4WD HAIL car cover

[Joolian Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Joolian]

Hi all,

As we come into the summer months we will have bouts of dry hot weather then a random day of EXTREME storms with the pelting of medium to large hail stones.

I have had a car previously damaged by hail this time i want to be prepared. Wanted to get feedback on hail covers that fit a Prado 120? If anyone currently has one or is also inthe market for one?

Currently looking at:
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/4WD-HAIL-...item19cca30ae3

Prado 120 GXL Dimensions:
H 1865
W 1875
L 4550

Thanks
J

[kav Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close kav]

Hell I'm waiting for hail I want a new paint job

[Waverunner1 Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Waverunner1]

hail cover

hi joolian, im a newbie on the forum so a big hello. ive been a paintless dent repairer for the past 15 years and yes i pray for massive hail storms and the following carnage. in my travels ive seen quite a few varieties of these covers some thicker than others with better padding and some that were also easily deployable like a fish casting net onto the vehicle and some that were simply an expensive tarp. in theory i think its a sound idea however from what ive seen u get people that freak out at any suss looking summer clouds and then pull over and deploy the chute and waste valuable time for a non-event or u get those that get a hint at whats coming (ie. heavy rain/ small hail ) and then deploy the chute and end up soaking wet with a few bruises but with a sense of security that everything will be ok. over 90% of the storms in australia that are severe enough to cause hail the size that will damage vehicle panels are the type of storms that appear out of nowhere with know official bom warning and will smash threw the tiles of a garage and ceiling and then proceed to dent the car that was put safe undercover. i have witnessed this hundreds of times and the thickest hail blanket on the market ( produced in the pan handle usa, huge hail) simply got shredded and then the car got beat up. from what ive seen , the hail covers will protect the car from hail falling vertically at up to 3cm in size anything larger that is especially driven by wind will simply tear the cover and shred it to pieces or simply blow it off the car and hail damage the lower side panels of the vehicle. i have seen this happen many times and have personally assessed these blankets 10 minutes after the hail event. im not knocking a product that simply applies padding to the exterior of the vehicle panel to reduce impact im simply relaying essentially the ferocity of the storms that will actually damage your vehicle. if your still keen on the prospect and dont let me sway u the best quality hail blanket i saw was produced by some texan boys ( they consistantly deal with baseball size hail) but it still come down to timing and when to " deploy". my thoughts would be to spend the money instead on every lotto jackpot draw over the next 12 months - your chances at winning maybe greater than your beloved prado getting dented and if it all goes to shyte ill repair her straighter than factory. regards paul

[Waverunner1 Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Waverunner1]

Hell I'm waiting for hail I want a new paint job

hi kav, a big hi from a newbie your comment made me laugh ive heard it thousands of times. if your comment is true heres how insurance rolls in regards to hail and paintjobs. due to the cost effectiveness of paintless dent repair (pdr) insurance will always give a pdr company the first option to quote or repair the hail damaged vehicle.this could mean a) your car gets full pdr or b) u get a combo of pdr & paintwork or c) u get a full respray. the conditions to get a full respray are as follows. u would need a dent on the bonnet that was either unpushable or the paintwork had cracked from impact of the hail which would neccesitate a bonnet respray and a blend over both front guards. next you would need the same on the left hand front door which would necessitate paintwork and then a blend over the rear door. the same dent /damage on the tailgate would necessitate paintwork and then a blend over both rear quater panels. essentially u neeed your bonnet hit hard and then your tailgate hard and then a nice big one on the roof followed by a nice shot on both left and right front doors and your rig will be gleaming in new paint ( if u know a painter that is ) hope this is clearer than mud. p.s. if your car is white a full respray will only happen if you decide to contribute to the cost of repairs. regards paul