Winter Storms Wreak Havoc on Body Shops

Dec. 29, 2022

An influx of wrecked vehicles is adding to workloads that are already at capacity.

Dec. 29, 2022—Body shops in Indiana and Michigan are among the many businesses across the Midwest and East Coast dealing with the aftermath of severe winter storms over the past week.

According to a report from 14News, D. Patrick Collision Center in Evansville, Indiana, is experiencing roughly four tow-ins per week, adding to an already congested backlog of repairs. The shop currently has vehicles on its lot it has had for nearly six months, some in need of only very small parts. Area shops are quoting anywhere from three weeks to three months to complete repairs.

Shops in Michigan are also digging out, according to a report from News Channel 3 out of Kalamazoo. A Christmas storm produced blowing snow and icy roads that slammed area body shops. Paul Pearcy, the general manager of Auto Pride Collision in Flushing, Michigan, said the shop expects to double the number of jobs it currently has.

"Most of them, heavy front ends and rear ends, it's because people can't stop," Pearcy said to the news station. "With the way the snow was blowing and icing over and the temperature, the salt was useless. So, that's what we ended up seeing out of all of this."

Other area shops cited dealing with wheel rim damage as a result of vehicles sliding in icy conditions.

About the Author

FenderBender Staff Reporters

The FenderBender staff reporters have nearly four decades of combined journalism and collision repair experience.

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