Hail and Storm Checks for Canberra Drivers

This guide is for Canberra and Queanbeyan drivers who want to be ready for summer storm season, or who are dealing with a car that has just been through hail. It looks back at the January 2020 hailstorm, then covers the electrical problems hail and storm water cause, and what to check before and after the next one.

How can we help?

Need it fixed?

Get a quote from a local Hail and Storm Checks for Canberra Drivers auto electrician, for anything from a flat battery to a full fit-out.

Get a quote

Buying parts?

Quality auto electrical parts from Ozautoelectrics, an established Australian supplier since 2010, dispatched through a nationwide network. For retail and trade buyers.

Shop parts

Doing it yourself?

Free step-by-step guides written for Australian Capital Territory conditions, with the parts you’ll need listed for each job.

Browse DIY guides

Auto electrician in Hail and Storm Checks for Canberra Drivers?

Are you an auto electrical business? List your business on this site.

List your business on this site

The day Canberra was hit by hail

Early in the afternoon of Monday 20 January 2020, a storm crossed Canberra in about 15 minutes. In its 2020 climate summary for the ACT, the Bureau of Meteorology described it as one of the most severe hailstorms recorded in the ACT. Hailstones 4 to 6 cm across fell in a band from the southern half of Belconnen, through Acton, to the inner southern suburbs. Canberra Airport recorded a wind gust of 117 km/h.

The damage was widespread. Cars parked in the open were dented and had windscreens, sunroofs and lights smashed. Buildings lost windows and skylights, the National Museum of Australia closed with structural damage, and CSIRO had 65 research glasshouses damaged. The ACT Emergency Services Agency received a record of around 2,100 calls for help.

The Insurance Council of Australia declared a catastrophe. According to the Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience, around 61,000 insurance claims came from the ACT, and that storm, together with others in Victoria and NSW around the same days, had cost an estimated $1.2 billion by March 2020.

Why hail is an electrical problem too

Most people think of hail damage as dents and broken glass. But a modern car carries a lot of electronics in exactly the places hail hits hardest: the roof, the windscreen, the bonnet and the front and rear bumpers.

Hail can crack headlight and tail light lenses, let water into the lamp housings, damage the radar and camera units used for adaptive cruise and lane keeping, and break parking sensors. Once glass is broken, rain can reach wiring, switches and control modules inside the cabin. Some of this damage is not obvious until days or weeks later.

Before a storm: protect what you can

The Bureau of Meteorology issues severe thunderstorm warnings for the ACT, and on 20 January 2020 it advised people to move their cars under cover. When a warning is out, take that advice seriously:

• Move the car into a garage, carport or covered car park if you can.
• If you have no cover, a proper hail cover or even thick blankets on the roof and windscreen help.
• Close sunroofs and windows fully, and check that sunroof drains are clear, since blocked drains can send water into the headlining and wiring.
• Don't drive into the storm. Hail and flash flooding usually pass within minutes, so wait somewhere safe.

After hail: an electrical checklist

Once the storm has passed and it is safe, walk around the car and check these before you drive far:

• Headlights, tail lights, brake lights and indicators: look for cracks and test that each one works.
• Inside the lamps: fogging or droplets mean water is getting in, which will eventually corrode the globe holders and connectors.
• Warning lights: a new dash light after a storm often points to a damaged sensor or water reaching a connector.
• Driver-assist features: if adaptive cruise, lane keeping or the reversing camera reports a fault, a sensor may be damaged or covered.
• Floor and boot: feel the carpets for moisture, especially under the front seats where many cars have wiring and modules.
• Windows and sunroof: check they still open and close properly.

Water in the cabin and wiring

Water is often a bigger long-term problem than the dents. A broken sunroof or windscreen can let a surprising amount of rain into the car before anyone notices, and many vehicles have body control modules, seat wiring and connectors under the carpet or behind the kick panels.

Wet wiring may work at first and then fail as corrosion sets in. Symptoms include intermittent warning lights, central locking or electric windows playing up, and a battery that keeps going flat because a wet circuit is drawing current. If water has got in, the carpets and underlay usually need to come up so everything can dry properly. If an electric window has stopped, our guide on why an electric window stops working explains the usual causes.

If you notice a burning smell or smoke from behind the dash after a storm, stop and switch off. Read our guide on burning smells or smoke from car wiring and don't keep driving until it is checked.

Windscreens, cameras and recalibration

Many newer cars have a forward-facing camera mounted behind the windscreen near the mirror. When a hail-damaged windscreen is replaced, that camera often needs to be recalibrated so lane keeping and automatic emergency braking work as intended. The same can apply to front radar units if a damaged bumper or grille is replaced.

Ask your repairer whether your vehicle needs recalibration after the work, and keep the paperwork. If a driver-assist warning appears after a repair, take it back rather than living with it.

Lights and lenses you can fix yourself

Not every storm repair needs a workshop. A single cracked tail light lens or a blown globe can be a simple job on many cars. Our guides on replacing a brake light globe and what to do when a warning light comes on are good starting points.

If your car is part of an insurance claim, though, check with your insurer before you repair anything yourself. They may want to inspect the damage first.

Storm season help around Canberra

Thunderstorms around Canberra are most common in the warmer months. If a storm brings a tree down on your car or water into your home, the ACT SES takes calls for help on 132 500. For car electrical problems after the storm, find local help through our pages for Belconnen, North Canberra and South Canberra, the parts of the city that took the brunt of the 2020 hail.

Parts for this job

Order quality parts online from Ozautoelectrics, dispatched Australia-wide.

Get it done: get a quoteDo it yourself: shop tail lights

Get it done: get a quoteDo it yourself: shop headlight globes

Get it done: get a quoteDo it yourself: shop electrical contact cleaners

Questions Canberra drivers ask

How big was the hail in Canberra in January 2020?

Hailstones of 4 to 6 cm in diameter fell on 20 January 2020, in a band from the southern half of Belconnen through Acton to the inner southern suburbs. The storm lasted about 15 minutes. The Bureau of Meteorology called it one of the most severe hailstorms recorded in the ACT, and around 61,000 insurance claims came from the territory.

Can hail damage affect my car's driver-assist systems?

Yes. Hail can damage radar units in the grille or bumper, parking sensors and cameras. A replaced windscreen or bumper often means the forward camera or radar needs recalibrating so features like lane keeping and emergency braking work properly. If a driver-assist warning appears after a storm or a repair, have it checked before you rely on those features.

My headlight has water inside after a storm. Is that a problem?

It can be. A little condensation that clears once the lights warm up may be normal for some vehicles, but droplets or pooled water usually mean a crack or failed seal. Water corrodes globe holders and connectors, and can shorten globe life. Check the lens and seals, and have a damaged lamp replaced, especially if it is part of an insurance claim.

Why does my battery keep going flat since my car got wet?

Water can reach connectors, modules or switches and create a small current leak, or keep a module awake when it should be sleeping. That drain flattens the battery overnight. Dry the car out thoroughly, including under the carpets, and have a parasitic draw test done to find the circuit. Corroded connectors may need cleaning or replacing.

Need an auto electrician in Canberra?

Find local auto electricians and mobile services in the Canberra directory, or start with your area: Belconnen, North Canberra, South Canberra and Fyshwick, Woden and Weston Creek.

Run an auto electrical business in Hail and Storm Checks for Canberra Drivers?

• New to Ozautoelectrics? Apply for trade pricing on quality auto electrical parts.
• Already a trade customer? Log in and order parts at your trade price.
• Want more local customers? List your business on this site so drivers in Hail and Storm Checks for Canberra Drivers can find you.

Not confident doing this yourself?

There’s no shame in handing it over. A local auto electrician can diagnose the fault properly and get it done safely, especially for anything involving brakes, airbags, hybrid systems or air-con gas.

Get a quote from a local auto electrician Or shop the parts and do it yourself