The eastern plains of El Paso County get hail as often as just about anywhere in the country. Storms build over the mountains in the afternoon, roll east, and by the time they reach Calhan they've had all day to get organized. If you've ever been at the county fairgrounds in July when one rolls in, you know there's nothing out there to slow it down.
What hail does to glass
Hail leaves a different kind of damage than a rock. Instead of one clean chip, you get a bunch of shallow dings scattered across the windshield, sometimes with short cracks between them. One or two can be repaired. Four or five clustered together can't, because every repair leaves a little mark and a windshield full of them is worse to look through than a new one.
After a big storm, call early. Glass shops all over the Front Range get backed up for a week or two.
Wind, dust and dirt roads
Between storms, the plains do their damage slowly. The wind pushes grit across US 24 and the county roads out toward the Paint Mines, and most cars around here are on unpaved roads every day. Over a few years that pits the glass until you can't see into a low sun, which out here means the whole drive to work in the morning and the whole drive home at night.
Pitting can't be repaired. When the glare gets dangerous, it's time for a new windshield, and on most older trucks and cars that's $250 to $400.
Far out, but still in our area
Calhan's a drive and we don't charge extra for it. If you can be a little flexible on the day, we'll group a few eastern county jobs together and get you in sooner. If the crack's in your line of sight, tell us. That moves you up no matter what.
Give us cross roads or a landmark along with your address. Rural addresses east of Falcon don't always show up right on a phone map.
Questions from Calhan
Hail hit my whole car, not just the glass. Who do I call first?
Your insurance company, so the body, paint and glass all go on one claim. Then call us for the glass. The windshield is usually what makes the car unsafe to drive, so it often gets done before the body work.
Is it worth fixing chips on a truck that lives on gravel?
Yes. A repair is $60 to $110 and it stops that chip from spreading for good. Just don't let four or five pile up before you deal with any of them.
More on what we do and how we do it, or just call (719) 467-3190.