[A/S] Re: What about hail?

["Andrew Rogozinski" <andyrogozinski@xxxxxxxxx>]

Most hail damage to an Airstream trailer, has a life expectancy.

If you simply leave the trailer alone, the vast majority of the dents 
will disappear. Since the aluminum is tempered, stress relieved, the 
heat from the sun alternating with the coolness of the night, will in 
time, make the dents actually disappear, in the flat metal areas.

The segments are made with a softer metal, and those dents will not 
ever disappear.

I personally, took thousands of photos, to prove that issue, when I 
was with the insurance division of Airstream, many years ago, called 
Caravanner Insurance.

Don't be in a hurry to replace the side or roof sheets. To do so, may 
quite well cause you more problems than you can imagine, if the shop 
did not do the work, "EXACTLY" as it should be.

Another no no, is having a shop that has little to no Airstream sheet 
metal replacement experience do the work.

Usually, you will wind up with more water leaks and structural 
defects than you would care to count.

The best way to take care of the hail loss, is to replace the 
segments, exterior lights, and covers, etc, and take a "loss of 
value" settlement from the insurance company, for the remaining 
damage. But in order to do so, the adjuster "MUST" have Airstream 
knowledge.

If an insurance company pays to have repairs made, and you don't do 
it, or do just a part of it, you may have set yourself up for a huge 
disappointment, should you have a collision loss. 

They will deny payment, and properly so, unless you can prove that 
you indeed, replaced the hail damaged metal.

In the case of a "loss of value" settlement, they will pay the 
difference between the collision loss damage to a particular panel, 
and the loss of value settlement, for that panel.

Accordingly, if you accept a "loss of value" payment, make the 
insurance company put in writing, the amount of money they are giving 
you, for each and every panel.

Andy
Inland RV Center, Inc.
AirstreamCentral