how to repair hail damage

First, photograph the carnage and check your policy—if comprehensive covers hail, let the insurer pay while you make tea and pretend you’re fine.

For small, clean dings, paintless dent repair (PDR) is the neat, no-respray option and usually the best value.

Creased panels or cracked paint mean panel beating, filler, primer and a respray—DIY rattle cans will only add “abstract art” to your bonnet.

Skip internet folklore like hairdryers and dry ice; they’re great for parties, not panels.

Get a couple of quotes (post-storm, mobile PDR vans pop up faster than magpies in spring) and compare against your excess.

If repairs exceed the car’s value, consider living with it or selling as-is—some folk love a bargain golf ball.