# How Do You Check Your Car for Hail Damage? | 5-Minute Check > Low-angle soft light, hood, roof and trunk first, then trim, glass and lenses. How to spot cracked paint and document damage for an Oct 20-21 Phoenix claim. - Canonical page: https://dgcollision.com/answers/how-to-check-car-for-hail-damage-phoenix/ - This file: Markdown twin of the page above (clean text for AI assistants and crawlers) - Business: DG Collision Center, 693 Metro Park Cir #20, Lewisville, TX 75057 — (972) 219-0864 (text: 817-907-2822) — since 1978 - Hours: Mon–Fri 8:30am–5:30pm, Sat 10am–1pm, closed Sunday · 24/7 towing · 4.9/5 on 500+ Google reviews - Full site index for assistants: https://dgcollision.com/llms.txt - Last generated: 2026-08-14 --- # HOW DO YOU CHECK YOUR CAR FOR HAIL DAMAGE? Quick Answer Look along each flat panel from a low angle in soft light, early morning or under a garage light, not in midday sun. Hail dents show up as small round ripples in the reflection. Check the hood, roof and trunk lid first, then the tops of the doors, roof rails, mirror caps, window moldings, the windshield and the light lenses. If you see spiderweb lines in the clear coat, the paint is cracked. Take photos of every panel, note where the car was parked, and use the storm date as the date of loss: October 20, 2026 for the East Valley, October 21 for north Phoenix and Glendale. Text the photos to (602) 935-6008 and we’ll tell you what we see. By [Shah Jiwani](https://dgcollision.com/about/shah-jiwani/) · Owner, DG Collision Center Updated October 22, 2026 18 min read I-CAR Gold Class · PPG Certified Step By Step ## A FIVE-MINUTE HAIL CHECK YOU CAN DO IN THE DRIVEWAY 1. Pick the right light. Midday Arizona sun hides dents in the glare. Early morning, dusk, a shaded garage or a phone flashlight held low across the panel works much better. 2. Look across the panel, not at it. Crouch so your eye is level with the hood or roof and look along it. A straight reflection, like a roofline or a light, bends wherever there’s a dent. 3. Go in order. Hood, roof, trunk lid, then the tops of the fenders and doors. Those horizontal surfaces take most of the hits. Then check the roof rails, mirror caps, window trim and the plastic around the windshield. 4. Check the glass and lights. Look for chips or cracks in the windshield, sunroof and windows, and cracks in the headlight and taillight lenses. 5. Look for cracked paint. Fine spiderweb lines around a dent mean the clear coat cracked. Those panels need conventional repair instead of paintless repair, and bare metal can start to corrode, so don’t wait on them. Then document it. Photograph every panel and close-ups of the worst areas, and write down where the car was during the storm. Use the storm date as the date of loss even if you found the dents days later. For a precise count, we mark every dent under PDR lights for free at our four-bay shop, or pick the car up anywhere in the Valley. Arizona law (A.R.S. § 20-468) lets you choose any shop, and on qualifying claims we cover the first $1,000 of your deductible (above $1,000, case by case, and we do our best). ### Not Sure What You’re Looking At? Text us photos of the hood and roof at (602) 935-6008. We’ll tell you whether it’s hail damage and roughly what the repair runs. Text Damage Photos Call (602) 935-6008 Related Questions ## ASKED ALONGSIDE THIS ONE **Q: Why can’t I see the hail dents in daylight?** A: Bright overhead sun washes out the reflection that shows a dent. Look from a low angle in soft light, or hold a flashlight low across the panel. **Q: Where does hail damage show up first?** A: On the flat, horizontal panels: hood, roof and trunk lid. Then the tops of the fenders and doors, roof rails and mirror caps. **Q: Is a car wash dent the same as hail damage?** A: No. Hail leaves many round dents spread across the top surfaces. A single dent or crease from a door or cart usually sits on the side of the car. **Q: Can you check my car for hail damage for free?** A: Yes. Text photos for a quick read, or bring the car to 11035 N Cave Creek Rd for a written dent count under PDR lights. We can also pick it up anywhere in the Valley. More Phoenix answers: [How do I file a hail claim?](https://dgcollision.com/answers/how-to-file-a-hail-claim-in-arizona/) · [Can I drive with hail damage?](https://dgcollision.com/answers/can-i-drive-my-car-with-hail-damage-arizona/) · [Paintless dent repair in Phoenix](https://dgcollision.com/paintless-dent-repair-phoenix/) · [The storm log](https://dgcollision.com/hail-storms/october-20-21-2026-phoenix-hail/)