When baseball-size hail pounded western Nebraska, it didn’t just leave a few dents in my Ford F-150. It left an estimated $13,000 in damage and could disrupt my future business plans.
While hailstorms are nothing new on the High Plains, this one brought tornadoes, strong winds and enough ice to shatter the windshield, dent the many body panels and leave glass inside the cab. After taking a closer look, the damage turned out to be even worse than I first thought.
Baseball-Size Hail Leaves My Ford F-150 Covered in Dents
The storm swept through our area with tornadoes north and south of town while the hail fell directly over our neighborhood. We sheltered in the basement as what sounded like popcorn exploded overhead.
When it was safe to head outside, the damage was immediately obvious.
The windshield had multiple impact points, including one large strike directly in the driver’s field of view. Looking across the hood, dozens of dents reflected in the sunlight, and every panel seemed to have been hit.
As I continued walking around the truck, I noticed something I hadn’t expected. Small pieces of glass had made their way inside the cab. That’s how hard the hail hit. It smashed into the windshield with such force, it left pieces of glass inside the cabin.
The damage didn’t stop there. Once I climbed onto the truck for the first time since the storm, I found the roof peppered with dents from front to back.
Insurance Estimates More Than $13,000 in Repairs
After filing a claim, my insurance adjuster inspected the truck and prepared an initial repair estimate of about $13,000.
Even that figure may not be the final number.
A friend familiar with collision repair believes the total could climb closer to $17,000 once additional work begins. Some damage, particularly along the bed sides, required the trained eye of the insurance adjuster to identify and wasn’t immediately visible to the my naked eye.
Not everything on the truck suffered damage.
The Leitner Designs bed rack appeared to escape the storm without issue, and the Michelin rubber bed mat likely helped protect the aluminum bed floor from additional dents caused by hailstones bouncing around inside the bed.
The Screen ProTech paint protection film on the A-pillars also remained intact. While one edge will need to be reapplied, the film itself survived the storm.
The Biggest Problem Isn’t the Damage
The dents and broken glass are frustrating, but the biggest issue isn’t cosmetic.
This Ford F-150 serves as my primary comparison truck for Pickup Truck Plus SUV Talk. I use it to review products, compare against new pickups during reviews, film towing tests, and evaluate how competing trucks stack up against a real-world ownership experience.
With the truck headed to the body shop, those plans are now on hold.
My appointment is scheduled for Aug. 4, but based on previous repair experiences, I know replacement parts and paintless dent repair can take weeks or even months. When my 2023 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 was repaired after much less significant hail damage, some trim pieces remained on backorder for an extended period.
That uncertainty makes it difficult to know when I’ll have the truck back and whether my future review schedule will be affected.
Hail Damage Could Delay My Next Truck Purchase
As part of my business model, I regularly replace my long-term-ish test truck. Trading in my current truck helps fund the purchase of the next one while keeping comparisons current for readers and viewers.
If this repair stretches out for several months, those plans could be delayed. That means no 2027 Silverado 1500 for me right away depending on what happens.
For now, the focus is on getting the repairs completed correctly and seeing how long the process actually takes. I’ll continue documenting the experience, including the body shop repairs, insurance process and whether the final repair bill exceeds the initial estimate.
The joys of running a business and having an asset sitting outside that useless.
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