is hail damage so bad?

[yram]

AM thinking of buying one of those (new) Nissan hail damage trucks. The knock off is about $4000 and the hail damage is very evident on roof and hood.
So what is the risk? Does it damage the integrity of the shell? Rust quicker?
Help me out here. THX.

[YogsVR4]

It depends on how bad the damage is. If it cracked the paint, you'll get rust much quicker. Otherwise, it just looks bad.

[Vladimer]

well im taking a few autobody classes in my spare time, and figured i'd just add my in,

hail damage is "usually" just body damage, but with a new nissan, im pretty sure there trucks arnt made of metal and all, but if you got the visable damage replaced (not usually fixable on new cars) then i dout there would be any problems with the actual vechile performance

know my teacher, hes an older guy... really older lol, so he got a few years exp. he managed to fix the hood and doors of a really baddly hail damaged car without cracking the paint anywere or streching the panels, quite a handy guy, then again, its a older vechile so he used the heating and hammer and dolly way,

anyways, im rambling lol, but your question, no you shouldnt have any damage to the actual vechile, just body damage


edit: spelling mistakes :S

[syr74]

The ONLY benefit to having sold Volvo's while going through college (well, almost the only benefit) is that I got to see some of the tricks of the trade in person free of charge. As far as dent removal goes, I personally saw our contract dent guy work miracles and take out severe dents and dings.

Some were light creases (Those things most people say cannot be removed), some were much larger and more irregular than any hail damage I have seen, and I only ever saw one dent he said couldn't get. AND, that was an access problem. Many of these dents were severe and very large, and you would never believe he could get them out without painting the car, but he always did. However, this guy was truly very good, remember that there are pros and novices in every field...You get what and who you pay for.

The prior comment about cracked paint holds a lot of weight and should be taken into consideration IMO as this is not as easily addressed and done well wihtout breaking the wallet much further open.. Also, how much hail damage is on the car? Because, while the really good paintless dent guys make it look easy they seldom make it cheap, and I have seen cars that were so beat up it was ridiculous.

Four grand does sound like a good deal assuming that this is actually four grand below what you could have really bought the truck for with no damage. Talk is cheap, and they will yank your chain. Do some research and see what they actually paid, and make certain that you really are getting four grand off for the damage. Remember, outside of Saturn and some highline rides (Mercedes, Volvo....) invoice is as useless as everyone says it is. Not to mention Nissans small truck has been heavily rebated in the last few years so check that out.

As far as the prior comment about not being "all metal", anything plastic would crack and not dent which you would likely see. AND, if there is a woory about any aluminum on the truck as opposed to steel..... dents come out of aluminum just as easily as metal. If done correctly, and in an informed manner, I believe hail damage is one of the best ways to get a really sweet deal on a new car. When my mother was looking for a car I got here a surprisingly sweet deal on a Catera that had seven hail damage dents in it.

Also, if you do this, my advice is to go to your local high end dealerships (again, Mercedes, Volvo) and ask them who does their stuff and who they recommend. Most won't mind helping you out with advice. Also, just my opinion, but stay away from the "old school" set. Our guy never once broke out a "heater" to straighten metal as he understood the concept of stretching and shrinking metal and it really just isn't necessary....not to mention it can lead to trouble. Yes, it can be done that way and very well, but generally that is a method better suited to old iron as a new car would likely warp pretty easily with enough heat appllied to make a difference.

Find someone like the guy I mentioned, you will be happy you did in the long run.

[syr74]

Forgot something. Not to offend anyone in any way, but in actuality this sort of thing is almost always fixable without paint on a newer car. Unfortunately, pride gets in the way a lot and people sometimes just don't want to admit someone has a skill they don't. We have all been there and done that there is no crime in it.

No car I watched our dent guy fix was ever older than early ninties as we simply did not carry anything older than that. And, the vast majority of cars he repaired were late ninties and 200-2001 models. So yes, it can be done. You do face the possibility of some of the dents being there to stay due to lack of access or whatever. But, if a body guy tells you it cannot be done at all he is really just saying that he doesn't know how to do it. Again, no offense intended. Just calling it like I see it.

[yram]

Well all the insights are good. Yeah the $4000 is off teh sticker price, so thats not even considering negotiations.
Anyway I found out my insurance co. wont cover it at all for comprehensive til you have the hail damage fixed, proof of repairs. And you cant finance til you have comprehensive. Some insurance co.s will cover you; mine is just conservative. Might be worth it...but meanwhile I have found some used trucks that are looking good. Its a tradeoff...hassle with repairs, research other insurance, keep looking etc.

Thanks for your thoughts