Should I trade in my hail-damaged car with the insurance check in hand?
The #1 mistake Texas drivers make: taking an insurance check ($3,000) straight to a dealership with hail damage on the car. Dealerships deduct $6,000–$8,000 off trade-in value, rolling that loss into your new loan. Getting it repaired first protects thousands in equity.
Why '10 Dents' From Hail Damage Might Actually Be 100
Don Powell, owner of Dentcraft of Texas in McKinney, answers common paintless dent repair and hail damage questions on Growing Your Business with Buddy Broyles.
Transcript — Should I trade in my hail-damaged car with the insurance check in hand?
From Growing Your Business with Buddy Broyles with Don Powell of Dentcraft of Texas.
The #1 mistake Texas drivers make: taking an insurance check ($3,000) straight to a dealership with hail damage on the car. Dealerships deduct $6,000–$8,000 off trade-in value, rolling that loss into your new loan. Getting it repaired first protects thousands in equity.
“You got $3,000 in your pocket, but the dealer knocks $7,000 off your car value. You're upside down and financing your own hail damage into your next car.” — Don Powell
This clip begins at 19:00 in the full episode. Have a question Don did not cover? Book a free in-shop estimate and ask him directly.
More Questions Don Answers
Why do you find way more dents under shop lights than what an adjuster or owner sees outside?
Don explains how natural sunlight hides hail impacts. An adjuster holding a reflector panel outside might count 10 dents on a hood, but under specialized PDR lighting in a controlled booth, there are often 30 to 100+ dents.
What is the exact customer journey and first step when my car gets hit by Texas hail?
Don breaks down step one: don't panic. If dents are visible, immediately call your insurance company to file the claim, then bring the car straight to Dentcraft so Don can handle photos, estimates, and adjuster inspections on your behalf.
Do collision body shops have their own PDR techs or do they subcontract them?
Almost no conventional body shop has an in-house full-time paintless dent repair tech—they subcontract out to independent PDR specialists like Dentcraft. Coming straight to Don cuts out markup and middleman delays.