Hail Damage!

[Pony07]

I'm trying to decide what to do, if this is the crossroads where I should sell or stay with it. I have a 2007 V6 Pony that was in top condition until a few weeks ago.

 

We had a huge hailstorm here in MS and my redfire baby is now full of dents and dimples. No windows were broken though. So I filed an insurance claim. Total damage is $5,800. They put in for a brand new hood, drivers mirror, and roof panel and PDR on the trunk, door, and quarters. When I looked at the labor description, they have to remove nearly everything from the headlights to the tail lights including the front and rear glass. I assume the roof is going to have to be a cut-and-weld job. This sounds like a pretty extensive job.

They cut me a check. So, I was thinking - should I really do it or should I keep the check and sell the car as-is. I need to find out what the trade value is on a hail-dented car. How much less than normal value could I get? According to the online car guides (Kelly, NADA, Edmunds) the value of a "rough" condition vehicle is over 6,000. But is it that simple, or will they start from rough and deduct the repair cost?

If I do the repair, is it going to show up on future carfax reports? Is this going to penalize my future value after the repair? So if I fix it and then go to sell it, would I get less?

I really don't know which way is better at this point. Other than the dents, this car is great and even has a factory bumper-to-bumper warranty with 6 more months left. I have never had a hail-dented car before, nor one that needed such an extensive repair. I'm looking for any opinions or ideas or from any other experiences.

 

Bruce

Edited April 1, 2013 by Pony07

[ice-capades]

Roof damage on any vehicle is critical. If it's minor and repairable it's one thing but if the roof damage is severe you have a problem as it's not a simple process of replacing the roof panel. When removing or replacing the roof panel you also have to replace the windshield and rear window as neither can be re-installed.

 

I've had brand new Mustang's returned to Ford because of roof damage and couldn't be sold as new even after repair because of the costs involved.

 

I would expect that if the insurance company gave you a check for the damage that it will definitely show up on a CarFax report at some point.

 

Only you can make the decision as to what to do.

[Pony07]

Replace both windows? Really? They've got labor to remove them in the estimate and a "urethane kit" for $20 but I don't see any amounts for new glass. They can't just scrape the old off? I'll have to ask the body man about that. New glass could probably add at least 1500 to the bill.