How Do You Protect Your Car From Hail Damage?
Hail can occur at the most unexpected times of the year, and it can be extremely damaging to your car. One five-minute hail storm can easily lead to thousands of dollars in repair work, leaving you feeling frustrated and almost helpless as you desperately try to prepare your car for the next one. In case you need some ideas, here are some of the most popular ways to protect your car from hail damage.
Check your local weather
While meteorologists may or may not be able to accurately predict when a hail storm might hit, you can at least get an idea by checking the weather routinely and making your own judgment calls. Fortunately, if the weather happens to be gloomy, windy, and rainy, then you can probably guess that hail could follow. Just remember to keep an eye on the weather reports so you can at least partly know what to expect.
Find covered parking
If you don’t have a garage and need to park your car outside on a regular basis, then the first remedy is to find covered parking. Find an awning from a building or perhaps a public parking garage to seek refuge in until the hail storm passes. If you happen to be driving when the hail storm hits, then try finding a gas station or pullover underneath a freeway overpass. Another tip is to park next to a building opposite the direction that the wind is blowing so that the hail can blow past your car.
Buy a car cover
You can find car covers at your local auto parts store and almost everywhere online. One of the best covers that we have come across is from CarCovers.com, which provides semi-custom covers for almost every car on the market. While a car cover might not be the best protector from hail, it sure is better than nothing and can protect the car from really small hailstones.
Use blankets or a tarp
If you find that a car cover is not enough, then you can always fortify your car’s protection by using a heavy blanket or tarp. Moving blankets are pretty thick and cheap to buy, so if you know that your car might need some protection, just fold the blanket lengthwise and throw it on top of your car. Another method that some have used in the past is to use your car’s carpeted floor mats to cover the windshield.
Buy a Hail Protector
If you really want to go all-out, then you can always buy an inflatable car cover called the “Hail Protector.” This is a car cover that inflates like a bounce house around your car, which will protect it from everything from golf ball-sized to even softball-sized hail. The cost for the Hail Protector starts at $499, according to the hailprotector.com website, and it can go up depending on the size of your car.
It’s a steep price to pay, but considering how much it costs to repair your car after a freak hail storm, the cost of the Hail Protector could pay off in the long run. Also, there are many other hail protection covers like this in the market that vary in price, so one of those could work as well.
Remember to pull over
These are some helpful tips to protect your car from hail. And while they might not be completely foolproof, the important part is to stay safe during inclement weather. The next time you get caught in a bad storm, just remember to at least pull over and find a safe place to keep your car until the storm passes. While hail can do damage to your car, it’s not worth totaling it by trying to drive during a storm.
