[bond1987]

Happy new owner of a 2019 X3 M40i here who just got stuck in hail storm. My hood is in rough shape, but I've found many dents on the roof and outer frame of the vehicle.

What has me concerned is that the color of the vehicle is white so some of the damage wasn't really visible until the light hit it at a certain angle.

All I have is a $500 dollar deductible and the rest is covered, but my insurer is sending an adjuster out to assess the damage or to possibly total it?

Would they really total it from hail?

[weez]

Originally Posted by bond1987

Would they really total it from hail?

Hopefully.
In my experience when there's extensive damage and paint required it will never be as good as new.

[MechX3M40i]

Sorry about your experience. As expansive as fixing the roof and the hood (and possibly a few other panels too), I think the residual value of the car is still far greater than the cost of repair. So I'll bet it won't get totaled. You'll find out soon.

Since the car is so new, demand and insist on OEM parts if they end up replacing any panels. And using a reputable body shop can make a world of difference if people can tell the difference after the repair is done. Good luck.

[HoustonEaDo]

My brother has a VW Jetta in Denver that was pummeled in a hail storm - $500 later and you can't tell anything happened to it - the hail damage repair guys are amazing with all the tools they use.

Obviously I don't know how your damage compares to his so don't know if yours will have the same results - hopefully you will get a good outcome

[Fuzz3D]

Does the vehicle have any actual paint damage, or is it just dents? If it's only dents, a body shop should be able to remove them without too much difficulty. Cost is usually directly related to the number of dents that need to be removed. You can start with an estimate of $10/dent (note: number pulled out of my nose) and get a ballpark idea on how much the total repair would cost. If your car is a rolling rust-bucket it's pretty easy for hail damage repair costs to write it off. As for an X3 M40i, I suspect the hail would have to crush the roof in before you'd get close to that point.

I'm not sure if dent removal is a complete reversal of damage or if some visible signs remain.

[Pray for Mojo]

If they use paintless dent repair you won't even know it was damaged. It's probably not a total loss if it doesn't look like a golfball. Are the A pillars damaged or is it just the panels?

[bond1987]

Originally Posted by Pray for Mojo

If they use paintless dent repair you won't even know it was damaged. It's probably not a total loss if it doesn't look like a golfball. Are the A pillars damaged or is it just the panels?

Yes, they have some damage to them.

[Pray for Mojo]

Depending where they are located on the pillar they might be able to PDR them. We get large hail here every summer and I've seen some wizardry done before. As much as it sucks, it's better to have cosmetic damage vs. collision damage, although its probably not much consolation at this point.

[bond1987]

Originally Posted by Pray for Mojo

Depending where they are located on the pillar they might be able to PDR them. We get large hail here every summer and I've seen some wizardry done before. As much as it sucks, it's better to have cosmetic damage vs. collision damage, although its probably not much consolation at this point.

Very true. Knowing that this will only set me back $500 makes it more palatable as well, but this is my first "nice" vehicle so the pain is real lol.

[Frinckster]

Sorry to hear that man. Are you in Melbourne, Fl? I heard there was a hail storm last night somewhere a few miles from where I live.

[bond1987]

Originally Posted by Frinckster

Sorry to hear that man. Are you in Melbourne, Fl? I heard there was a hail storm last night somewhere a few miles from where I live.

Yes, was driving north on 95 to go to Orlando and it hit. Raining golf ball and baseball size hail for 10 minutes straight.

[No1Cares]

damn. that's just life isn't it. sorry to hear that. hope it's an easy fix once the adjuster comes to look! send some pics of what golf ball sized hail does to an x3 body. can't even imagine....

[bond1987]

Originally Posted by Casotakar

damn. that's just life isn't it. sorry to hear that. hope it's an easy fix once the adjuster comes to look! send some pics of what golf ball sized hail does to an x3 body. can't even imagine....

Will do, it is white so it seems every time the light hits a new angle I find more dents.

[skier219]

Something like this would break my heart. Hope it turns out OK in the end. I have to echo other comments about pointless dent repair -- they can work miracles.

[IM_ALL_IN]

Pictures?

[TXSchnee]

Originally Posted by bond1987

Happy new owner of a 2019 X3 M40i here who just got stuck in hail storm. My hood is in rough shape, but I've found many dents on the roof and outer frame of the vehicle.

What has me concerned is that the color of the vehicle is white so some of the damage wasn't really visible until the light hit it at a certain angle.

All I have is a $500 dollar deductible and the rest is covered, but my insurer is sending an adjuster out to assess the damage or to possibly total it?

Would they really total it from hail?

As a former auto claims adjuster, here are my two cents. First, to total a vehicle the formula is typically if repair estimate/costs total 75% of total value of the vehicle, it is a total loss, this can happen with hail, normally the vehicle would be 3 or more years old before that threshold is met (depends on severity though, so it still could end up totaling the vehicle). If the hail didn't damage the paint, and PDR is available, that is your best option. Also, remember that you can take it to any shop you want, your insurance cannot force you to take it to a specific shop, they have to pay either way (although they could argue that they will only pay per their estimate and you could end up with some out of pocket charges).

[skier219]

Originally Posted by TXSchnee

As a former auto claims adjuster, here are my two cents. First, to total a vehicle the formula is typically if repair estimate/costs total 75% of total value of the vehicle, it is a total loss, this can happen with hail, normally the vehicle would be 3 or more years old before that threshold is met (depends on severity though, so it still could end up totaling the vehicle). If the hail didn't damage the paint, and PDR is available, that is your best option. Also, remember that you can take it to any shop you want, your insurance cannot force you to take it to a specific shop, they have to pay either way (although they could argue that they will only pay per their estimate and you could end up with some out of pocket charges).

Doesn't salvage value and also other costs (rental car, etc) also factor in?

[TXSchnee]

Originally Posted by skier219

Doesn't salvage value and also other costs (rental car, etc) also factor in?

No, it is based purely on vehicle value. Salvage value is an internal number usually not shared by insurance companies and usually is pretty low depending on the damage and how much can be parted out for each companies "recycled parts" program. You pay monthly premiums for rental car, if you have it, so that is a non factor.

[bmwbaltimorem5]

Sorry to hear that. Depending on the severity of hail dents and number of hits. Usually, if the repair bill is 75% or more than the actual cash value of the vehicle the insurance will total it. My neighbor got his old 2003 Avalon with 200k miles repaired from hail damage and they didn't bother to total it. So, based on that I assume they would repair your vehicle.
All the credit for this knowledge goes to Arslan from Ars Dent Repair who educated me before he repaired dents on my BMW.
https://www.arsdentrepair.com

[Saejin]

I think you’ve got your answer, but wanted to share my experience just in case. Had a 2013 Acura RDX hit by hail, dents all over. Couldn’t see them unless you caught the reflection at the right angle. Insurance covered the paintless debt repair. The body shop estimate came in at $10,000. They did mention possibly having to remove some of the interior like headliner if they couldn’t pull the dents out with their exterior tools. Once it was finished you couldn’t tell the difference and nothing was reported to carfax. Rates never went up as it’s considered an act of god and covered under comprehensive.

Hail sucks. The worst I’ve seen was in Colorado and the hail was breaking windshields and demolition cars in general. Hope to never be caught in one.

[stupordave]

My wife's M40i got pummeled here in CO last year. $5k in PDR (several hundred dents) covering the entire vehicle. You could only see it when it was dirty (dirt would pool in the dents) or the right light and angle. Can't tell it was ever hit now and the only part replaced was the windshield gasket.

[MADBMWX5MC]

If no paint damage, you should be OK with PDR