4Runners and hail damage

Was driving my 2023 Limited home from work yesterday and got caught in a hailstorm for the first time since owning it for almost 3 years. The hailstorm was relatively short - only lasted about 5-10 mins - but it was intense, and the streets were totally covered in hailstones when it let up.

The hail wasn't huge, mostly pea sized with some about the size of jelly beans, didn't see anything that would have been larger in diameter than a dime. Couldn't see any damage when I got home because of all the water still beaded up on the paint. When I went into the garage this morning the water had dried and there were no signs of any dents at all - once I parked at work there was better light and I looked it over again - couldn't find any damage at all.

I was kind of surprised - thought there would be some damage. Got caught in a hailstorm some years back when I was still driving a 2010 Tacoma. A bit larger hail that time - maybe nickel sized hail - but nothing the size of a quarter or golf ball. It left a few very small dents in the hood/roof of the Tacoma - didn't worry about it as the Tacoma was 7-8 years old at the time.

Just wondering if anyone else has had any experience with hail on their 4Runners. Seems like I've seen threads complaining about the paint/finish on 4Runners. Appears that the sheet metal and finish are good at withstanding hail that doesn't exceed the diameter of a dime.

*I will add though - in the 4Runner yesterday I was on crowded city streets and probably never exceeded 30-35 mph the entire time it was hailing. When my Tacoma got hail damage I was on an interstate doing 70+ mph - but probably slowed down some when the hail really started.

 

With hail damage repair experience my opinion (if it happened to me) If I don't see any damage with good lighting i would leave it as is.

When I had damage;
1) I called insurance and reported
2) Insurance send an inspector / adjuster to my house
3) Picked one if the hail repair places insurance suggested
4) Complete the repair at the hail repair shop
5) Me thoroughly inspected the repair including the head liner and other plastic fittings.
*) If I don't see any damage I try to avoid repair risking the fit and finish after repair because I highly highly doubt the quality of work when insurance involved. Again, this is my personal opinion.

 

The metal can withstand some dings. I have had hail on a number of vehicles. I live in a very tornado prone area and get a bunch of hail around those types of storms. I have seen everything from BB sized to softball sized that blows holes thru windows and totals vehicles. Just because YOU cant see it doesnt mean there are not tiny imperfections. Its not a bad idea to call your insurance company today and report it and have it checked out. The lights the PDR (Paintless Dent Repair) people use are really nice with grid systems to show lines on the reflection of the vehicle. This allows them to spot imperfections easily. You might not actually have any damage, and then again you might have a bunch in body lines or creases like the hood that you will see later on.

Yes, i have had good luck with toyotas before making it thru a hail storm. I have also seen serious damage before. I can tell you that i would at least call your insurance and have it looked over. They are most likely having other people call today because i am sure not everybodys car faired so well. When there is a natural disaster like that and a bunch of people calling in it wont hurt you to also call and at least have it looked at.

I have been thru a few hail storms with minimal damage. I have also had my 2005 Tundra littered with dings like it went thru a hail storm from parking it under an acorn tree. You just never know what you are going to get.