Here’s something a lot of California consumers don’t know about. The State Bureau of Automotive Repair (BAR) has an auto body inspection program that isn’t widely advertised due to budget constraints. Bureau Chief Sherry Mehl told me that she initiated this service to help consumers find out if they were getting the auto bodywork they paid for. The way it works is that you contact the BAR (1-866-799-3811) after a job is completed to set up an appointment. You must have your invoice. A field investigator will come to your home or office to check the invoice against the actual repairs performed. They want to know if things like the bonding and painting were done properly. Read more

It’s an auto body shop’s responsibility to perform a thorough and complete repair job on your car, but you play a big part in how successful your automobile’s body repairs are, too. Here are a few simple steps you can take to be a good customer when you take your car, minivan, truck or van into a local auto body shop.

• Be clear and upfront with the auto body shop representative. Let them know what car problems you’re having, what outcome you expect from the vehicle collision repairs and specific ways they can satisfy those expectations.
• Before you drop off your car, truck or van, restate your expectations and goals,

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I often say that one of the best ways to judge a company’s commitment to customer service is by how they handle things when something goes wrong. An auto body shop I did business with recently passed that test with flying colors.

The damage from a car accident cost more than $3,000 in repairs, and the job took several weeks to complete. Happy to get the vehicle back after so long, we drove right to a car wash. Minutes later, the manager called me over to point out that radiator fluid was pouring out of the vehicle. Nearly everything under the hood had just been almost entirely re-built, including the radiator!

Here’s the happy ending. Read more