To: Hail.

Go visit  your parents she said. It has been too long since you have spent time with them she said. So I left LV on Tuesday the 19th after a Opthalmologist appointment on the 18th.  I left about three hours later than planned because my usual tire air pump at the preferred gas station crapped out while I was topping up my tires for the road trip.    It topped up two, and died while I was airing up the 3rd which then let nearly all of the air out of that tire.

I had an impatient lady waiting for the air compressor. I told her it was not working then pulled over to get my own compressor out of my trunk.  I have a heavy duty portable air compressor but it is not particularly convenient to use. Particularly when it is under all of my clothes and bags in the trunk packed for a 3-4wk road trip.

I aired up and verified pressure in all tires. Though I had left my tire gauge in DW's Jeep when we went on an all day 4X4 trip a few months before.  I had to use the dial gauge on the compressor which takes forever.

Anyway, off I go. I ended up overnighting twice instead of the planned once due to my late departures.

One night in Gallup NM, one night in Abilene. Then got to mom and dad's on Friday.

My University BFF picked me up on Sunday evening and we wento dinner.  After dinner he dropped me off at mom and dads. As we pulled up in front of their house, an unforcasted super cell storm blew in and we got Golfball to Baseball sized hail.  We were stuck in his truck as  we got blasted by the biggest hail I have ever personally seen. I have worked hail catastrophe events as a Cat insurance adjuster. But never been through a big one personallly.   

My poor car was plowed.  My hotrod now has a bad case of SmallPox.  

Cracked windshield, hundreds of dimples. Fortunately none of the baseballs hit it.  

My insurance company sent me to their preferred provider for an estimate.  The estimater gave me a look then said... we do not do hail. We are a collision shop so this estimate will not be accurate and repairs could be $10K higher than what I will estimate.  The estimater was at least 50% low in the estimate.

I called the insurance company and told my Adjuster that the estimater had told me they did not know what they were doing and that thier estimate was extremely low.  The Adjuster got a little tight lipped with me then told me that the estimator would not have given me an estimator if that was the case. 

So, I gave him a number. My All Lines Insurance Adjuster license number. Asked what that number was. I told him. Suddenly the Adjuster was all talkative.

"Take it to your shop of choice for repairs. Give them the original estimate and the claim number. They will call and I will work with them.  Even if actual costs are twice the estimate, your car will not be totaled. I have your back!!!"  We have had this insurance company for 20+ years and they have always been great.

But... Eff0ff to poorly maintained compressor equipment, hail, inept estimators, and touchy Adjusters.

I need a drink, or 10.