Aftermarket body kits, including custom bumpers, side skirts, and spoilers, change a vehicle's factory appearance and can add complexity when it comes to assessing and repairing hail damage on the affected panels underneath or around these additions.

How Body Kits Affect Panel Access

Custom body kit components are sometimes attached in ways that partially cover or alter access to the original factory panel underneath, which can require additional disassembly steps for a technician to properly reach the metal from behind for paintless dent repair.

Assessing Hail Damage on Kit-Covered Panels

If a body kit component sits over an area affected by hail, a technician needs to determine whether the underlying factory panel sustained dents in that specific location, which sometimes requires temporarily removing the kit component to get a clear, unobstructed view under specialized lighting.

Does the Body Kit Material Itself Get Damaged by Hail?

Depending on the kit's material, commonly fiberglass, ABS plastic, or urethane, these components generally don't dent the way factory metal panels do. However, they can occasionally crack or chip under significant hail impact, which is a separate repair consideration from the standard metal panel dent repair happening elsewhere on the vehicle.

Coordinating Kit Removal and Reinstallation

If your body kit needs to be removed to properly assess or repair the underlying panel, this adds a coordination step to the overall repair process, and it's worth discussing with your repair provider whether they handle this removal and reinstallation directly or whether it requires a separate specialist familiar with your specific kit.

Insurance Considerations for Aftermarket Kits

Custom body kits are considered aftermarket modifications, which can be treated differently under some insurance policies compared to factory equipment. It's worth confirming with your insurance provider how your specific kit factors into your coverage, particularly if any kit components themselves sustained damage requiring repair or replacement.

What to Mention Before Your Assessment

Letting your repair provider know your vehicle has an aftermarket body kit, and specifically where it's positioned relative to the hail damage, helps them plan properly for any additional steps needed to access and repair the affected panels underneath.

Bottom Line

Aftermarket body kits add some extra coordination to the hail damage repair process, but the core paintless dent repair technique for the factory metal panels underneath remains the same, once proper access is established.