Colorado Hail Season Warning: Know Who Is Repairing Your Vehicle

After a major Colorado hailstorm, something predictable happens.

The hail stops — and the hail repair companies start arriving.

Trucks, tents, temporary locations, sales teams and repair crews pour into Colorado from all over the country. Many will advertise heavily, knock on doors, set up in parking lots and promise fast repairs, big incentives and an easy insurance experience.

Some are legitimate companies with talented technicians.

Others will be gone as soon as the next storm hits another state.

Before you hand over your vehicle, your insurance claim and thousands of dollars in repair work, there is one question we believe every Colorado vehicle owner should ask:

Will this company still be here when I need them?

Storm Chasers Are Part of the Hail Industry

Colorado is one of the most active hail markets in the country. When a significant storm hits the Denver Metro area or Front Range, repair companies from across the country follow the damage.

That isn't automatically a bad thing. There are excellent PDR technicians who travel the country repairing storm damage.

The problem is accountability.

There is an enormous difference between an experienced technician temporarily assisting an established Colorado repair facility and a temporary company arriving after a storm, renting a building or parking lot for a few months, repairing hundreds of vehicles and disappearing.

Once they're gone, who do you call?

Your Repair Should Last Longer Than Hail Season

A hail repair may look great when you pick up your vehicle.

But what happens three months later if:

• A molding comes loose?

• A headliner begins sagging?

• You notice a dent that was missed?

• There is a problem with paint or refinishing?

• A trim piece wasn't installed correctly?

• You have a warranty question?

• Your insurance company needs additional documentation?

A warranty is only as valuable as the company standing behind it.

If the business has moved on to Texas, Nebraska, Oklahoma or wherever the next storm happened, getting help can become considerably more difficult.

That is why choosing who repairs your vehicle matters just as much as choosing how it is repaired.

Don't Confuse a Temporary Location With a Local Company

This is an important distinction.

A company can rent a beautiful building, put up signs and have a Denver phone number very quickly.

That doesn't necessarily mean they are an established Colorado business.

Before choosing a hail repair company, do a little homework.

Look beyond the advertisement.

Check:

• How long has the business actually operated in Colorado?

• Do they have an established local location?

• What do their Google reviews look like?

• Are those reviews recent and consistent?

• Is the company accredited with the Better Business Bureau?

• Who actually owns the business?

• Is there a local team you can contact after your repair?

• Does the company provide a real warranty?

• Who handles a warranty issue if something happens months or years later?

Those questions become especially important immediately following a large hailstorm.

Be Careful With Offers That Sound Too Good to Be True

After a storm, the competition for hail-damaged vehicles can get intense.

You may hear offers involving cash, gift cards, enormous incentives or promises that sound almost impossible.

An incentive by itself doesn't make a company questionable. What matters is what happens after they've earned your business.

Your vehicle may represent $30,000, $50,000, $80,000 or significantly more of your money.

The quality of the repair should come first.

The company standing behind that repair should come second.

The giveaway should be somewhere much further down the list.

Hail Repair Is More Than Removing Dents

A modern hail repair can involve much more than Paintless Dent Repair.

Depending on the vehicle and severity of the storm, the repair may involve:

• Paintless Dent Repair

• Removal and installation of interior components

• Moldings and exterior trim

• Glass

• Conventional paint and body work

• Parts replacement

• Insurance supplements

• Advanced driver-assistance system considerations

• Final quality control

If paint has been damaged, the repair becomes even more important.

At Rocky Mountain Hail, our goal is always to preserve as much factory paint as possible. When refinishing is necessary, we use a hail-first repair philosophy: restore the metal correctly first and refinish only what actually needs refinishing.

The goal isn't simply to make the dents disappear.

The goal is to return the vehicle to you correctly.

Why Rocky Mountain Hail Is Different

Rocky Mountain Hail isn't setting up shop in Colorado because there was a hailstorm last weekend.

Colorado is our home.

We're here before the storm.

We're here during the storm.

And, most importantly, we'll be here after the storm.

Rocky Mountain Hail is a BBB Accredited Business with an A+ rating, and we're proud of our five-star Google reputation because those ratings represent something much bigger than marketing.

They represent accountability.

They represent customers who know where to find us.

And they represent a reputation we have to protect every single day.

We aren't interested in repairing as many vehicles as possible before packing everything up and heading to the next storm.

We're interested in building a company Colorado vehicle owners can trust.

Ask One More Question Before Choosing a Hail Shop

When you're comparing hail repair companies, asking about price, deductible assistance, rental vehicles, repair methods and timelines makes sense.

But add one more question:

"Where will you be next year if I need you?"

A reputable company should be able to answer that without hesitation.

Rocky Mountain Hail will be right here in Colorado.

And that's exactly where we plan to stay.