Car repair shops expecting hectic week as repairs from the ice storm begin

SHERMAN, Texas (KXII) - The sun is out, the ice has melted and cars are hitting the road again. Many of them are heading straight for the shop.

Throughout the ice storm, Sherman police say it saw almost three dozen crashes and over 30 motor assists.

Ron West, Owner of Ron’s Roadside Repair helped in reusing cars from ditches and ponds during the ice. He is continuing to be involved as he starts repairing the cars too.

“We had one that spun out and went literally right into a ditch in front of us, so after we got one loaded up, we ended up having to get him out too,” West said.

From bent rims to crushed bumpers, car repair shops are busy getting vehicles fixed up and safe to drive again.

“It started slowing down, and it started picking up,” West said.

West said besides major body damage, suspension wear, unaligned wheels and coolant injuries are the most common problems he is seeing after the ice storm.

“This one is getting a radiator, behind us here, it split down the center cause the ice expanded in it and cracked the plastic housing it,” West said pointing to a truck he was currently servicing.

Although it is too late to check your vehicle’s coolant levels for this past ice storm, it could save you money for the next outbreak.

Mechanic, Fischer Nelson, said incorrect coolant levels can cause a car motor to bust, leading you to have to replace your motor.

“They do like a coolant tester, you can buy one of those and test your mixture,” Nelson said.

Mechanics worked long hours in last week’s winter weather. Nelson said they worked all day and most of the night.

West said he anticipates the upcoming week will be a hectic one as more people assess damages.

“We’ve actually gotten a few calls from people wanting us to come to fetch their stuff once it starts drying up ‘cause there’s some that they’ve buried off in a ditch somewhere,” West.

West said the repairs they have currently are not time-consuming. However, with such a high amount of vehicles needing service, it will take time to get to all of them.

Taking this past ice storm as a learning lesson could keep you from having your car in the shop waiting for its turn to be fixed.

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