How Much Damage Can Hail Cause to a Car?
2 Answers
Hail falling from a high altitude carries significant kinetic energy and can be quite destructive, potentially damaging a car's body and windshield. The extent of damage depends on the size of the hailstones. Here are the details: 1. Impact of Hail: Small hailstones, less than two centimeters in diameter, generally have minimal impact. Cars have a certain level of resistance to such impacts, and in most cases, no damage will occur. However, larger hailstones, such as those the size of a one-yuan coin, an egg, or even a tennis ball, are much heavier and can cause significant damage. They can not only scratch the car's paint but also shatter glass and create dents on the car's body. 2. Preventive Measures: If you encounter hail while driving, try to move your car to a sheltered area, preferably an underground parking lot. If the car is parked outdoors, covering it with a thick blanket can help reduce damage. When there's no place to hide from hail, quickly move to the back seats of the car to avoid injury from shattered windshield glass.
Hail can indeed cause significant damage to cars, especially when large hailstones strike. My car was once caught outside during a hailstorm, leaving dents all over the body, resembling the bumpy surface from a game of whack-a-mole, with the paint even getting scuffed. The windshield fared even worse—small cracks appeared where the hailstones hit, gradually spreading across the entire screen. Repairs are quite troublesome; just fixing the dents requires professional suction equipment, costing at least a few thousand yuan. What’s more concerning is that if rainwater seeps into those dents, the metal can rust and corrode, potentially compromising the car’s structural integrity over time. So, I recommend getting your car inspected at a repair shop as soon as possible after a hailstorm to avoid bigger issues down the line.
