--- title: "My Ford F-150 Took $13,000 in Hail Damage, Here’s What Happened and What Comes Next" url: "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/2026/07/my-ford-f-150-took-13000-in-hail-damage-heres-what-happened-and-what-comes-next/" publisher: "Pickup Truck + SUV Talk" content_signal: "search=yes, ai-input=yes, ai-train=no" author: "Tim Esterdahl" published: "2026-07-13T23:22:57+00:00" modified: "2026-07-13T23:23:02+00:00" image: "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/IMG_8266.webp" --- # My Ford F-150 Took $13,000 in Hail Damage, Here’s What Happened and What Comes Next By Tim Esterdahl Published: 2026-07-13T23:22:57+00:00 Updated: 2026-07-13T23:23:02+00:00 ![Featured image]() 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 ![Ford F-150 hail damage 3]() The first dent I saw was on the hood then my eye drifted upwards to the shattered windshield (Photo by Tim Esterdahl) 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 ![Ford F-150 hail damage 4]() The windshield took the brunt of it and looks like somebody took a baseball bat to it (Photo by Tim Esterdahl) 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 ![Ford F-150 hail damage 2]() The other side of the windshield got nailed as well (Photo by Tim Esterdahl) 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 ![Ford F-150 hail damage 5]() The roof also got nailed by the hail (Photo by Tim Esterdahl) 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. ## Related vehicle coverage - [2021 Ford F-150]() ## Structured page information ~~~json [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Article", "@id": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/2026/07/my-ford-f-150-took-13000-in-hail-damage-heres-what-happened-and-what-comes-next/#article", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/2026/07/my-ford-f-150-took-13000-in-hail-damage-heres-what-happened-and-what-comes-next/" }, "author": { "name": "Tim Esterdahl", "@id": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/#/schema/person/82b06f99329f69a069a5ab6caed18593" }, "headline": "My Ford F-150 Took $13,000 in Hail Damage, Here’s What Happened and What Comes Next", "datePublished": "2026-07-13T23:22:57+00:00", "dateModified": "2026-07-13T23:23:02+00:00", "mainEntityOfPage": { "@id": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/2026/07/my-ford-f-150-took-13000-in-hail-damage-heres-what-happened-and-what-comes-next/" }, "wordCount": 751, "commentCount": 0, "publisher": { "@id": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/#organization" }, "image": { "@id": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/2026/07/my-ford-f-150-took-13000-in-hail-damage-heres-what-happened-and-what-comes-next/#primaryimage" }, "thumbnailUrl": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/IMG_8266.webp", "keywords": [ "ford f-150", "Ford F-150 hail", "Ford F-150 hail damage" ], "articleSection": [ "Buyer's Guide", "Featured on Home Page", "Owner Reviews" ], "inLanguage": "en-US", "potentialAction": [ { "@type": "CommentAction", "name": "Comment", "target": [ "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/2026/07/my-ford-f-150-took-13000-in-hail-damage-heres-what-happened-and-what-comes-next/#respond" ] } ] }, { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/2026/07/my-ford-f-150-took-13000-in-hail-damage-heres-what-happened-and-what-comes-next/", "url": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/2026/07/my-ford-f-150-took-13000-in-hail-damage-heres-what-happened-and-what-comes-next/", "name": "My Ford F-150 Took $13,000 in Hail Damage, Here's What Happened and What Comes Next", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/#website" }, "primaryImageOfPage": { "@id": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/2026/07/my-ford-f-150-took-13000-in-hail-damage-heres-what-happened-and-what-comes-next/#primaryimage" }, "image": { "@id": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/2026/07/my-ford-f-150-took-13000-in-hail-damage-heres-what-happened-and-what-comes-next/#primaryimage" }, "thumbnailUrl": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/IMG_8266.webp", "datePublished": "2026-07-13T23:22:57+00:00", "dateModified": "2026-07-13T23:23:02+00:00", "description": "My Ford F-150 suffered $13,000 in hail damage after a baseball-size hailstorm. 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His work has appeared on CBS Sunday Morning, NewsNation, MotorTrend and The Boston Globe, and he has tested hundreds of new vehicles across North America.", "sameAs": [ "https://www.linkedin.com/in/testerdahl?trk=hp-identity-photo" ], "url": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/author/testerdahl/" }, { "@type": "VideoObject", "@id": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/2026/07/my-ford-f-150-took-13000-in-hail-damage-heres-what-happened-and-what-comes-next/#videoobject", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/2026/07/my-ford-f-150-took-13000-in-hail-damage-heres-what-happened-and-what-comes-next/#WebPage" }, "name": "Baseball-Size Hail Destroyed My Ford F-150. Here's What Happens Next", "description": "My Ford F-150 took a direct hit from baseball-size hail, and the damage is far worse than I expected. The insurance estimate came back at $13,000, but that's only part of the story.\n\nThis truck isn't just my daily driver. It's the truck I use to tow our camper, compare against new pickups for reviews, and create content for Pickup Truck Plus SUV Talk. Now it's headed to the body shop, and I'm worried about what that means for future truck reviews, trade-in plans, and repair delays.\n\nIn this video, I walk you around the truck, show the damage to the windshield, roof and body panels, explain what Progressive estimated for repairs, and discuss what happens next.\n\nHave you ever had a vehicle damaged by hail? How long did repairs take? Let me know your experience in the comments.\n\nChapters:\n00:00 Baseball-size hail hits my Ford F-150\n00:42 What happened during the storm\n01:55 Broken windshield and glass inside the truck\n03:01 $13,000 insurance estimate\n04:31 Roof damage inspection\n07:01 Why this affects my business\n09:19 What's next for the F-150\n\nThanks to our friends at Screen ProTech for supporting the channel. 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