Will Hail Damage Show Up on a Carfax Value Report?
Hail damage will usually not show up on a Carfax report since it is rarely structural in nature and most hail damage repair specialists are not required to report to Carfax.
Carfax is a reporting system set up to prevent customers from buying cars that unknowingly had a fraudulent or undocumented past. It’s a great tool if you are going to look for a used car, but not everything shows up on a Carfax report, and not everyone is mandated to report damages to Carfax.
EZDent is not mandated to report any repairs to Carfax from hail damage. However, Carfax receives its data from a lot of different sources.
According to the CARFAX website:
CARFAX® receives data from more than 100,000 different sources, including every U.S. and Canadian provincial motor vehicle agency plus many police and fire departments, collision repair facilities, auto auctions, and more.
CARFAX
Now, some other parties may still report hail damage, such as insurance companies or other car collision centers.
Cars reported as damaged and most of the vehicles that we do repair have no consequences from PDR. It is the least evasive way to repair hail damage. What we advise to do is the following if you are concerned that hail damage will show on your Carfax report.
Pull your carfax report in a few months after repair – 3-6 months is best. The report cost is minimal. Make sure that your insurance company reported nothing on your vehicle. If there is a report, grab your warranty work and proof of work from us and contact Carfax.
Most of the time, we see hail damage repair reported as structural damage, which is inaccurate.
If this happens, you need to contact Carfax, save your receipt from us, paperwork from your insurance company, and any other documents you have regarding your vehicle’s repair.
Report to Carfax that this was PDR and that their account for repairs is inaccurate. They will ask you to send in any documentation that you have, and they will remove this from your report.
There is no “hail damage” option on Carfax Auto Hail Repair Claims will be reported to CARFAX if your vehicle is totaled, and you choose to retain the car. (See the second line, the second box on the example CARFAX report here.) If the cost of repairing the hail damage exceeds the vehicle’s value, then the CARFAX report will appear as a total loss or “Totaled.” If you are still making payments on your car, you may owe more than it is worth. If your vehicle is totaled by hail damage, the insurance company will pay out the vehicle’s actual value and not the amount you owe.
Should I buy a car with hail damage already?
This is a tricky question; usually, we advise no unless you are going to drive it around with the hail damage as it is. Hail damage is cosmetic only and does not cause any issues with driving the vehicle. If you do not repair it, it devalues the car tremendously. The average hail claim with minor damage is $3,000-$4,000. Light hail damage, just a couple of hits, could be just enough to meet your deductible.
On the other hand, heavy hail damage is very noticeable and could cost the same as the car’s value. If you are considering buying a car with hail damage, ask if you can take it for a full estimate for repair, this will give you an idea of the cost to repair and the price of the vehicle and see if it is worth buying it. Remember that a full estimate needs to be scheduled and that an assessment may be all you need.
How much does hail damage devalue a vehicle?
If you sell your vehicle with hail damage unresolved, yes, the car is devalued by the dollar amount of damages done to your car. For example, if the vehicle is worth $20,000 and you have $5,000 of unresolved hail damage, your vehicle is worth $15,000.
If your hail damage is resolved and fixed, there is no simple answer if it devalues your vehicle. Minor damage is a non-evasive and relatively simple repair process for our technicians. It’s not an easy repair, but what we do every day. This damage does not typically affect your vehicle’s resale, and it should really appear like it did when it came from the factory. Not all dent repair is created equal. Our goal is to make a minimal impact when repairing your car or truck.
If there is severe damage to your vehicle, the value of your car could go down; this is called diminished value. There are companies we work with who specialize just in this problem. Your insurance company is financially responsible for this issue. This is called a Diminished Value Claim.
Diminished value refers to the difference in your car’s market value before and after the hail storm. If you have questions about this process or want to know more about how this is resolved, we have people that we can refer you to who do this for a living and will help you get the money you are owed.
Next Steps
You are always welcome to email us with any questions at info@ezdentrepair.com or call us. Our number is (888) 393-3687.
