Hail damage - repair or nor repair?

[olyelr]

We recently had a few good hail storms blow through our area and our trailer suffered some damage. Its not horrible, but it is definitely there. The front and passenger sides got it... basically everywhere, here and there on those two sides.

Talked with insurance company and the dealer. They basically said to bring it to the dealer for a quote on fixing it, get the paperwork done, then use the trailer for rest of year, then bring it in and they will fix it in the off season. I don't know for sure, but sounds like it wont cost us a dime to have it fully fixed.

That all sounds great to me... except I worry about the quality of the repairs. They basically have to remove the front and passenger siding, trim work and all that kind of stuff, then replace. Just scares the hell out of me. Almost like I would rather just have some minor dents all over those sides instead.

Seems like I have read more stories of the trailer coming back looking worse than when it when in. And I really have no experience with this dealer for anything, other than purchasing the trailer.

What would you do?

[Marcm157]

Some pictures might help get more objective responses. Me, I avoid the dealer like the plague but this is one time I would likely yield to the dealer...

[RogerR]

I had this happen to me on a car. As my car was several years old I decided to keep the hail damage money and not do the repairs. The reasoning is that the decline in car value was less than the insurance.

In your case the other question is did the hail damage the skin to the point it will leak, de-laminate or have other problems in the future.

If you intend to keep the trailer for a few years then taking the $ is better than the repair. Alternatively, does the damage look cosmetically distressing to you and your family?

[RedHorse1]

That's a tough one. Are you content to keep the damage? How bad is it? Are you interested in using this event as an upgrade lever? Is your dealer capable of the repair (I would share your angst over the repair)?
Love to hear how you proceed.

[abarkl]

Our first class A motorhome several years back suffered hail damage. A Progressive adjuster wrote a check on the spot for $7800 to replace the entire aluminum roof.
We sold it a couple of years ago and had forgotten at the time that it ever happened and the buyers never said a thing.

[Lolead]

If there is a lien holder on the trailer, at least in Missouri, the repair check will be made to you and the repair facility, After repairs are made the insurance adjuster should reinspect the repair to make sure all repairs have been made, You can then sign the check to pay repairs, You could decide to just give the check to the lien holder but you would not have insurance coverage on the damaged part. Every state is different and if just cosmetic and you plan to keep the unit long term and can live with it, I would opt for no fix.

[olyelr]

Originally Posted by Marcm157

Some pictures might help get more objective responses. Me, I avoid the dealer like the plague but this is one time I would likely yield to the dealer...

I will try to get some pics up.

Originally Posted by RogerR

I had this happen to me on a car. As my car was several years old I decided to keep the hail damage money and not do the repairs. The reasoning is that the decline in car value was less than the insurance.

In your case the other question is did the hail damage the skin to the point it will leak, de-laminate or have other problems in the future.

If you intend to keep the trailer for a few years then taking the $ is better than the repair. Alternatively, does the damage look cosmetically distressing to you and your family?

No, damage is minimal and not causing leaks. But yes, the cosmetics of it is distressing me big time hahaha.

Originally Posted by RedHorse1

That's a tough one. Are you content to keep the damage? How bad is it? Are you interested in using this event as an upgrade lever? Is your dealer capable of the repair (I would share your angst over the repair)?
Love to hear how you proceed.

I would only be content with keeping the damage and doing nothing if I knew the repairs would not be/look professional. The damage is not all that bad, but it is there. I do not want to upgrade/change trailers yet... this is still like brand new to us and exactly what we want. I dont know much about the dealer, but I think I need to talk with them about the quality of their work... maybe actually see one that they have repaired.

Originally Posted by Lolead

If there is a lien holder on the trailer, at least in Missouri, the repair check will be made to you and the repair facility, After repairs are made the insurance adjuster should reinspect the repair to make sure all repairs have been made, You can then sign the check to pay repairs, You could decide to just give the check to the lien holder but you would not have insurance coverage on the damaged part. Every state is different and if just cosmetic and you plan to keep the unit long term and can live with it, I would opt for no fix.

Yes there is a lien on it. I am not sure of out exact policy, but it sounded like the insurance would pay for it one way or another.





I guess my thoughts are, if I knew the repairs would be done professionally and look AT LEAST as good as the factory install (because lets face it, its not all that good in the first place) then I would not even be questioning getting it fixed. I just dont want to get the trailer back and have shoddy workmanship and future leaks to look forward to. I mean they have to remove the entire exterior on two sides... lots could go wrong.

I am a very picky perfectionist. When I look at my trailer now all I see is the small hail indention's. I think most would not even notice it for the most part. Hell, I didnt even notice it after walking around it for a few days until I went to wash it. But it's there, and I know it, and it drives me bonkers.

I think what I should do is talk with the dealer and schedule a little appointment to go and physically look at one of the trailers they have repaired (or are repairing). I am not the only one that got the damage around here. They said they had several to do when I originally called about the damage. If I like what I see, I think I will just have them repair it.

Another thing I think about is the drop in resale value if I don't have it fixed. That has got to lower the value quite a bit.

Hmmmmm.

Thanks for the replies and thoughts so far fellas.

[Kim Gass]

Its hard to make that decision. We got our 2001 Forester with hail damage.. And didnt worry about it as we drove it another 282,000 miles before handing it off to NPR.

[Vaquero]

If the repair facility will allow, I'd drop by during removal and installation of the replacement siding.
Have a look at what's underneath.
Maybe negotiate an insulation or sealant upgrade on the cheap while it's naked.

At least you'd know what the steps and parts are, and how they go together.

[olyelr]

Yeah. The more I think about it, the more I am pretty sure I want it fixed.

I just have to get comfortable with the dealer and trust them, I guess.