10 Ways to Protect Your Car From Hail When Parking Outdoors
Hail is a free natural phenomenon, it can appear at any time, so mastering weather news and knowledge to prevent risks is essential. For high value vehicles such as cars when exposed to hail weather, what do we need to do to protect and minimize the damage caused by hail? The following article will help you gain more knowledge about how to prevent hail to protect your car as safely as possible.
See also 17 Ways To Protect Your Car In The Snowy Season.
Understanding the Threat of Hail Damage
Hail is the phenomenon of natural ice falling from the sky in many different shapes and sizes. Hail often originates from clouds containing liquid water droplets in very cold regions. When water particles come into contact with layers of cold air, they freeze into ice particles. This process usually occurs at high altitudes and extremely low atmospheric pressure. Ice particles are continuously swimming through the cloud and continue to encounter other water particles, increasing their size. When stones become too heavy to be held up by atmospheric currents, they fall to the ground as hail. The size of the stone can range from very small to very large, depending on specific weather conditions. Hail can cause great impact and harm to both people and objects.
Impact of Hail on Vehicles
Although hail is a natural phenomenon like other phenomena such as sunshine or rain, its consequences are not small. Hail can cause houses and trees to collapse, break glass and greatly affect human life. Besides, hail can also cause the car's surface to become deformed, convex, concave, break mirrors and even fade the car's paint color. In particular, hail can also damage vehicle hoods, and even reduce the performance of the steering system by increasing the viscosity of the road surface. These impacts all pose great challenges to the safety and maintenance of cars in harsh weather environments.
To limit the affects that hail causes, everyone needs to equip themselves with the following useful knowledge to keep your car safe and keep its value when you want to resell it.
See also 7 Simple Steps For Winterizing Your RV in Snow & Frost.
Choose a Safe Parking Spot
No matter you are busy or free, regularly follow weather forecasts on social platforms to proactively respond to negative weather issues. After understanding information about hail, the first thing is to put your car in a safe location. Parking in a covered location is the most effective way to minimize the consequences of hail. Parking location is the biggest determinant of vehicle safety when hail occurs. The roof of your car is directly exposed to hail, which means your car is completely protected.
Use car covers
Although covered parking is the best way to protect your car from the impact of hail, it is not always possible to find a covered parking location. In such emergencies, using a car cover is the best idea. Car covers, in addition to being waterproof and UV-resistant, also reduce the gravity of hail hitting the car's surface, which helps limit damage such as not deforming the car's tires, protecting the mirrors, and protects the car's paint surface. The car cover is folded neatly into the trunk of the car, can be easily installed and used anytime and anywhere.
Use car floor mats
In case you still cannot find a covered parking lot and do not have a car cover, then quickly remove the floor mats in the car to cover the car's surface. Although this can cause the carpet to be soaked with water, it is less damaging than a rough, uneven car surface, or even broken mirrors or rearview mirrors by hail.
Compared to spending a large amount of money to replace parts damaged by hail, drying floor mats will be much easier.
Cover by blankets
Almost every car has blankets to serve the driver when encountering cold weather. Although they are not really as professional as car covers, in emergencies such as hail, they can also be used. contributes to limiting the effects caused by hail. Therefore, each person should prepare at least one blanket to use when needed and a rope long enough to fix it on the car's surface.
Maybe you're interested in 10 Safety Tips for Driving Through Hail on The Road.
Use paper boxes or cardboard
If your car still doesn't have a blanket to use, look around to see if there are any cartons or boxes. If so, quickly remove it and cover the car's surface to minimize the gravity of falling ice. The cost of vehicle maintenance is not small, so do not be subjective in any situation. Always bring a blanket or car cover wherever you go.
Park under the huge trees
Parking under huge trees can have many potential consequences when exposed to lightning weather. The huge trees are places where electricity can easily accumulate. However, in hail weather, they are a good place to take shelter. Foliage will reduce the weight of falling hailstones, thereby minimizing damage to the car's surface. However, you should only park your car and not sit in it while it is parked under a tree to avoid hail. Find a safe location around you to ensure your safety.
Park in the corner of the wall in a sheltered place
High-rise buildings can be a safe place to park your car in hail weather. Depending on the wind direction, determine a location protected by tall buildings. Although this does not completely protect your vehicle 100%, it does limit the damage caused by hail to a minimum. Because hail will fall in the direction of the wind, when it meets tall buildings, it will be blocked, thereby reducing its gravity when falling.
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Maintain car paint regularly
Regular car paint maintenance has an important effect in protecting and maintaining the vehicle's appearance, especially when hail occurs. Hail can contain hard ice particles, which can create scratches on the car's paint surface. Furthermore, a coat of paint that is maintained regularly can provide protection, reducing the likelihood of scratches. Hail and harsh weather elements can cause paint discoloration. Car paint maintenance helps maintain the shine and color of the paint layer. Cured paint reduces the chance of water leaking into the vehicle's interior, especially important when dealing with hail that can cause water to enter the vehicle's openings.
Use windshield wipers regularly
Hail is essentially rainwater, so when there is a lot of rain falling, turn on the wipers to remove water remaining on the car's surface. This limits water from seeping into the vehicle, affecting the electrical system and engine.
Have your car inspected as soon as the hail stops
Whether or not you have tools to cover your vehicle when hail occurs, you should take the time to have them inspected to assess the situation.
Thoroughly examine your car for dents, scratches, broken glass, and other signs of hail damage. Document the extent of the damage through photographs and detailed notes, which may be required for insurance claims.
Conclusion
In short, although hail does not occur often every day, the level of danger they leave behind is also extremely big. By regularly monitoring the weather forecast to be able to proactively respond and limit going out when hail occurs is the best way to ensure the safety of both people and vehicles. In addition, buy a car cover that can be used in all weather conditions, a car cover that is both waterproof, anti-UV and can also limit the gravity of hail onto the vehicle surface. Besides, taking advantage of surrounding equipment or objects to cover the car's surface is also a way to help your car limit damage caused by hail. Finally, don't forget to check and take your car for maintenance so that your car gets the best evaluation and care. Wishing you always have interesting and safe journeys.
Does hail damage the car's paint surface?
Yes, hard ice particles with rough and sharp edges falling from a height of thousands of kilometers onto the car's surface will cause the car's surface to become dent, deformed, and even discolor the paint surface. This can affect the appearance and value of the vehicle. To protect your car's paint from the effects of hail, maintaining the paint layer, regular maintenance, and using protective measures such as car covers can be useful solutions.
Does hail cause scratches and damage to car windows?
Yes, hail can cause scratches and damage to car windows. Hard ice particles in hail, especially when large in size, can create strong mechanical impacts when colliding with vehicle glass surfaces. This can lead to scratches, cracks, or even broken glass.
To limit the consequences, find a safe parking location to best protect both people and vehicles.
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