URBANDALE, Iowa — Mike Hall has been in business for over three decades at Dynamic Auto Artists in Urbandale. But it's been a long time since he's seen hail damage as bad as what happened on Friday.
"2001 or 2002 is probably the last time we've seen big stuff like this," Hall said.
Since then though, repairs have gotten a little easier, with another cheaper and quicker option to fix those dents.
That new option is paintless dent removal.
Hall and his team showed Local 5 how that process works, by using a rod under the hood, and a soft hammer on top, to restore the metal back to its original factory shape.
"We can have it done in a fraction of the time," Hall said.
The storm was so impactful, it brought National Catastrophe Director Don Dorney to Des Moines.
"This was a beast. In the almost 20 years I've been doing this, it's probably the third worst aftermath I've ever seen," Dorney said.
He says he'll be here in Des Moines in his camper for at least a year, if not two years because of the widespread damage, and just how big that hail was.
Hall and Dorney estimate that on average, each car they've looked at has $8,000-10,000 worth of damage. Many are much higher than that, if not totaled, Dorney said.
Hall says if you are still hoping to get those dents out of your car, here's what you can do:
- Make sure to call your insurance agent first, let them give you a estimate
- Then go to your preferred body shop.
- The body shop will likely give an estimate much higher than what the insurance company initially gives.
- At that point, the body shop and insurance company will work together, and eventually, most times, your insurance will cover the body shop's figure.