12 Tips to Protect Your Car from Hail Damage 

10) Use floor mats or rugs on windows

If you don’t have enough (or large enough) blankets, you can mitigate some of the more major hail damage by using your car’s floor mats as a hail windshield cover. Put the softer, carpeted side on the window, and the hard rubberized side facing up. Hail hates rubber (so we heard).

9) Cardboard boxes work

The rule of using cardboard as a hail protector is simple: Make sure the cardboard is thick and sturdy. With hail, you’ll likely get rain, and thin, cheap cardboard will absolutely disintegrate when it gets wet. A thicker panel of cardboard, like that of a corrugated appliance box, offers better survivability in hailstorms.

To support the cardboard on your car, consider attaching strings or bungee cords to door handles (pull them over the roof to attach each side).

8) Towels are an option

Use the same tactic as the blanket and fold all towels into the car securely. You may need to get creative here, as you’ll obviously have many more towels to secure down.

7) Fold your side mirrors in

Hail can easily crack side-view mirrors, as they’re quite thin and flimsy. Folding them in will help to protect the reflective part, though the mirror’s casing will be at the mercy of Mother Nature. (If you need auto glass replacement in Kansas City after a hailstorm, contact us!)

6) Park under a tree

In storms, it’s not advisable to park under or near trees, as limbs can easily snap and fall onto your car, causing a significant amount of damage. However, if the upcoming hailstorm isn’t going to be accompanied by high winds and lightning, trees can offer a moderate amount of protection from hailstones.

Note: Hailstorms are usually accompanied by wind and potential lightning. Park under trees at your own risk.

5) Put plywood on your roof rack

If you own an SUV with a roof rack or crossbars, you can buy a cheap, 6-foot-long plywood board and attach it to the top. This will offer a little protection from hail dents on your roof, hood, and windshields, but you’re open to smashed windows and mirrors, as well as dents along the car’s side.

Note: It’s important to secure the plywood properly! Windy conditions will put lots of stress on flat objects like plywood, and if not adequately secured, it may cause more damage than the hail itself. It can also break apart and fly into other objects, vehicles, or homes.

3) Don’t use rocks as weights

Instead of folding blankets into car doors and windows, people will sometimes use “heavy” rocks to keep blankets in place. This is a terrible idea. The blankets can easily grab wind and lift the rocks up; as you’d guess, that would leave your vehicle unprotected from both hail and the flying rocks.

2) Always have adequate insurance coverage

Does car insurance cover hail damage? If you have opted for full comprehensive auto insurance, you should be covered. However, if you only have an auto liability policy, repairing dents or windshield damage from hail will likely come out of your pocket. Be sure to speak with your insurance agent prior to spring if you’d like to be financially protected from hail.

1) Go Small

Is your vehicle in the driveway because you’ve had to forgo cleaning your garage due to work/school/pottery classes/baptisms/choir practice/whatever other responsibility or hobby you have? Instead of getting your hands dirty, you can choose to downsize to a smaller vehicle.

Even the best deterrents and preventative measures may not be enough to protect your car from hail. If your vehicle’s become the victim of a hail-and-run in the Kansas City area, be sure to have it towed to a professional collision center or auto body shop near you that works with your insurance company. Contact McCarthy Collision Centers at 1-800-NEW-AGAIN, and we’ll do what we do best: Get you back on the road.

Our hail repair body shops serve customers throughout the Kansas City region, including Olathe, Blue Springs, Overland Park, & Lee’s Summit. Click here for directions to your nearest McCarthy location.