Hail damaged your garage door?

Hail damage on garage doors is mostly dents in the face of the section, and on a steel door they look worse in the right light. Thin steel dents easily and a hit from larger stones can leave dozens of dimples on the storm-facing side. Many of those do not change how the door works. Others do.

The ones to take seriously are creases, cracks, dents at hinges or rollers, torn paint and rust starting at a break, split or crushed window inserts, and sections that no longer seal. Wood and fiberglass doors can split. An aluminum door dents more and sometimes keeps the dent. Insulated steel can lose its bond where the skin was pushed in. We look at those closely, and we look at the weatherstrip and the plastic trim as well.

Insurance is your relationship, not ours. Whether hail damage is covered depends on your policy, your deductible, cosmetic damage terms and the adjuster. We will not tell you something will be covered, or that you should file. What we can do is look at the door, tell you plainly what is damaged, what is cosmetic and what affects the door function, and give you photos and a written description to share. We do not inflate damage.

A few badly dented sections can often be replaced, provided a matching section is available. If dents run the full width of the door, sections are discontinued, or the door is old and worn anyway, a new door may be the more sensible path.

What your policy pays for, and whether a claim is worth making, is for you and your insurer to decide.