Hail damage to roof - can we ignore it?

[silvereagle2]

We sustained severe hail damage to our 2014 27Fb. We are in the process of getting an inspection at our local Airstream dealer along with an adjuster from Progressive. It is obvious we need to replace all of the front and end panels plus all of the broken roof vents and covers, but what about the roof itself? As you can see from the pictures the entire roof is covered with significant hail damage, but if the roof is not compromised we could live with this since you can’t really see any of this from street level. If we need to replace the roof, the trailer will probably be totaled and would cost us a fortune to get a replacement unit ( not to mention the lack of availability).

Does anyone have any advice or experience to share? Thanks

[Iansk]

Perhaps a good and thick application of Bus Kote or similar would be appropriate since the roof is already white. Helps a ton with the heat...

That’s all I’ve got.

Ian

[B. Cole]

Honestly, I would let them total it out, with pre negotiations of a buy back of the rig for you, with a salvage title.
They don't want to be stuck with it, if they can take a lesser hit on it.If you can live with the dented roof etc /settlement long term, go for it.All they can do is say no.
Just remember, everything is for sale.At some point...

[Spartanguy]

Originally Posted by silvereagle2

We sustained severe hail damage to our 2014 27Fb. We are in the process of getting an inspection at our local Airstream dealer along with an adjuster from Progressive. It is obvious we need to replace all of the front and end panels plus all of the broken roof vents and covers, but what about the roof itself? As you can see from the pictures the entire roof is covered with significant hail damage, but if the roof is not compromised we could live with this since you can’t really see any of this from street level. If we need to replace the roof, the trailer will probably be totaled and would cost us a fortune to get a replacement unit ( not to mention the lack of availability).



Does anyone have any advice or experience to share? Thanks

I saw a newer Airstream Bambi in Glenwood Springs once that was so dented up I thought it was a joke, the poor thing looked like it had syphilis before penicillin, guess it was working for them just fine though.

[Bill M.]

That is a lot of damage. I think you need to get the full estimate and then decide. I expect having it totaled out and then you buy it back would work. I know a person that did that. Or if they decide to just replace all the damaged panels that would be best. It might not be that much more to do all of the panels since the whole interior has to come out anyway.

[majorairhead]

My consideration with this kind of stuff is, what about resale down the road? I'd have it repaired to pre-hail damage condition, or total it.

[SilverWind]

Originally Posted by Bill M.

That is a lot of damage. I think you need to get the full estimate and then decide. I expect having it totaled out and then you buy it back would work. I know a person that did that. Or if they decide to just replace all the damaged panels that would be best. It might not be that much more to do all of the panels since the whole interior has to come out anyway.

Be very careful who you choose to do the work. The mothership would be my choice.

[CinTerLine]

So sorry to hear of your hail damage. We suffered the same hail damage two years ago in Montana on our 2019 Bambi.
We had replacement policy with Progressive, and they totaled the rig.
We spent a few more bucks and upgraded to a 25fb Flying Cloud.
Fortunately the dealership had several in stock!
Best wishes for a suitable outcome.

[Icy]

Get it all fixed, you want to get stuck with a damaged Airstream. A good insurance company will either fix or a payment. The seams are probably all damaged from the aluminum being stretched from the hailstorm.

[thewarden]

I suffered the same damage in a hail storm here last year, and it is currently in for repair. Repair is going to be in the range of 26K. If I were paying for the repair myself for the roof panel, I would not bother fixing it if it was sound. I would cover it with solar panels. A full solar system would be less than the cost of replacing the white roof panel, it would cover up most of the damage, and you would have a great solar system to boot.

[Kawboy01]

If ins. totaled it and you did a buy back, will your ins. company still insure it and for how much? How hard or easy is it to get insurance on a salvage title? I would think just letting them total it might be the best?

[carl2591]

has anyone taken the airstream to a auto hail damage repair shop. I have seen pickups and cars with hail damage before and after..

if you look close at the right angle you can still see of the damage but for the most part it not noticeable.. for the roof I would do the buskot deal to make sure the seams that got bent from strikes are sealed and not worry about it..

solar panel to cover adn give freeish power for boondocking.

[s1000pre]

The issue with aluminum is it stretches and forms a new shape. it doesn't just pop back like steel. That said, my 2019 Aluminum F150 had an elongated dent at the base of the door (snowbank) which Dent Heads was able to remove. The difference was being elongated, where hail damage is a deep impact with little circumference.
I just looked at the interior on my FC 30 Bunk. It has one piece of aluminum panel that runs the entire length. In my case, yes I would need to remove the entire interior including the rear shower to remove the overhead aluminum sheet and access the back of the roof rivets. Bummer!!! I think I would let them total it!

[banderabob]

Originally Posted by majorairhead

My consideration with this kind of stuff is, what about resale down the road? I'd have it repaired to pre-hail damage condition, or total it.

Given the severity, were I a potential purchaser down the road, I’d probably walk away. We have some hail damage on our roof, but it’s about 1/3 the depth of yours. Must have been a hail of a storm!

[Bruce.S]

We had similar damage though not quite as severe to our 2015 FC back in 2016. We had even brought it to Jackson Center after the storm to get an estimate and to attend Alumapalooza. What I learned by getting the AS estimate and by attending a refurbishing seminar at Alumapalooza is that there's a significant difference between buck rivets and Olympic rivets.

When the trailer is built the exterior skin is attached to the frame using buck rivets that require two people (one on each side) to install each rivet. Once the exterior skin is completed, the wiring, insulation, etc. is installed before the interior skin is attached, using Olympic rivets which can be installed by one person, after which the rivet stem is ground off.
If you were to repair the roof and end panels and use buck rivets, you'd need to uninstall all the cabinets and everything else inside, above the roof line. An incredibly expensive undertaking and one that would almost guarantee a write-off.
If you go with the Olympic rivets, they may not seal as well (hence why AS uses buck rivets on the exterior.
The takeaway from the seminar I got was, if it's not leaking don't fix it. We decided against repairing our trailer and have continued to use it with no ill effects, still watertight 4+ years after the hailstorm. A dealer I spoke to at Alumapalooza that year said that several years down the road if we decided to sell, the discount would not be that significant..........
We were able to pocket the insurance money based on the Olympic rivet repair estimate from AS and continue to enjoy our trailer - no salvage title or other issues.
It's a tough decision to make but I certainly understand your reluctance to accept a write-off, given the short supply of replacement Airstreams.

[Helper]

I purchased a trailer from an Airstream dealer in Colorado. Although we got a significant price reduction from the purchase of the trailer, it was not listed as a totaled and we do not have a salvage title and it was not necessary for us to repair the roof.

[silvereagle2]

Thank you so much for all of the feedback. We have a target date for the inspection of our trailer later this month. Meanwhile we are communicating with Jackson Center to see what their advice would be. We JUST paid off our loan and we have “replacement value” insurance policy, but unfortunately this would only cover what we paid for it in 2014. New ones, and even late model used ones will still require more $.

Meanwhile, we just purchased a 2017 Nissan Titan Reserve pickup truck for a new tow vehicle to replace our totaled Expedition. I never thought that I would own a pickup truck, but the newer Expeditions don’t tow as much anymore...

[rideair]

Based on the pictures, it appears to be worse on the painted white area than the non-painted area? Is that because it's a different grade of aluminum?

I'd be inclined to do a buy-back, filled the dents with filler, paint white and you'd never know it happened. The end caps might be a quicker/cheaper repair.

The real question becomes, do you like the trailer and did you plan to keep it for a long time anyway? Look at it this way, they could buy you out, you then add $$$ to that amount, buy another trailer and the same thing happen on your next outing.

Patch, Paint, Solar and Go!

Enjoy,

[Peter417]

What does it look like from the ground?

[skyguyscott]

I used to build models as a kid; anyone could paint their F-15 to look like new, but only the highly skilled experts could apply realistic battle damage.

Later I learn that there are crafts people in Hollywood, expert carpenters, painters who not only build brand new sets, but who “age” them. On purpose.

In Japan, an old tea cup veined with hairline cracks covering the enamel is admired for it’s beauty.

Entropy seems to be baked into the crust of the universe. We can fight it, or hide it, try to ignore it, or deny it, but I haven’t found anyone who has yet beat it.

A brand new shinny Airstream draws a lot of attention, but they don’t stay that way without a lot of fuss and expended energy, time and money. Fortunately, that new appearance isn’t required for camping where my gaze hopefully will be drawn to the wonders around me rather than the tin trailer I sleep in.

At some point in our life, most of us come to terms with the stranger we see in the mirror who looks more and more like our parents than us, perhaps after going through the stages of grief, or perhaps because we fundamentally understand the way life works.

I think if I spend more time effort and energy on what matters and don’t worry so much about the stuff that doesn’t, maybe I'll get though it a bit happier?

Can you ignore the dents? I dunno. Can you?