El Pasoans flock to auto repair shops to fix cars damaged by hail

Following hailstorms in the borderland, El Pasoans are flocking to auto repair shops to get their cars repaired.

“I’ve been swamped for the last–we had a hail storm three months ago,” Carlos Ortiz, the owner of C & D Dent guy’s auto hail repair in West El Paso, said.

Ortiz has mother nature to thank for a heavy work load.

“And I’ll be working all through next year. That’s how much work there is,” Ortiz said.

Severe weather during the first week of October–hail storms that left residents in Socorro cleaning up shattered windows and skylights. Car owners filed insurance claism by the hundreds.

Then just two weeks later, the borderland was pounded yet again.

Video shot by Abc-7 viewers demonstrate just how bad the roads were. Drivers on I-10 fighting to get under overpasses and out of the barrage of hail.

Now those drivers who couldn’t find shelter are finding help from repair shop owners like Carlos Ortiz–about 30 drivers every day, in the last few weeks.

“A lot of cars have 300, 400 dents on the hood, 300-400 dents on the roof, the side panels all the chrome moldings–people are freaking out,” Ortiz said.

Depending on the damage, Ortiz says repairs can cost you well into the thousands. A car inside Ortiz’s shop was damaged and was marked with small circles. Ortiz says it’s going to cost the customer at least $5,000.

“Most cars are ranging from $3,000 to $9,000, $10,000 dollars depending on what part of the city you got hit,” Ortiz said.

If your car was left bruised and beaten, the first thing you should do is call your insurance company. Ortiz says most insurances will cover the majority of the costs. Owners are only responsible for paying the deductible, which can range anywhere from $250-$500. Once the proper paperwork is filed, then customers can leave it to the pros like Ortiz, to fix the mess.