I hate hail!

[B25guy]

I guess it was inevitable...quarter size hail here last night in south Denton county-DFW area. My pickup acutally looks worse (hood and roof)...until you look on top of the A/S

Cracked the a/c cover in a couple of places, dented the fridge cover pretty good, lots and lots of pocks all over the top and the very top portions of the curved segments, front and rear...but not a mark on the sides or rear though so from walking up to it, you'd probably not notice. Like my father-in-law says, "a man running for his life would never notice!"...Comprehensive on both but still going to be a pain.

I thought about posting a picture but I think they're kinda depressing when I see somebody else's rig done in like this.

Now the fun begins...

[Mel]

That really stinks - I'm so sorry. Karma coming your way...

[streamer23]

My condolences

[B25guy]

I realize the A/S is a different animal and cannot be repaired this way but does anybody have any comments/criticism/suggestions about the many paintless dent repair places I've always seen but as of now, never needed?

The dents in my truck are well contained within a quarter coin, if not less, and about 50 of them in total on hood and roof.

Marc

[vswingfield]

I feel your pain. http://www.airforums.com/photos/show...0&userid=17830

[B25guy]

Vaughan, like I said, depressing...mines not that bad but still a bummer

[Boondocker]

I too feel your pain, and will be sweating out the next month and a half until I am out of the hail zone.

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by B25guy

I guess it was inevitable...quarter size hail here last night in south Denton county-DFW area. My pickup acutally looks worse (hood and roof)...until you look on top of the A/S

Cracked the a/c cover in a couple of places, dented the fridge cover pretty good, lots and lots of pocks all over the top and the very top portions of the curved segments, front and rear...but not a mark on the sides or rear though so from walking up to it, you'd probably not notice. Like my father-in-law says, "a man running for his life would never notice!"...Comprehensive on both but still going to be a pain.

I thought about posting a picture but I think they're kinda depressing when I see somebody else's rig done in like this.

Now the fun begins...

Years ago, I was the sole field rep for the Airstream insurance division, called Caravanner Insurance.

I personally settled over 1,000 hail damage claims, on Airstream trailers.

Don't do anything to the roof or side sheets.

Simply leaving the trailer in the sun for a few months, will make those dents disappear.

The damaged segments and reefer cover, etc, must be replaced.

Andy

[bredlo]

I swear, it seems like everybody's gone thorough this to some degree.

I'm wondering about the feasibility of a StreamGuard: a thick polycarbonate shield that you leave in place for the 325 days a year you're not using your trailer!

It could attach with suction cups, match the curve of your roof, swooping down enough to protect the all important end caps, and run the length of your trailer on adjustable feet so it'd work whether or not you have an air conditioner.

Any takers?

[Royce]

That is unfortunate. The paintless dent will work just fine on the truck. On the A/S keep in mind that golf balls are covered with little dents to aid in flight and increase the distance they will fly, ( I don't know if that is true but it sounds good). If time and summer sun cure the problem as suggested, great, if not consider them scars of honor.

[85MH325]

Here's a post and link to threads that may be helpful:

http://www.airforums.com/forums/114219-post7.html

Roger

[B25guy]

Naturally, after the fateful event, I had the exact same idea...we need to collaborate.

Marc

[B25guy]

Andy,

I tend to agree to leave the roof panels alone...after taking a closer look, the dimples might just ease up in a few years. Just wondering why you suggest relacing the end segments, granted you haven't seen any pictures (there's a few in my picture area), is this because of insurability or future claims? The ac cover will definitely need replacing but the refer cover could probably just be re-rounded to my satisfaction....let's see what USAA says!

[juel]

Hey, Andy may have something there. My Sovereign suffered major dents in our December ice storm. When the sun came out one day I decided to wash the dents before trying to pull them out, and BAM! The two big ones poped out with a bang. I just started screaming and running around going "oh my gosh", "oh my gosh". Certainly my neighbors who don't already think my elevator doesn't go to the top floor, were sure I'd lost it. Just a side note, I was also running around looking under the trailer yesterday when I hooked him up to water and NO LEAKS! My winterizing really did work.

[InsideOut]

WOW! That's great news Judy!!!! It was probably due to being warm and running the cold water over it ~ same thing as people trying ice or dry ice...the temperature shift makes it pop back into place as long as there are no real creases.

We've also been able to smooth out some dents & creases from our belly skins and banana wraps from the inside by removing the interior panels. I wouldn't go through the effort to remove the panels and gut the entire interior just to get rid of a few beauty marks, but if your skins are off anyway like ours...it's nice to see they can be popped back out.

Keep your fingers crossed B25Guy, maybe they will pop out as the temps warm up ~

Shari

[phoenix491]

I'm in your general neck of the woods, B25Guy, and I was a tad nervous last night when the storm came through ... Our trailer sits in our backyard near a 70-foot-tall pecan tree -- I live in fear of one of that tree's limbs letting loose in a storm. The good thing is, when it's in full bloom, it provides some good protection from hail. The bad thing is, it's a pecan tree -- it's constantly dropping nuts on my trailer.

[vswingfield]

Originally Posted by B25guy

Vaughan, like I said, depressing...mines not that bad but still a bummer

The guy I bought if from flips Airstreams in his retirement. He said that it had been towed through a hailstorm. There are very few dents in the rear cap, and they are small. He did make me a good enough deal to have the panels replaced if I decide to. Meanwhile, they don’t leak and I look at the lawn as I pass by.

Originally Posted by InsideOut

WOW! That's great news Judy!!!! It was probably due to being warm and running the cold water over it ~ same thing as people trying ice or dry ice...the temperature shift makes it pop back into place as long as there are no real creases.

Shari

Hi Shari,

I have considered that approach too. The only problem is I can’t get Antarctica up the ladder.

[safari 28]

You know one of the great aspects of this forum is just understanding the Airstream experience. I mean how many of us would know heat and sunshine will take those hail dimples out? Hail is not a common issue for us in Michigan, but on our return trip home from the west coast I mentioned more than once to my wife that lets stay north and out of say Texas/Arkansas due to hail. We truly have a very unique product. Maybe thats what keeps it so interesting?

[Jaxon]

Everytime the weatherman says there's a possibility of hail, I get real worried. Not just because of dents but also the skylights that are pretty flimsey anyway. End up covering them with some thick blankets for the storm... would hate to have both get broken and Noah's deluge raining inside the trailer...

Have often thought about some kind of cover that could rest an inch or so off the surface & provide some protection - usually thinking about it during the storm. So if y'all get the StreamGuard going, let me know, I'm interested!

Hope them dents come out, Marc.

[balrgn]

Hate hail too! Lost my 03 Quadstear to Hail, totaled it!