While the heat of Rhode Island’s summer months may be over, hurricane season is not. With the potential to bring sustained winds of more than 74 mph along with heavy rain, it’s important to have a plan in place to protect yourself and your vehicle from tropical storms.
How to Prepare your Vehicle When a Tropical Storm is On The Way
Protect yourself and other people first.
This likely goes without saying, but vehicles and other property can be replaced and people can not. Never ever risk your own life or anyone else’s to avoid property damage and if you or someone else is injured, call 911 and make sure the injured person is taken care of first.
If you have a garage, use it.
If you have a garage or a safe and sound structure that you can use to store your vehicle, make the most of it. Sometimes garages get cluttered and a 2-car garage can be treated like a one-car garage with extra storage. But if you are able, make sure you are making the most of your garage by cleaning it out before a major storm and storing as many vehicles as you can safely manage.
If your vehicle is stored outdoors, avoid hazards.
If your vehicle is parked in your driveway or on the street, do your best to park away from anything that could fall. While the obvious thought may be to park away from trees, it is smart to be on the lookout for other potential hazards like basketball hoops, telephone poles, etc.
Beware of flooding.
We strongly recommend avoiding driving through a major storm at all costs. But if you absolutely must, be cautious with flooding on the roads. It is very easy to misjudge a puddle that is too deep and flood your engine or worse, get carried by a strong current unexpectedly. If your vehicle is parked during the storm and you live where flooding may occur, park uphill if you can to avoid flood damage.
A good coat of wax or paint sealer is better than a car cover.
While a good coat of wax or paint sealer will not protect your car from larger falling objects, it is a good defense for a vehicle’s paint against environmental fallout for staining and light transfer scratches especially when kept outside. We do not recommend using a car cover if you’re expecting heavy wind as the cover can easily blow off or abrade the paint and cause damage
No plan to avoid damage is perfect. Be prepared to call Reliable Collision Repair.
If your vehicle is damaged by a storm and needs autobody repair work, make the right choice and contact Reliable Collision Repair. As a class-A autobody shop, when you use Reliable Collision, you can rest assured that your vehicle is in good hands.
We understand that when your vehicle needs repairs, it can feel like your life has been turned upside down. That’s why we do everything we can to get you back on the road from handling the appraisal to dealing with your insurance company and even providing rental vehicles or helping to tow your vehicle to our shop in some cases.
If you give us a call at (401) 823-4770 or schedule an appointment with us through Carwise, we can help you at every step of the way.
