Hail Damage Insurance?
 

Recently, I changed insurance companies for our House, motorcycle, vehicles and Airstream.

When I go quotes, I asked the broker if the AS would be covered for hail damage and I was told it would - great.

When I actually got the policies a month later, I found that it was indeed covered for hail damage - provided the hail caused perforation!

I've never had a problem with hail (touch wood) but that seems to me to be sharp practice on the part of the insurance company. I don't know this for a fact, but I would think the chances of perforation caused by hail would be very very slim at best.

Of course what I had in mind when asking about the insurance was dealing with a trailer covered in dents.

Not sure if I got taken for a sucker or not, but just wondering generally what hail damage coverage in an insurance policy really means? Maybe the coverage I have is standard?

I never really checked my previous policy to see what coverage I had in this regard - just got more concerned when we bought the airstream.

I suppose when you think of it, the cost of repairing what would normally be just a cosmetic condition (many dents) would be prohibitive, so maybe it
isn't reasonable to think that you could get that sort of coverage - short of paying very high premiums.

Brian

Hail Insurance
 

I would call my insurance agent and raise the roof with them. I have had a hail damaged trailer (not perforated) and the hail was pretty large.

What you want is a policy that protects you against what my insurance company calls cosmetic damage. In my case the company will pay if the damage goes above a certain dollar amount. So, if the hail is small and the dents few, they do not pay. However, if the damage is significant they pay to repair or replace.

Small hail dents, large hail dents, it costs the same to repair which is usually panel replacement and big $.

Hail damage today, is looked at in different ways than yesteryear, by some insurance companies.

Back then, replacement of the damaged panels was the goal.

Today, those items actually damaged such as clearance lights, vent covers, AC shrouds, are replaced, without much fan fare.

Damaged metal, is now a different ball game.

Typically, hail damage today, is settled on a "loss of value" basis. In many respects, that is a reasonable and fair way to settle the loss, especially for Airstream trailers.

Many owners, after receiving a check for metal replacement caused by hail damage, simply put off getting it done.

Those same owners then discovered, WOW many of those dents have disappeared. Simply leaving the trailer outside and exposed to the sun, will indeed make most of the dents disappear, except with the front and rear segments. How soon?? Depends on the ambient temperature. The hotter the climate, the faster the dents go bye bye.

Since most Airstream owners are aware of that fact, as well as insurance companies, then the loss of value settlement, at the time of loss, makes far more sense.

Amazingly, after a few months or more, most all the dents are gone.

If they are gone, then where is that original loss??

You could, sort of say, that most hail damage, is temporary as opposed to permanent. Not all, but most of it.

Andy

The amount that come out are dependent on the size and velocity of the hail.

We had 11 trailers go though a hailstorm with golf ball size hail driven by 100 mph winds last July. None of the dents which were as much as 1 1/2 deep and 11 inches across came out of the trailers or the tow vehicles.

Most people who had insurance came out alright. One trailer was scrapped and resold as salvage. Thee trailers were repaired and covered by insurance. Four people took the money and are living with it. Three were afraid to file and are living with the Kielers.

Look up the people who have gone through a hailstorm and talk to them about which insurance companies they had and how satisfied they were.

They probably know people will cash the $40k hail check and continue to use the trailer.

This is becoming common and the industry has responded. On my recent house hail claim, which has replacement value insurance, they write a check at the depreciated value and hold back the difference until the insured produces the repair receipts. Then the holdback check is issued.

Brian which insurance carrier so the rest of us know who not to use? Also did you check your auto policy to see if it had the same restriction?

Time to go shopping for another policy :)

Most if not all have the concept of “recoverable depreciation” in their contracts.

Talk with a broker you trust. Insurance contracts can be complicated - you can have a policy in place for years and never have a claim - or you can have a claim 10 minutes after you buy the policy - either way, the claim is the moment of truth and it will be adjudicated based on the letter of the contract. A reputable carrier will pay exactly what they owe - no more, no less - based on the terms of the contract governed by their jurisdiction. There isn’t a single national view for that.

I highly recommend buying through a broker/agent who knows the players and knows the reputation, claim process and philosophy of the carriers they represent, and can be your advocate in navigating unfamiliar territory.

In my case, on the house, damage was $39500, $1000 deductible, and a bit over $8000 in recoverable depreciation (hold back). First check is about $30, 500. Second check, after repair completion will be that $8k.

I agree with Inland RV Centers response, mostly. In my Army career I was at Ft. Sill, Ok. Lots of hail and tornado activity. Cars that had hail damage, and there were a bunch driving around, had small hail dents removed with dry ice. Get the surface of damaged area very warm. Some good hot sunshine will do. Wrap up a block of dry ice in a single layer towel and massage the dented area. The dent will usually come out. May take a couple shots at it, but it works. I know that steel has "memory" and aluminum doesn't, but I have seen it work on both materials. If I had some minor hail damage on my AS I would try this method first rather than to make an insurance claim. Of course if it is beat to heck and back the insurance folks have to get involved.

The original post was in 2010, and the original poster hasn’t been online since last October. I’m thinking you probably won’t get a response, and even if you do, a lot has changed in the intervening 9 years, so probably not very relevant.

Jim