What to do after hail hits your car in Kansas City

Photograph every panel in daylight before you wash the car. Then get a dent count before you open the claim.

That order protects you. The photos tie the damage to one storm, dated by your phone. The count tells you the size of the claim before you file it.

The first hour still comes first, though. If hail broke glass, cover the opening with plastic and tape to keep rain out of the cabin. If more storms are in the forecast, move the car under a roof if you have one. A garage, a parking structure or a carport all work. A car that is already dented can take more damage on the next pass.

Then walk around the car once. Note broken lights, cracked mirrors and loose trim. Those are not dents, but they are storm damage too, so they go on the list.

Check the inside as well. A cracked sunroof or a broken window can let water onto the seats and the floor. Dry it out early, because wet carpet left for days can start to smell and grow mold.

Do not wash it yet. A wash will not lift a single dent. It only puts time and handling between the storm and your record of it. Leave the wax and polish alone too.

How to photograph hail dents

Wait for daylight. Hail dents are shallow, and a flashlight at night shows a few and misses the rest.

Start with four wide shots, one from each corner of the car. Get the plate and the parking spot in at least one. That shows the car where the storm found it.

Then go panel by panel. Hood, roof, trunk lid, both fenders, every door, both quarter panels.

Shoot low and along the panel, not straight down at it. Stand near one end, hold the phone close to the surface and aim down its length. Reflections of straight lines, like a roof edge or a power line, bend where a dent sits. That bend is what the camera picks up.

The roof is the panel people skip. It faces straight up, so it often takes the most hits. Use a step stool, or hold the phone above it and record video while you walk the length of the car.

Do not filter or edit anything. Your phone stores the date and time with each photo, and that is part of the record.

With the photos saved, you have proof. What you still lack is a number and a date.

Pin down the date

Your carrier will ask for the date of loss. When storms run on consecutive nights, it is easy to mix them up.

The Kansas City hail history page lists the days NOAA's Storm Prediction Center logged hail near each metro city. On September 16, 2025, it logged reports of 1 inch or larger hail within 10 miles of 15 of the 20 cities on that page. NOAA can still revise its 2025 records, so treat the newest dates as close, not final.

Write the date, and where the car was parked, in a note on your phone. That one line saves you from guessing on the phone with your carrier.

Count first, claim second

A dent count is a tally of every dent on every panel, sorted by size. It is the backbone of a hail estimate.

Having one before you file does three jobs for you:

• It shows whether the damage is above your deductible. If it is not, filing may not be worth it.
• It tells you which dents will not come out with paintless repair, so nothing surprises you later.
• It gives you your own number to set beside the adjuster's. If the two counts differ, you can ask why.

A count also helps you talk to your carrier in plain terms. You can say how many panels were hit and which ones look worst.

The steps from the first look to the finished repair are on how it works. If you are not sure your policy covers hail at all, read does insurance cover hail damage in Missouri and Kansas first.

If it was parked elsewhere

Hail does not wait for you to get home. If the car sat in an office lot, a parking garage roof or a dealer row, write down the address. Your carrier will want to know where the car was, not only when.

Photograph the spot the same way you photographed the car. A wide shot of the lot puts the car in place on the day of the storm.

If two cars got hit

Shoot both cars the same way, panel by panel, and keep the photos in separate albums. Ask your carrier whether each car is handled as its own claim. Each car can carry its own deductible, so the answer changes the math for each one.

What can wait a few days

You do not have to pick a repair shop tonight. You do not have to open the claim in the next hour either.

Your policy sets how soon you must report a loss, so read it or ask your carrier. Then get the count inside that window. A few days of planning costs you nothing if the photos are already taken.

Waxing and detailing can wait until the repair plan is set. So can the car wash.

What to skip entirely

Do not push dents out yourself. A home kit can raise a high spot, and a high spot can be harder to fix than the dent was.

Do not let anyone start work before your carrier knows what it needs to see. Ask your carrier whether it wants to inspect the car first.

Do not throw away anything that broke off the car, like a mirror cap or a piece of trim. Keep it with the photos.

Do not leave the car in the open on the next storm night if you can avoid it. New dents on top of old ones make the claim harder to sort out.

Your next step

Take the photos today, in daylight. Then call for a free assessment. Hailsmith comes to the car where it sits, at home, at work or on a dealer row. You get every dent counted by panel, and you hear which ones will not come out. Open the claim after that, with the count in hand.