zes

My sweet, beloved Alexis ('14 ES300h) got pounded with hail this afternoon when I was at work. This was the hailstorm that blew through Denver this afternoon. She looks like a revenge driven ex wife has gone over her with a ball peen hammer. None of the windows broke but there is extensive damage all over.

Have you guys had any experience like this before and how do they repair this? Is the paint job ruined and will my Alexis be covered with bondo now?

I can't stand it!!

DaveGS4

iTrader: (2)

Paintless Dent Removal (PDR) can work wonders. There are a few areas it won't fix - trim, sometimes areas right at edges or on/near creases but had this happen to my car and truck and you can barely tell.

If you can live with a few small imperfections in those areas, you can often come out ahead of your insurance payment.

newyerker

ouch, im so sorry. I was fortunately in the springs the whole week and keeping my es300h in a garage. i saw some pics and man......they look scary as hell.
80% of stevinson lexus inventory was also lost i was informed.

zes

Yup. My office is a mile from Stevenson.

zes

I called the insurance company and there is a 4 to 6 hr wait. They are supposed to call back.

I will look at the paint less dent repair.

bc6152

ZES: Another member who lives in Texas had this happen to his 2015 Atomic Silver 350. The car was hit by a severe hailstorm and was badly damaged. He had a tough time with the insurance company as they only wanted to paint damaged areas of the car and it didn't match. Another issue was the color: Atomic Silver is a multi stage paint and difficult to replicate. Ultimately he convinced them to repaint the entire car and I believe that he reported a happy ending. The member is SAPD911. Check with him for further info.

lesz

Actually, I believe that he ended up selling the car several months later. Considering how much trouble he had with getting a satisfactory paint match, I'm guessing that he was never going to feel good about the way that the car looked again.

For the OP, I would suggest trying to get as much of the repair work as possible done with paintless dent repair. What color is your ES? With many colors, if paint work is needed, a good shop should be able to get an excellent match. It is with the multi-stage pearls, like the Atomic Silver and pearl whites that getting a satisfactory color match can be problematic.

Good luck with the repairs.

kxaz145

I lived in north Texas for 15 years with multiple hail storms every year. I remember there was a 'Dent Doctor' that somehow used dry-ice to pop out the dents, but luckily never had the issue so don't know the details.

roninlexus

I'm just north of Denver and it was pretty bad- more on the way but it is south at the moment. Have a buddy with a Mazda that got creamed. The dry ice treatment and some trim and he was good as new. Hopefully your repair turns out as good as his.....This storm caused some major damage.

newyerker

man im heading back up to denver tonight where i wont have a garage and this sucky weather seems like its going to continue throughout tomorrow

dchar

Sorry this happened to you.

Maybe it it would be good to invest in a car cover system like this: Quite pricey but worth it if it saves your car from hail damage.

zes

Folks
Thank you for your support. Yesterday I called Travellers at 4PM, and had to leave my number for a call back. They were so busy they called me back at 3AM! I did not even have to tell the lady the reason for my claim. She knew it was the hail.

Waiting for the adjuster to call. Somebody at work said if the car has more than 100 dents they total it. I counted more than 130 on the roof only. The trunk and hood are damaged just as much. The dents are so close together I don't know how they will be popped out.

I was numb yesterday but really depressed today. This was the first really nice car I had purchased in my life and now with kids heading for college I don't know if I will get a chance again.

Oh well.

Will let you know how this turns out.

Poppa

I am so sorry to hear about your Lexus... These are some beautiful vehicles and it is heart breaking when something bad happens to them..... I know it doesn't help, but try and keep it in perspective... this isn't your wife or your kids that got hurt... it's just a car... a damn nice car none the less.. Let's hope your insurance company and / or body shop does right by you... sorry about your lexus my friend, I know that sucks.....

Poppa

bc6152

Well stated Poppa. It sounds like maybe this will be resolved shortly. GOOD LUCK Zes.

Maikerusan

I am reminded of a story from many years ago. There was a huge hail storm in Calgary Alberta where I lived at the time. Thousands of cars damaged.

One guy was in the paper...he figured the could get a free paint job and took a ball peen hammer to the car...took it to the body shop and said "hail damage". Insurance company took a look and said 'Hey, we know difference between hail damage and ball peen hammer vandalism.

Claim denied"


I also remember renting a car at the time that was just damaged all over (other than window) from the hail. It was all they had so I took it. Got quite the looks driving it around a few hundred miles away.