Body shops report an increase in calls after hailstorm

AMERICAN FORK — As heavy hail filled the streets of Utah County on Tuesday, there was a loud clinking sound of ice falling not only on people’s homes but also on their cars.

“You can’t run from it, you can’t hide from it,” said Travis Olsen, owner of AF Collision, an auto body shop in American Fork.

Olsen said he and other body shops in Utah County, as well as insurance companies, have received a flood of requests to repair their cars.

“At the moment we are only planning until the middle of next week. But I can already tell you that tomorrow it could take two weeks because we can only process a certain number of cars at the same time,” said Olsen.

Olsen marks hail damage on a customer’s car. (Jack Grim, KSL TV)

Since Tuesday, Olsen said, more and more Utah residents have noticed the damage to their cars.

“The difficult thing about hail damage is how big it can get,” he said as he “mapped” one of several cars brought into his shop, looking for small dents caused by the hail. “We just sit here and circle them all until we identify all the damage.”

Olsen said cars with hail damage are usually repaired with a paintless dent repair.

“(Technicians) have a process where they can glue tabs on (the dent) and pull it out with glue. The other option they have is they go behind the panel, use spoons and pry bars and work from behind with these other tools,” he said.

Significant damage to a car in Utah County after a severe hailstorm on August 13, 2024. (Jack Grim, KSL TV)

Olsen said the insurance company decides which parts of a car that need to be repaired or replaced they will cover. He also recommends that car owners who want to get their car repaired do their research and go with a company they trust.

“I would recommend to anyone who is dealing with this right now to secure an appointment as soon as possible because with each passing day my appointments are filling up faster and faster,” he said.