damage assessed and get a quote for auto body repair, just contact us here at Minnetonka Collision Center. We'll be glad to restore your vehicle.