Severe Hail Storm in Colorado
In July of 2009, parts of Colorado experienced the second costliest hail storm in Denver weather history. Areas like Arvada, Wheat Ridge and Lakewood were pounded with 1-2 inch size hail, accompanied by 60-70 mile per hour winds. Reports afterward stated that the storm caused at least $350 million in damage to houses and cars, and 19,500 auto claims were filed within the first few weeks. Needless to say, Colorado became a hotbed for PDR technicians in 2009, with an overwhelming amount of work on hail damaged cars to be done. Unlike seasons past where the hail season might last for only a couple months, these hail repairs were still coming up in the beginning of 2010.
Some things to keep in mind when considering having your hail claim repaired. Most people don’t really take a lot of time when considering a repair facility when they’re ready to bring their vehicle back to pre-incident condition.
Often, after a damaging hail storm, storm chasers from out of state descend upon the community to repair hail damaged vehicles. Your insurance company may even try to force you to take your vehicle to a specific body shop where they may have favorable pricing agreements. In certain shops, they may have out of state hail technicians that travel from storm to storm. These hail-chasers often are not concerned about quality and will be gone should you need to contact them for any issues concerning the repairs or if there is a problem. The worst kind of places to take your vehicle are temporary shops that set up in makeshift conditions. These techs are simply looking for a piece of the action and often are not concerned with doing quality work, and may just be hoping to make your car look different enough to get your money. If a technician tries to deliver your vehicle outdoors in the bright sunlight, insist on inspecting the vehicle inside, under fluorescent lighting. It’s much easier to see any imperfections under proper conditions.
At Dents By Hand, we will continue to be here after the storm and we have numerous local references available. Our workmanship is guaranteed and we are fully insured. Feel free to stop by our shop and see just how we do our repairs. We would be happy to answer any further questions for you or demonstrate the process.
We have been in the hail industry since 1996 and are experienced in dealing with insurance claims as our process is widely welcomed by the insurance community. We will be glad to give you a written estimate for the repair of your hail damage and work directly with your insurance company.
My car was damaged in the hail storm. How do I proceed?
The first thing to do is to contact your insurance company and start a comprehensive claim. You will be informed where to take your car or truck in order to have the damage assessed by an insurance adjuster. If the insurance company is overwhelmed with claims, they will set up a CAT (short for ‘catastrophe’) site to offer estimates. In those cases, having a previous estimate before you visit the CAT site will generally be ignored by the adjusters. They will address any discrepancies through a supplement process once the vehicle repairs are initiated.
I am meeting with my adjuster, now what?
Allow the adjuster to inspect your car and write an estimate to repair the damages. This estimate may not be accurate, as it is just an estimate. When you have your car repaired, any difference between the amount of the estimate and the final invoice will be resolved between the repairing vendor and the insurance company by means of a supplement.
The insurance adjuster will most likely encourage you to have your car repaired by one of their preferred vendors. Remember, it is your choice to have your car repaired by the person or business of your choice. It is illegal for an insurance company or their representative to require you to have your car repaired by any specific vendor. It is not uncommon for the preferred vendors to have representatives present at insurance company claim centers. Do not be pressured into using one of these vendors if you are not comfortable with them.
I’ve got my check, now what?
Most insurance companies will issue you a check once they have estimated the damage to your car. It is not uncommon for the amount of the estimate/check to be substantially less than the actual cost of repairs when repaired by a reputable vendor not on the insurance companies’ preferred list. It has been speculated that this is a tactic of insurance companies to minimize the cost of the claim. If you do not repair your car and you cash the check, you are, in effect, settling the claim for the amount of the estimate, when the actual amount could (and probably should) be substantially higher.
While it is tempting to just cash the check and not have your car repaired, there are consequences to consider before doing so. One consequence could be that in the event of a future damage claim the insurance company may reduce the amount paid on that claim by the amount previously paid for hail damage not repaired. Also, if the claim amount is not applied to any liens against the vehicle, then the vehicle value would not be sufficient to satisfy the lien in the event the vehicle is sold or traded.
