03/15/2024
Advice for hail repair!
First, choose a company in DFW who has a brick and mortar facility, who is always here. There are a lot of companies from out of state that come in town and rent a shop for two, three, four months, and then they are gone (storm chasers). If you ever have issues, you would not be able to go back to them.
Second, choose a company that is BBB accredited and check out the reviews.
Third, choose a shop that specializes in Hail Repair. The body shops that the insurance companies send you to do not specialize in Hail Repair most of the time. Of course, there are some PDR shops that are part of the insurance repair net work. Whoever you choose, choose someone who specializes in PDR.  Obviously, a lot of the hail we got from the storm was large, and will require some paint work and replacement parts. However, if you choose a good PDR shop, they will do as much PDR as possible. Body shops end up doing a more bondo and replacement. Of course that’s not every body shop, just something to look out for.
Fourth, you can choose whatever shop you want to do your repairs. The insurance company might try to push you toward using one of their “preferred” or “in network” shops. You do not have to go with one of those. That does not necessarily mean they will do the repairs better or faster. You have the right to choose where you get your vehicle repaired. 
Fifth, if you have somebody solicit your business and tell you that they can fix your car in your driveway, do not let them. It may be convenient, but it will not be fixed right. I have seen way too many botched jobs from “deals” like this. Take it to a specialized shop.
Lastly, keep in mind that with this type of damage, repairs are often going to take weeks. Insurance companies will be backed up on doing inspections and parts availability is not within the shop’s control.
If someone tells you that they can fix it in a few days, be very careful. (This advice is for the cars that have baseball sized hits. It can take a few days or a week or so if it can be fixed with all PDR, no problem.)
Hope this helps!! Feel free to comment or message us with any questions! 🚗⛈️
Edited to add - You personally will NOT be penalized for filing a hail claim. Hail is an act of nature so it is considered a comprehensive claim. But it is extremely likely that everyone’s rates in the entire area are going to go up based on the number of claims. Rates go up based on the number of claims in a specific ZIP Code. So you might as well go ahead and get it fixed because your rates are probably going to go up regardless.
