Please recommend a good shop (the closer to Berkeley, the better)...

Looking to fix 3 yrs worth of parking lot dents and paint the entire car (04 STi) the original, JBP color, albeit with some extra clearcoats.

Also any recommendations to fix some wife-inflicted curbage on the BBS wheels appreciated.

Thanks.

 

Baron Von Frier comes to mind, although they're not the cheapest, they do high quality work.

801 Anthony St
Berkeley, CA 94710
(510) 841-7290

Independent testimonial:

My car's been hit twice in two years (880 is God's gift to autobody repair shops), and both times I've had excellent experiences with Baron Von Frier. These folks are extremely skilled---with their bodywork and painting, you would never even guess my car had been in an accident. And that's really the way it should be. I have also found them to be courteous in explaining and giving estimates, and they always send you away with a small jar of your paint and a little promo like a car safety kit. Little touches like that just add to the good service. This is also not a place that will take your business if you don't need a repair. When I called up to get an estimate on a little ding in my fender, I was advised to let it go because inevitably with an 880 commute, something bigger would come along and why pay twice. Sure enough, she was right about that, and I was quite grateful to have just put a sticker over the ding the first time. For honest, excellent work, I highly recommend Baron Von Frier.

and another:

"I was rear-ended on the freeway last March and had been going through the paces with the other party's carrier, Progressive, to get my car fixed on their dime, rather than being reimbursed. I eventually called an Alameda body shop which I've been to before, but, after multiple calls and no appointments, I decided to go with a brief but glowing recommendation on Art's Automotive's website for Baron Von Frier in Berkeley. Having trusted Art's many times before with my mechanical problems, I figured that their recommendation was worth it. If you can't tell by the number of stars, I'll say it again: the folks at Baron Von Frier won me over in no time at all. Their entire business is clean, everyone smiled and said hello, even at 7:00 AM on a Monday morning. Linda, one of the owners, clearly explained all the details of getting my car repaired over the phone and again in person. They will tell you up front they are a "high end" body shop, meaning you pay more, but you get what you pay for. It was worth every penny. My car looks like it was brand new. Although I don't plan on going to a body shop any time soon, I'll definately return to Baron Von Frier."

 

If you get an estimate on painting the whole car please let me know. I'm considering this as well. Thanks

 

Haws Plaza Auto Body
3482 Golden Gate Way
Lafayette CA 94549
(925)284-5335

Ask for Jaime

 

Spoke with Linda at Baron Von Friar today. They're a good shop with a fancy name and a stout sales pitch, but would only discuss doing the work through the insurance (I had specifically told her I wanted to pay for it).

The Sell:
She fed me the standard "bondo is great" speech, and the "you don't have to paint the whole car" speech. Essentially, she wanted me to make claims against my comprehensive insurance, pay the deductible, and make sure the car was at her shop for the adjuster's visit.

IMO, if you have the sack to ask a potential customer to do the above, would you not also offer to take care of the deductible and fix anything else that doesn't get written in?

I've found after living here for a year that the people aren't so different from New Yorkers - it's just that here, people are so self-righteous that they are dishonest about their dishonesty. At least in NY, the guy would have said "you take care of me, I take care of you". This lady wants to take me and my insurance company over a barrel, and thinks I have no idea what's going on... pathetic.

Note - she's not doing anything illegal, but she is twisting the system to get high claims written, then cutting corners to fix your car.

 

Wow i've had a completely different experience with Linda at Baron Von Frier than you. My 06 STI is actually there right now because some idiot decided to back out of their driveway, across the street, and into the driver's side rear door of my parked car. Took it to Baron Von Frier because my family has had 2 other cars done by them and the quality of the work was fantastic. Linda decided against bondo and stuff to fix the door because it's a relatively new car and she didn't want to go that route so I got a new door from Marin Subaru. Of course we're a bit different because I am going through insurance because the other guy is paying. New door and fixing a dent in the door jamb totalled just over 3 grand. I'm picking up my car Wednesday so I will let you know how it turns out.

 

I saw your car today - it looks great. They did a good job blending the paint. No one would ever know it was touched. Sounds mean, too - they were doing donuts bouncing off the rev-limiter when I drove up, j/k.

Don't get me wrong - I think she is very knowledgable and could do a good job, but all the flags went up throughout our conversation (my cousin has a shop in NY). She was figuring out how she could make the most on the job, not figuring how to serve me best.

Also, please don't blow my cover... I will bring all of this up to her and see what she says tomorrow, then post results.

 

Glad the car looks good. I can't wait to get it back! Hahah I knew I should have put the car in valet mode via accessport! Don't worry I won't blow your cover or anything. I just want my car back lol.