Messy Commutes Mean Steady Business For Body Shops

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Between all the fender benders, spin-outs and head on-collisions, this week's slick and snowy roads have been causing headaches for Twin Cities drivers.

Paul Hagan, of Hagan Auto Body in Minneapolis, says he expects busted-up cars to keep rolling into his Uptown shop for the next week.

"Our schedule is full here for the next two to three weeks," he said. "We can maybe fit some small stuff in."

Hagan and his crew are working long hours to get damaged vehicles back on the road. So far, this shop is booked solid until the end of January.

Outside his shop sit snow-covered cars that need work.

"All these vehicles still under the snow are wrecks we haven't even got to yet," he said.

Hagan says the real problem isn't fixing what's wrong with the cars, it's just getting them into the shop. The plow services are backed up with calls.

At Bobby and Steve's Auto World, tow driver Jaime Conley says he and the rest of his crew are "working like crazy."
He says the business has been nonstop for the past several days.

"It's hard to get around for us," he said. "The traffic is thick for us...we're just in the same boat as everybody else."

When it comes to getting your vehicle what it needs after a crash, the best to do is be patient, experts say.

Hagan says cars that come in with collision damage typically have bad tires.

Check your tires, and, if they are worn, replace them.

Hagan says good tires makes a world of difference when you're driving on snow and ice.