Anyone else ever had HAIL storm damage?

Had a hail storm last month here in Ohio and had baseball sized hail. Since then I have noticed an influx of contractors interested in roof/home repairs and several hail damage car care trailers. My vehicles escaped the damage but I did notice some minor damage; Roof shingle knocked off the edge of roof, roof vents dented, a couple dings in my vinyl siding and an aluminum back portch awning dented.

Here is my concern. I received a flyer in the mail that stated shingle manufactures "void" the warranty when there is a hail storm in your area and if you do not get your roof replaced it will start leaking within 5 years because there is damage to the "membrane" of the shingles. Is this nonsense or a reality? My roof is only 8 years old and they are 25 year shingles. I have not let any of these "free inspectors" on my roof but do have an agent from my insurance company coming to look at my house. I have also noticed several other homes in my area getting repairs.

Anyone else ever have a similar experience with hail damage?

It's a sales tactic to get you to buy a new roof. Let you're insurance adjuster look at it and judge. If it needs a roof they will tell you, and have their contractors come out. Now, I am not fond of this practice myself, but you do get local and licensed contractors doing the work, not fly-by-night contractors that you will never be able to find again if there is a problem.

What Sawlight said. The insurance adjuster will probably call it right, but remember, he's working for the insurance company, not you.

Those free inspections will always try and sell you a new roof, but there is a seed of truth to hail damaging them. I lived in New Mexico for 7 years in an area where it was commonplace to receive a number of hail storms a year, and a 25 year shingle roof might last 10 years before it was beat to pieces and needed replaced. The hail simply damages the asphalt shingles to the point that they break apart, and the effect is accumulative from many storms. The hail might void your shingle warranty, but the hail storm damage usually is enough to get a new roof out of the insurance company after the bigger storms go through.

I had my old, crappy car dented by hail. The entirety of my reaction was a shrug. That car already had many dents, pits and bumps already, and a few more didn't make much of a difference.
I'd be much more pissed if my current car got dented, but I have hail insurance now so it wouldn't be much of a problem (and I'm going to sell it soon anyway).

A couple of years ago my wifes car got hit by hail and was dinged everywhere. The insurance company sent us to a ding removal firm and they took out all the little dents. Did a fabulous job.

Here are some pics that my son took after a hailstorm in Amarillo Tx in 04. I couldn't believe it!

WOW! Thats some pretty big hail. Here is a pic of one of the larger hail stones the wife took.



I probably should look in my attic for cracked wood after seeing that roof picture.