Cars damaged in May hailstorm might not be repaired until 2018 or 2019

Each pink circle surrounds damage to this vehicle from the May 8th hail storm. It’s one of thousands of cars damaged in Colorado’s costliest weather catastrophe. A body shop in Golden says if your car still needs fixed, it might be late 2018 or early 2019 before it can get in to the shop.

by: Jeremy Hubbard

Posted: Nov 21, 2017 / 10:07 PM MST

Updated: Nov 21, 2017 / 10:08 PM MST

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GOLDEN, Colo. — More than six months have passed since the costliest hailstorm in Colorado history. The $1.4 billion storm slammed the west side of the metro area on May 8.

A body shop in Golden said if customers are still waiting to get vehicles fixed, they might be waiting until late 2018 or even early 2019.

“Right now, we are booking for Oct. 8, 2018,” said Matt Walton with Lawson’s Paint and Body. “And there’s other places around town that are saying 2019 before they’ll even get you in for hail.”

“Every single day we get more and more calls. We first thought that it was going to subside or die off, and in fact it hasn’t, and a lot of people are waiting, thinking this was going to pass and they were going to sneak in.

“And now they’re realizing that it just keeps getting further and further out.”

The average cost for a hail repair job from the May storm is anywhere from $16,000 to $20,000.

“(If) it still drives, you know? Be patient. We’ll get to you as quickly as we possibly can, and we’ll take great care of you when it’s all said and done,” Walton said.

“Billion Dollar Storm” will look at the science behind the costly storm and why the Front Range is a magnet for monster hailstorms. The special airs at 9:30 p.m. Thursday on FOX31 and at 7:30 p.m. Sunday on Colorado’s Own Channel 2.