Dealing with hail damage right now? Call us and we'll get you on the schedule — and handle the insurance claim for you if you'd rather not.
You walk outside after a spring storm and the damage is already obvious. Dents in the hood, pits in the roof, and your windshield looking like someone threw a handful of rocks at it. This is what to do in the next few hours.
The steps matter here. The sequence matters more. Shops fill up fast after a major Lubbock storm, and leaving cracked glass sitting in West Texas heat makes things worse every day you wait.
Why Lubbock's Hail Season Is Genuinely Different
Lubbock sits at the southern end of the Plains storm track — the system that pulls Gulf moisture north through West Texas every spring. March through June is prime season, with April and May being the most active months. Most years, at least one or two significant hail events roll through Lubbock. Some years it's worse.
What makes West Texas hail particularly hard on glass isn't just the size of the stones. It's the wind. A horizontal hailstorm driven by 40-mph plains winds hits glass at a more severe angle than vertical hail. That's why you'll sometimes see windshield damage on the side glass as well as the top of a vehicle after a bad event. If you've lived here more than a year, you've probably already been through at least one of these.
The Steps — In Order
Before you start the car, actually look at the windshield.
- ✓ Multiple impact pits without cracks running from them — structurally intact, driveable
- ! Cracks running from impact points, especially toward the edge — drive as little as possible
- × Glass shattered or displaced — don't drive it; call us at (806) 450-8900
Take photos before you touch anything. Insurance adjusters want to see the damage in its original state, and you want documentation before any changes.
Hail doesn't just hit your windshield. Walk the whole car before you do anything else.
Hood dents, roof damage, rear glass, side mirrors — document all of it. Here's why this matters: all damage from a single storm event falls under one comprehensive claim with one deductible. If you file the windshield separately and notice the hood damage later, you might end up with two claims. Document everything at once, file one claim, cover it all with one deductible.
Take close-ups of each impact and wider shots showing the overall damage pattern.
Hail damage is a comprehensive claim — not collision. Comprehensive covers weather events, road debris, falling objects. If you have it, you're covered. For how Texas insurance handles these claims in detail, see our full guide: Does Insurance Cover Windshield Replacement in Texas?
Filing is straightforward: call the claims number on your insurance card or use your insurer's app, tell them you have hail damage from the storm date, and get a claim number.
Or call us first at (806) 450-8900. We can start the claim on your behalf if you'd rather not deal with the insurer directly.
After a significant hail event hits Lubbock, every auto glass shop in town fills up. It's not unusual to see booking queues stretch 3–5 days after a major storm. Get in the queue early.
And there's a second reason not to wait: leaving hail-damaged glass parked in direct West Texas sun accelerates cracking. Hail impacts create stress fractures. Summer heat causes glass to expand. Those two things together mean existing damage runs faster than usual. A windshield that looks bad but intact on Monday can look considerably worse by Thursday.
If you can park the vehicle in a garage or shaded area while you wait for your appointment, do it.
Hail Damage: Repair or Replacement?
Most of the time after a significant Lubbock storm, windshield replacement is the answer. Here's how to think about it:
pea-sized
May create individual chips that can be repaired separately. Call and describe the damage — if you have fewer than 3–4 isolated chips with no long cracks, repair might be possible.
marble–quarter
Multiple impact points scattered across the glass. Repair works on isolated chips, not a field of damage. This is almost always replacement territory.
golf ball+
Replacement. No question about it.
Not sure which category you're in? Our chip vs. crack guide covers the repair decision rules in detail, or call and describe what you see.
What About the Rest of Your Car?
If the hail hit your windshield, it almost certainly hit your hood and roof too. Body panel damage and glass damage are handled by different shops, but both fall under that single comprehensive claim.
Coordinate your timing so you're not juggling two separate repair appointments without your vehicle for days at a time. Schedule the windshield first since you need the car to be safely driveable — body shop work can usually wait a few extra days without causing additional problems.
Multiple Vehicles in the Same Storm
Lubbock families often have two or three vehicles parked outside. A hailstorm hits them all at once. Each vehicle is its own separate insurance claim with its own deductible — that's unavoidable. But the process is the same for each.
Give us the information for all your vehicles when you call. We can often schedule back-to-back appointments and knock out multiple vehicles on the same day or two, so you're not without a second or third car for extended periods.
Vehicles with ADAS Safety Cameras
If your vehicle has a front-facing camera for lane-keep assist, automatic emergency braking, or adaptive cruise control — which includes most F-150s, Silverados, RAMs, and newer Corollas and Camrys — the camera needs to be recalibrated after windshield replacement.
Most comprehensive insurance policies cover recalibration as part of the glass claim. It's a required step, not an optional add-on. A shop that skips recalibration to speed up the job is leaving your safety systems miscalibrated — which means they may not work correctly when you actually need them.
Tell us your vehicle year, make, and model when you call. We'll confirm whether recalibration applies and how it gets handled with your insurer.
What It Costs — and What Insurance Pays
If you have comprehensive coverage, hail windshield damage is covered. You pay your deductible; insurance covers the rest. Many Texas policies also have a separate, lower glass deductible — worth checking before you assume you'll pay your full deductible.
For a full breakdown of windshield replacement costs by vehicle in the Lubbock area, see our windshield replacement cost guide. And for the full picture on how Texas insurance handles glass claims, see Does Insurance Cover Windshield Replacement in Texas?
Frequently Asked Questions
Will my rates go up after a hail claim?
No, typically not. Hail is a comprehensive claim in Texas and is classified as not-at-fault. Your rates should not increase for a hail event claim. If you've filed several comprehensive claims in a short period, confirm with your agent — but a standard hail claim almost never moves your rate.
Can I wait a week before calling?
Technically yes, but two things work against you: shops fill up fast after storms, and West Texas heat causes existing cracks to run. Get on the schedule quickly even if your appointment is a few days out. At least you're in the queue before everyone else calls.
Does hail damage require replacement, or can chips from hail be repaired?
Depends entirely on the severity of the hail. Light hail with a few isolated impacts may be repairable chip by chip. Moderate to heavy hail with impacts scattered across the glass is almost always a replacement. Call us and describe what you see — we'll tell you honestly.
What if the storm hit overnight and I'm not sure when it happened?
The date and time of the storm is established by weather records, not your personal account. Your insurer will know about any significant storm event that hit Lubbock. Just file the claim with the approximate date and describe when you discovered the damage.
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Storm Hit? Call and Get on the Schedule.
After a Lubbock hailstorm, every day you wait means more time for cracks to run in the Texas heat — and a longer queue at every shop in town. Call us at (806) 450-8900 and we'll handle the insurance claim and get you scheduled fast.
Mobile service across all of Lubbock, TX