UKAudi2408

Hi folks!

I wanted to get some opinions on my damaged hood. I caught a rock driving the other day and it left the hood of my car chipped and dented. Since the chip is down to the metal I'm worried about rust (car is 6 months old). Is this something I should claim on my insurance or should I repair out of pocket? Does anyone have an estimate as to the cost of a hood? I have heard from body shops that dents in hoods are heard to remove and it's easier and more effective to replace the entire piece. Do anyone know if there is any truth to that? Thanks in advance!

JT4

Sorry to hear this, could you post a picture of the damage?

Houstonmobilian

The best thing to do is call your insurance company. Then drive to body shop approved by yr insurance company and get a free estimate. See if the estimate is greater or less than your deductible.They should be able to tell you what needed to be done. That should be done easily. Good luck.

BigKutta

Yes, big dents/depressions are hard to fix, but if its a small dent, it should be no problem fixing

drive4fun

Based on my experience, a small dent probably will be under $150 to fix. A bigger dent with more repainting needed should still be under $500.

TNVol

Sorry to hear that. I took a rock the other day but was "lucky" to only suffer a scratch.

I do not know but would not be surprised if the hood was aluminum. I certainly would want to get it fixed too but hopefully you're not at risk of rust soon.

Cadx6

It is aluminum (or some sort of exotic alloy) - a magnet won't stick to it. Make sure whatever bodyshop you use is experienced in working with that material - it can be tricky & even some of the big chain operations aren't really used to it.
If you trust your dealer, I'd get a referral from them (most don't have their own body shops). I'm sure they deal with this frequently.

Force-1

I would first go to a body shop or two and get estimates. Then, depending on your comprehensive deductible, determine if an insurance claim is worth it.

RickObe

Since it's down to bare metal, it will need painting. Since it needs painting, it will likely be over your deductible. Depending on location of dent and paint color, shop may need to blend in one or both fenders. That can easily run upwards of $2k.

You will have to weigh paying the amount above deductible out of pocket vs having a claim on your record and the potential rate increase that could cause.

I would also recommend getting estimates from a couple reputable shops before contacting your insurance. Good shops will take care the insurance end of it for you.

Force-1

FWIW, I have made about 8 comprehensive claims on my USAA policy over the last 15 years - never resulted in a rate increase. The number climbs well over 10 if I were to include windshield replacements.