Body Shops
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Body Shops
March 2006
We have a beloved 1990 Toyota Cressida with 165,000 miles and a
lot of pep. We slid on ice in Tahoe and hit an icebank, leaving a
big dent on the side rear of the car and popping out the tail
light. Because the blue book value of the car is so low,
insurance wants to total it, rather than paying for the repairs.
We still think the car has a lot of life left in it, and are
looking for someone who would work on it without charging a
premium. The work doesn't even have to be perfect...just sound.
Any ideas? Thanks.
Bora
Your car has earned the right to have a little character and a
few wrinkles and blemishes. Why not just repair the broken
lights and spray on enough paint to prevent rust? Then enjoy the
'golden years' of your car.
You may be pleasantly surprised to find that other drivers behave
better when they see your battle-scarred veteran car. They seem
to get a glimpse of their own vulnerability and mortality.
Good luck!
Old person in an old car
I used EB Auto Service at 2338 E 12th in Oakland for engine work and was quite happy with them.
Other shops wanted to do a big repair job and charge me $1000, but EB Auto only did what was
really necessary and charged me $300. I think they will also do body work, but check with them
at (510) 534-8328 and find out. E 12th runs next to the BART track and the shop isn't too far
from the Fruitvale Station.
Nancy
Sept 2005
Hi! I'm looking for a good, reasonably priced, trustworthy auto body shop in Oakland
or Berkeley to do some auto body repairs to a Land Rover Discovery. If you also have
any recommendations for a great mechanic, that would be terrific.
Thanks in advance.
Dana
Uptown Body and Fender in Oakland is the shop I would
recommend. Ask for Giovanna, she will take care of your car and
make the process as painless as possible. It's worth going
there just to see the amazing architect designed facility.
Melanie
July 2004
Can anyone recommend a good quality and fair-price auto body shop
in/near oakland for dents and painting? also any tips on what to
look for when shopping around? this is my first experience
trying to get this service.
thanks!
Recommendations received:
La Loma 7
Uptown Body & Fender
June 2004
I managed to make a few dents in my relatively new Volvo. AAA
considers a run in with a fence a ''collision.'' To avoid
increased insurance costs, I'm looking to pay out of pocket. Any
one have experience with a body shop that works on Volvos? Mine
has an unusual paint color. Thanks!
Recommendation received:
Classic Auto Body
December 2002
Can you refer me to a good car body shop in the East Bay,
preferably Walnut Creek/Concord/Pleasant Hill area but am open
to other suggestions as well.
Thanks!
Marjorie
Recommendation received:
Jerry's Body Shop Oakland
August 2002
Can anyone give me a recent recommendation for a body shop? (I
did see some postings re: bodyshops, but they are all a few
years old.) My car rolled into a post, crumpling the hood
slightly. Where would be the best, and least expensive, place
to have something like this fixed? Thank you!
Christine
Recommendations received:
Car Craft (1) Berkeley
CSC (1) Oakland
Premier Auto Body (1) Berkeley
Uptown Body & Fender (3) Oakland
Feb 2000
Hi all, I need to get some recommendations for a good body
shop somewhere in Berkeley
Recommendations received:
Avenue Body Shop Berkeley
Uptown Body & Fender Oakland
Sept 2003
Has anyone used Dentpro for minor dings on their car? Does it work? Does it last? Thanks for any info.
I have used Dentpro for parking lot dings twice and was very
pleased both times. They were fast and I thought the prices were
very fair. My body shop recommended them for small dings that
didn't need full body work. The results are permanent- it's not
cosmetic, they actually reshape the metal, and I can't see where
the flaws were. There are some kinds of dents they can't do, and
they only do small ones, but they don't try and do what they can't.
Cecelia
2001
Someone backed into our van and left a big dent on the rear door. Has anyone had any
experience with Paintless Dent Removal services like DentPro? Does CSAA covers these
expenses? Are there other alternatives (besides a body shop)?
I used the company that advertises at the AAA and was quite satisfied. But they only
removed
small dents from my doors, nothing large. They simply slid a bent metal rod down the
slot where
the window goes and gently pushed the dent back out. It took about 30 seconds. They
spent a
few more minutes polishing and the door looked like new. It cost about $100 but I found
it easy
to negotiate a lower price for a second door.
Jenny
A-Z List of Reviews
Feb 2003
Has anyone had any recent experience for body work on your car
with Avenue Body Shop on San Pablo Avenue in Berkeley? My car is
sitting there because of Triple A, and I want to know if they do
good work and are honest. Thanks.
Anonymous
My car was at Avenue Body Shop in November--at least the third time
it's been there. I can't recommend them more highly. I first
heard of them when CSAA sent me there for an estimate. Ever
since, I haven't even bothered to go anywhere else. Regarding
honesty: usually it was a repair paid for by my car insurance
and I have to rely on CSAA to know whether or not it's getting
ripped off. But the two small repairs we had made on our own
were done at a reasonable cost; one of them was made after the
estimator there tried a no-cost fix that simply didn't last.
(The tailgate catch had been bent and it finally had to be
rewelded into place.)
Fran
Re: Good body shop near Berkeley (Feb 2000)
I recommend getting an estimate from Avenue Body Shop on San Pablo near Cedar.
Our mechanic just sent us there to get our car's tailgate latch replaced and
they fixed it for free. I've also had a good experience with Rose Auto Body,
which is near there. About 5 years ago, our car was rear-ended and one of
these two places (I forget which) lowered the estimate so that the insurance
company would pay it rather than declaring the car "totaled". This also
happened to a friend of ours at the same body shop.
Fran
Re: Body Shop for my Volvo (June 2004)
Try Classic Auto Body in Berkeley - 1239 5th St Berkeley CA
94710 (510) 526-0310. I took my 2001 V70 there - they did a
FABULOUS job. It looked like a new car!
Lisa
Re: Best, least expensive body shop? (Aug 2002)
I have recently used CSC in Oakland two times over the past few
years and I thought they were very nice and did good work. The
first time they were repairing someone's car that I had hit and
was paying for out-of-pocket. They were so concerned about how
much it was going to cost me because I was pregnant at the time
and while I feel they did an excellent job on repairing the car,
tried very hard to keep the cost down.
anon
Re: Best, least expensive body shop? (Aug 2002)
I highly recommend Car Craft (2356 San Pablo, Berkeley--
548-2072). We were referred there by Art's Automotive (one
of the best mechanic shops in town). The owner, Fernando,
worked on two of our cars (Japanese and American) and we
were very pleased with his quality service and honest,
straightforward manner. I think his rates aren't super-low,
but they're reasonable -- and he'd help you work out all the
alternatives to balance cost and quality if you tell him what
you can afford.
Jeff
Re: Good car body shop in the East Bay (Dec 2002)
I have had great results with Jerry Mincey of Jerry's Body Shop
in Oakland near San Leandro. 638-2260. On one job, I had gotten
estimates of $600, $300, and $300; he did the job for $185. You
couldn't tell I'd ever hit the telephone pole.
I've had a few experiences with him since (sadly!), and he's done
great work every time. He's happy to work with insurance
companies or directly with you.
Jennie
Re: Good body shop near Oakland? (July 2004)
I took my car to La Loma 7 on San Pablo Ave, near Ashby, in
Berkeley. They did a great job and kept the costs down when I
took my car in for repair work that wasn't covered by my
insurance. And they also 0worked well with the insurance
company to get my insured work done. They gave me realistic,
and pretty accurate, estimates of the time involved (which
doesn't always happen with auto body shops), and the repair
work and painting job still looks good two years after the
fact. (I've had experiences in the past where the new paint
doesn't hold up particularly well over time.) Good luck!
Alison
Re: Best, least expensive body shop? (Aug 2002)
Premier Auto Body on San Pablo Ave in BErkeley repaired my car
last year and did a great job. The service was great too. They
drove me to my destination the day I dropped my car off, and
they arranged to have the rental car picked up at Premier when
my car was ready so I didn't have that hassle. Their work was
good and done more quickly than I expected. My repair cost was
covered through an insurance claim, but it seemed reasonable to
me. Premier's number is 843-0636.
dent free again
July 1998
I recommend Rose Autobody on San Pablo. Our car has been there twice. I was
particularly impressed the second time, when the owner lowered the estimate so
that our insurance company would agree to have the car fixed rather than "junk"
it. I recommended Rose to a friend recently when he was in the same situation
and he was also very happy.
The first time, I don't recall any delays. The second time, it took several
days longer than estimated, but that time they had to find a used rear door and
paint it to match the car.
Fran
For the person looking for a Body Shop referral. I would like to recommend
Seven Eleven Body Shop located at 645 East 11th Street, Oakland, Ca 94606.
The phone number is 510/835-2572 speak to Christopher Drummond. Good work,
reasonable rates, insurance work accepted and local shuttle service. About
15 minutes away from campus.
Ben
[editor note] current address for Uptown Body & Fender as of Feb 2004:
401-26th Street, Oakland, CA 94612-2410
phone: 510-251-8009
website: uptownbody.com
Re: Good body shop near Oakland? (July 2004)
I recently used Uptown Body & Fender, 401 26th St, Oakland, 510-
251-8009, and highly recommend them. They were recommended on
the parent network. They were very helpful and answered all of
my questions. This was my first time I needed car body work and
use insurance for a claim. I needed a dent removed and the car
had to be painted on one side.The office is immaculate. They
offer you tea, coffee or espresso. They had the rental car meet
me at the shop. My car was completed on time, it took 5 days.
When I picked up the car, it was very clean, a thank you card
and bag of carmel popcorn was on the front seat.
Ali
Re: Best, least expensive body shop? (Aug 2002)
I HIGHLY recommend Uptown Body & Fender at 2118 Brush Street in
Oakland (251-8009). The place is run by women and the
atmosphere is so surprisingly wonderful. They make you coffee
or espresso by the cup on their espresso machine while you're
waiting (or hot chocolate if you prefer, or if you've got a
little one in tow), they've got shelves of fabulous books and
upbeat, inspiring posters on the walls, free estimates, free
shuttle service, and their work is impeccable. I was blown
away by this place. I wouldn't go anywhere else.
Kate
Re: Best, least expensive body shop? (Aug 2002)
The BEST body shop in the area is Uptown Body and Fender on Brush
St. in Oakland. Go there for a free estimate and then make your
decision while you sip your free latte. Our experience with them
has been head and shoulders above any other. Their service is
OUTSTANDING in every respect.
Susan
Re: Best, least expensive body shop? (Aug 2002)
I recently had body work done on my car, and had a great
experience at Uptown Body and Fender in Oakland. I'm not
sure how they compare in terms of pricing, but they did
excellent work. They were also very professinal and friendly
(and I had my 2yo with me both times I was there.)
Elizabeth
Re: Good body shop near Berkeley (Feb 2000)
Uptown Body and Fender, 251-8009, is a family-run shop that
does superior work , treats customers extremely well (free cappucino and
opera playing in the waiting room!), arranges rental cars and pick-up. When
they found a new problem with my car window mechanism while fixing a dent,
they offered to repair the window labor free, just charging me for the part.
The shop is on Brush St. in Oakland, near the big Bekins Storage bldg. Very
convenient to freeway. Highly recommended.
Linda
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Last updated: Oct 13, 2006
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