Hail damage: Fix it or forget it?

[LuckyDuck]

We had a freak hail storm here with stones the size of ping pong balls. I know that’s beginner-size in the Midwest, but we’ve seen nothing like it here in over 50 years. Our Jayco’s aluminum siding (front mainly) has about 50 very small dings — noticeable but not catastrophic. Hail damage is covered under our Progressive policy with two options: They pay for repairs, minus deductible ($375) or they give me a check for what they figure repairs should cost, minus deductible. I don’t think I’d ever want to replace that much siding just for cosmetic damage but am inclined to put in a claim and take the repair money unless it drives up my premiums, which is unknown. I value the wisdom of the JOF “family” — what have those of you in hail country done? Is there a repair less invasive than tearing off siding? Is this more damaging than it appears? Thanks!

[oldmanAZ]

We have more extensive hail damage to our trailer (smaller dents, but all 4 sides!), took the insurance money, and didn't get it repaired. IMO, trailers depreciate so fast, in a very short time no one will care about the dents if everything else about the trailer is good.


BTW, our insurance premiums didn't change.

[RogerR]

X2 on take the money. Make sure to contact at least one dealer and ask how much it would cost to R&R the front. Mine had damage on one side that I didn't see at first. Try putting your head against the side and look for damage on either side. Also, climb up and make sure nothing on the roof is damaged either.

If you keep it for a couple of years you will be way ahead. Note, you may have to pay down your note if you borrowed on it.

Also, your insurance will not replace the same part again if you have another claim on it.

In my case, $7,000 plus was half the cost!

[poohbear]

Take the money.
This summer on a hot day park it in direct sun for long enough to get skin hot, then put an ice cube in the dent. Sometimes it just pops out if no crease. If you have enough area to seal to, a toilet plunger will Pop out a non creased dent also

[LuckyDuck]

Originally Posted by poohbear

Take the money.
This summer on a hot day park it in direct sun for long enough to get skin hot, then put an ice cube in the dent. Sometimes it just pops out if no crease. If you have enough area to seal to, a toilet plunger will Pop out a non creased dent also

Thanks all. I will talk to my dealer just to get an idea on what a repair should cost. Pooh best: Thanks for the tip. That should be easy — just need to figure out which 110-degree to try that!

[Midnightmoon]

I'm going to go against the grain here and say that if it were mine, i would have it fixed. If it wasn't such a new trailer, maybe not. But, I personally wouldn't want to live with the damage if I was planning to keep it long term.

[norty1]

Do some more research. There are companies that make a mint removing hail damage on cars without replacing the metal. Check into it after you get the check.

[jd99336]

Originally Posted by norty1

Do some more research. There are companies that make a mint removing hail damage on cars without replacing the metal. Check into it after you get the check.

x2 on Norty. "Paintless Dent Removal" is cheap and mostly effective for cars and trucks as long as you have not already attempted the repair. I agree with take the money if you are keeping the trailer and not as concerned with resale, but then check wtih a PDR vendor in your area to see what they would charge. I was surprised at what they could take out using their systems on a 2011 Toyota Tundra someone had kicked in a fender on me.

That said, I don't know if they fix the thin aluminum, but don't know why they wouldn't.

[DocBrown]

Paintless dent removal requires access behind the damaged panel. That's generally not a problem with most vehicles and the tools used for PDR. I don't see how anyone can get behind the panel of a trailer without taking something apart.

[Jagiven]

Hard decision. I am not sure how well dents pop out of aluminum siding on TTs.

My car got into horrible hail, and looked like a golf ball. We took the money and paid off our car loan (not a requirement of the loan). Within a few years, the heat/cold cycles here in Minnesota, popped out all but one dent.

I would try putting a little ice on a dent, on a hot summer day. I may not "pop" like you think. One day we just realized our dents were almost all gone.

[spoon059]

Meh... after a couple years of driving on an interstate your front wall is almost expected to have some dents and dings. I wouldn't worry about the ones you have. If you are allowed to take the money from insurance without spending it to get it fixed, I might consider that option. Maybe you use some of the money to get the biggest dents fixed.

[LuckyDuck]

Thanks everyone for the advice — great as always. I went ahead and filed a claim and am waiting for a rep to contact me. I will do some research into what it might take to get at least the worst ones popped out if possible. Not planning to sell anytime soon, but I’ve always tried to take good care of things. A pride thing. I will definitely try the ice fix, too.

[gayefromMD]

We have damage on our 2019 from a ladder that a repair man had used. Upon talking with a Jayco rep, we ordered straight black decals from Jayco off of the "Hummingbird" to fix our damaged siding. Just a thought on using decals. You can order 2 years back on trailer decals. Jayco will send you pics of decals wiht their product number on any trailer within 2 years.

[oldmanAZ]

I heard/read somewhere that using dry ice will get some dings out that water ice won't.

[2edgesword]

I'd forget it, especially if I'm planning to keep the trailer for any length of time. Beyond that I'd be more worried about someone doing more damage to the trailer trying to repair the dings or replace the panels versus leaving the dings alone.

[Screwby]

Keeping it long term I’d cash the check and reinvest it into the camper via solar, generator, better tires, suspension or something else you’ve been wanting to do. Short term...I’m on the fence whether you’d get more resale without the front being dented so bad. Hard telling these days with such a saturated market. If your keeping it and you can live with it, then who cares. If you’ll be selling it soon someone else might care enough to buy the next camper without dents. Just my opinion

[Bassdogs]

Unfettered Pride will cost you a lot in life and leave you frustrated more times than not. In the case of cosmetic hail damage on an RV I would take the $$ and save it for more important repairs or upgrades down the road. Over the weekend I was washing my TT and noticed a scratch/crease on the lower side skirt. It is minor and I was able to rub out most of the crease by applying pressure from a wooden dowel from the underside. In the context of this thread, the significance to my scratch is that it occurred on our very first outing in our new TT a few years ago. While overniting at a Wally World I set a shopping cart on a curb as I handed groceries to my wife inside. Gravity did the rest and the cart slid forward and bumped the skirt. $&$*((#@$% outburst was relatively brief as I expressed my frustration with my own mistake and then I realized that the new TT had been officially christened with its first "ding".

I agree with what others have said. After just a couple years the loss of resale value, will be negligible. Another life experience over the years has shown me that people are typically not willing to step up to the pay window to repay you for your Pride. Mint conditions vs good condition for a 5 year old TT is about the same when you see the check.

[LuckyDuck]

Originally Posted by Bassdogs

Unfettered Pride will cost you a lot in life and leave you frustrated more times than not. In the case of cosmetic hail damage on an RV I would take the $$ and save it for more important repairs or upgrades down the road. Over the weekend I was washing my TT and noticed a scratch/crease on the lower side skirt. It is minor and I was able to rub out most of the crease by applying pressure from a wooden dowel from the underside. In the context of this thread, the significance to my scratch is that it occurred on our very first outing in our new TT a few years ago. While overniting at a Wally World I set a shopping cart on a curb as I handed groceries to my wife inside. Gravity did the rest and the cart slid forward and bumped the skirt. $&$*((#@$% outburst was relatively brief as I expressed my frustration with my own mistake and then I realized that the new TT had been officially christened with its first "ding".

I agree with what others have said. After just a couple years the loss of resale value, will be negligible. Another life experience over the years has shown me that people are typically not willing to step up to the pay window to repay you for your Pride. Mint conditions vs good condition for a 5 year old TT is about the same when you see the check.

Very true and above all I’ve always tried to remember that they are only “things” and there are far more important things in life than some stick and tin on wheels. Same for my car, although it would hurt a lot more to see my FR-S with hail dents . But in the end a ding or two is pretty insignificant. Thanks for the thoughts!

[LuckyDuck]

Just thought I’d close the loop here. I ended up filing a claim with our insurer, Progressive, which was great to deal with. Within a few days of inspecting the damage, the adjuster called with a proposed payment for what they estimated it would cost to repair (basically replace all of the front aluminum siding.) I had already decided it was not worth risking bigger problems to fix what was just cosmetic, but negotiated the amount up a few hundred dollars and agreed to it. The check, as they say, is in the mail. I’m thinking it will allow me to knock a little off the price someday when we sell it if someone balks at the dings. Progressive assured me it was an act of nature and doesn’t affect my rates. All in all, it worked out OK. Thanks again for the advice!

[Als1]

Called (battle scars) and most rv’s that have been on the road and used will have something. IMO if it’s not affecting usability take the cash and go on a road trip!