Hail protection?

[FoxRvrBox]

Paintless Dent Repair can work wonders, but there was too much big hail there for that car to be saved.
By the time you realize it's hailing its too late to do much about it. And tents turn into kites pretty fast in the Midwest. If you are lucky you are driving and can find the car wash or bank.

[VGM911]

Okay, so we don't get much hail here in New Jersey. On the rare occasion when it happens, they're usually very small and harmless.

But for you guys who live in areas where hail is more common (and big!), I'm imagining that you often see cars with hail damage in your daily travels. True? If so, how do you live with/cope with this problem? I find it hard to envision......


P.S. I just Googled "hail damage on cars" and got a shocking, first-hand look at what you guys experience. Wow!

[husker boxster]

Originally Posted by VGM911

But for you guys who live in areas where hail is more common (and big!), I'm imagining that you often see cars with hail damage in your daily travels. True? If so, how do you live with/cope with this problem? I find it hard to envision......

You have to watch radar closely and look out for the orange and purple areas. You need solid cover - under a tree or gas station canopy is not ideal. As I said previously, hail is generated when there are severe thunderstorms or tornados. That means high winds. Sitting under a tree will slow the hail down but a big branch could prove very devastating. Gas stations are safer but high winds can bring those down quickly. Basically you respect Mother Nature and try to stay out of it as best you can. The ounce of prevention theory.

When Punkin was 6 mo old, I was at a golf course for league. We had just teed off when the sirens went off. No time to buzz home so I pulled Punkin into the cart barn. Luckily the golf course folks didn't mind. We had small hail there but the hail was intense enough at my house that it ruined the roof. I don't play league at that course anymore and the course I now play at won't let me go in their cart barn. But they have some brick overhangs into the dining area of their club house that would provide enough protection for whichever Porsche I'm driving. Always have an escape plan during thunderstorm season.

Yes we see all kinds of dimpled darlings after an event. I think the dealers don't care if they get hit. Gives them a reason to have a sale. Cpl yrs ago a city in the metro area got hit by baseball to softball sized hail. One of the largest Ford truck dealerships is in that city and got hammered. They actually totaled many of the trucks. If a side or rear window was broken and rain got in, the ins co totaled the car. They didn't want warranty issues with wet electronics. That was one expensive hail storm with all the damage to houses and businesses it caused.

When I was returning from COTA, a storm popped up just outside Lincoln. I figured I'd wait 30 min, it would blow thru, and I come in behind it on my way home. Except it didn't move and there were nasty clouds starting to form in the southwest which would be heading my way. I was camped out under a very flimsy hotel overhang. I went inside and looked at the radar. The storm was in east Linc and I-80 went across north Linc. There was only 1 little patch of orange over the interstate. Decided to take my chances. Drove 85mph thru fairly heavy rain but no baseball hail. Got to the east side of Linc and was out of the severe weather.

Life can be dangerous in fly-over country.

[VGM911]

Originally Posted by husker boxster

You have to watch radar closely and look out for the orange and purple areas. You need solid cover - under a tree or gas station canopy is not ideal. As I said previously, hail is generated when there are severe thunderstorms or tornados. That means high winds. Sitting under a tree will slow the hail down but a big branch could prove very devastating. Gas stations are safer but high winds can bring those down quickly. Basically you respect Mother Nature and try to stay out of it as best you can. The ounce of prevention theory.

When Punkin was 6 mo old, I was at a golf course for league. We had just teed off when the sirens went off. No time to buzz home so I pulled Punkin into the cart barn. Luckily the golf course folks didn't mind. We had small hail there but the hail was intense enough at my house that it ruined the roof. I don't play league at that course anymore and the course I now play at won't let me go in their cart barn. But they have some brick overhangs into the dining area of their club house that would provide enough protection for whichever Porsche I'm driving. Always have an escape plan during thunderstorm season.

Yes we see all kinds of dimpled darlings after an event. I think the dealers don't care if they get hit. Gives them a reason to have a sale. Cpl yrs ago a city in the metro area got hit by baseball to softball sized hail. One of the largest Ford truck dealerships is in that city and got hammered. They actually totaled many of the trucks. If a side or rear window was broken and rain got in, the ins co totaled the car. They didn't want warranty issues with wet electronics. That was one expensive hail storm with all the damage to houses and businesses it caused.

When I was returning from COTA, a storm popped up just outside Lincoln. I figured I'd wait 30 min, it would blow thru, and I come in behind it on my way home. Except it didn't move and there were nasty clouds starting to form in the southwest which would be heading my way. I was camped out under a very flimsy hotel overhang. I went inside and looked at the radar. The storm was in east Linc and I-80 went across north Linc. There was only 1 little patch of orange over the interstate. Decided to take my chances. Drove 85mph thru fairly heavy rain but no baseball hail. Got to the east side of Linc and was out of the severe weather.

Life can be dangerous in fly-over country.

Thanks for the first-hand account of what it's like. Makes me happier than ever that I live out of harm's way.