SlowCarPls Posted 6January, 2022 Report Share Posted 6January, 2022 Hi everyone - not sure if this is the right section of the forum for this post, but wanted to get some advice about some hail damage repair on my 981 Cayman. Yesterday I was driving home from interstate and while at a rest on the freeway the car was caught in a hailstorm that basically came out of nowhere. There is some minor hail damage on the roof, bonnet, front and rear side panels, and on at least one of the doors. I seems just about every panel has a mark or two! Anyway, I am going to call the insurers and Porsche today to work out what my options are, but I thought I'd just pop this post up to see if anyone had any advice, or could tell me whether there are any issues or pitfalls I should be looking out for. Given I haven't had to deal with this particular scenario before, I thought it couldn't hurt to ask if there was anything worth being aware of. Other things to know: the car is under warranty, the paint and bodywork was previously in perfect condition (I had it fully paint corrected and ceramic coated in mid December - sigh), and I do have some video footage of the hail hitting my car (I try not to watch it...). TIA for any advice or suggestions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
st3ve Posted 7January, 2022 Report Share Posted 7January, 2022 Sorry to hear it. My Audi A4 Quattro Avant was written off due to hail last year, but that was a much more open and shut case since although mint and well looked after it was a 2012 and was only insured for $25k and the damage to every panel was severe and also smashed the tailgate and 3rd row windows and hence let water in. It was also in the midst of tens of thousands of other cars caught in the same incident and I too had photos of it getting trashed. Due to demand it took a week to get assessed but was then written off and paid out in a day or two (Shannons). Unhappy as a car owner, but happy as a Shannons customer. Quick and simple process (have to pay your excess though). Yours is more likely to be repaired since the value will be higher and you describe less damage. One item that cropped up while I was waiting for an assessment was that in the Audi the roof panel was apparently laser welded originally, and the one repairer I initially spoke to said they could not do the same welds here so replacing the roof panel is very rarely done here - only on high value near new RS4's and the like. It all depends on the level of damage and whether and / many panels need to be replaced or can just be dent pulled and get a respray. Otherwise, don't stress it, just submit the claim and go with the flow, it's what you pay for. What insurer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nikos Posted 7January, 2022 Report Share Posted 7January, 2022 Also have an Audi A4 Quattro Avant (2016 model) that got caught in a hail storm late last year. Also insured with Shannon’s. The damage was ever so slight and at first not even noticeable. All fixed in a day and was very happy with my first ever insurance claim with Shannons. Some other cars were having roof linings removed and thankfully mine just needed some slight tweaking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
9er Posted 7January, 2022 Report Share Posted 7January, 2022 Similar recent experience with a 2013 Golf that I have owned since new, written of due to hail damage all over and specifically the laser welded roof as mentioned above. However the big issue for me was that RAA insurance here in Adelaide had made a business decision that all policies renewed after 30 September would no longer be market value, instead they switched to agreed value which made $5K difference on my car, and I hadnt been smart enough to read the new PDS which mentioned the change on page 2, so by paying my premium I had 'agreed' to an $11K value at the same premium cost. Still in negotiation on this one, although I accept that I should read the PDS in future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
st3ve Posted 7January, 2022 Report Share Posted 7January, 2022 Yeah, pays to keep an eye on your policy, though that change is quite sneaky. A mate had a late B7 A4 Quattro sedan in the same hailstorm, only a couple of years older than mine and was only offered like $7k as 'market value' by a mainstream insurer. His was not as bad as mine - less severe panel damage and no blown glass - so he just retracted the claim and kept it as is. This was mine... RIP! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SlowCarPls Posted 7January, 2022 Author Report Share Posted 7January, 2022 I'm insured with youi, who have given me choice of repairer and already approved my claim. I'll take it down to my local porsche certified smash repairer and see how I get on! Will be interesting to see how it washes out. My insurer provides 'market value' for my car if it's a write-off, and it's in excellent condition with similar (and lesser) models selling for very healthy prices on carsales. Thanks for all the tips above, will update the thread as I go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucky Phil Posted 9January, 2022 Report Share Posted 9January, 2022 @SlowCarPls Which state are you located? I have a guy in Melbourne who is a hail damage specialist. He does amazing work with no painting required. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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