Hail and auto glass in Northern California

Sacramento gets hail occasionally, most often in spring thunderstorms, and the damage pattern is not what people expect.

Emergencies

The windshield usually survives

A windshield is laminated and set at an angle, so hail tends to strike it obliquely and the interlayer absorbs what gets through. Chips and star breaks are common; complete failure is not.

The panes that break are the horizontal ones: the sunroof and the rear glass on a steeply raked hatchback, both of which take the impact square on and are tempered rather than laminated.

What to do afterwards

Photograph everything, including the hail itself if any is still on the ground, with something for scale. Insurers assess hail claims partly on stone size.

Then check the glass carefully in good light. Hail produces multiple small impacts rather than one big one, and it is easy to miss three or four fresh chips scattered across a windshield.

Multiple chips change the decision

One chip is a repair. Four or five across the swept area is usually a replacement — each repair leaves a small blemish, and a windshield with five of them in the driver's view is worse than a new one.

That is also the case where an insurance claim starts to make sense, because the cost has moved above a typical deductible.

If a roof panel broke

Cover it immediately and thoroughly. Hail comes with heavy rain, and an open sunroof aperture will soak a headliner and seats in minutes.

Need this done rather than explained? There is no shop to drive to. We come to wherever your car already is — your driveway, your workplace car park, an apartment lot, or the side of the road it stopped on — anywhere in greater Sacramento, with no call-out fee and no mileage charge. Give us the year, make and model and you will have a firm price before the call ends.

Questions on this topic

Does hail usually break a windshield?

Not usually. A windshield is laminated and steeply angled, so hail tends to strike obliquely and the plastic interlayer absorbs the impact — chips and star breaks are common, complete failure is rare. Sunroofs and steeply raked rear windows are more vulnerable, being tempered and closer to horizontal.

Should I claim on insurance for hail damage to my windshield?

It depends on how many impacts there are. A single chip is an inexpensive repair, likely below your deductible. Four or five chips across the swept area usually means replacement, since each repair leaves a small blemish, and at that point the cost often exceeds a typical comprehensive deductible.

Still not sure?Tell us the year, make and model and you will have a straight answer on the same call — or send it in writing and we call you back.

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