How to Protect Your Car from Weather Damage

How to Protect Your Car from Weather Damage

Everyone knows that spring is a time of beautiful weather, but it can turn dangerous in an instant. Warm fronts can cause an uptick in severe weather, and when they strike, they can do considerable damage, particularly to your car.

Your car is meant to be used outdoors, but that does not make it immune to weather damage. And when weather is particularly severe, the damage to your vehicle could be significant. While your auto insurance will help, if you have the right coverage, you still need to do what you can to protect the vehicle in the first place. In the end, that can significantly lessen the severity of weather damage.

Protecting Your Car During Severe Weather

You have enough warning to know when a severe weather front threatens your area. Provided that you are not actively driving when severe storm warnings arise, take a few minutes to do what you can to protect the car.

• Move the car into your garage or carport if you have one.
• If you park under trees or near bushes, try to move the car to a safer area. Should limbs fall during storms, they might hit the car.
• Consider investing in a weather-resistant vehicle cover. This device will help protect the vehicle from falling objects or hail.
• Make sure you have rolled up your windows. You do not want rain or debris getting into the car, and interior damage is often extremely hard to fix.
• Check your lights and tires. The lights should not flicker. Tires should have strong treads, pressure, and balances. Should you get caught driving in severe weather, these systems can help you maintain control and visibility.

When you get caught driving in severe weather, this is a signal to slow down, pay attention to the road, and keep an eye both on other vehicles around you and the overall weather conditions. If the weather becomes so severe that you do not feel safe driving, then find the safest location to pull over, arm your hazard lights and wait for the weather to pass.

Should a storm damage your vehicle, pull out your auto insurance to see how it can assist you. Provided that you have a benefit known as comprehensive coverage, you will have insurance against physical damage caused by this storm. Comprehensive damage coverage is designed specifically to cover damage caused by hazards that are not collisions (I.e., storms).

So, should the worst happen, contact your insurer. They can help you understand how much protection you have for storm damage to your vehicle, and they will be glad to help you optimize your benefits.