Body shops in the East Bay, CA?

[juanb]

I did a few searches on this without finding anything conclusive.

Today I managed to back up into a short little wall. Other than finishing off my bumper, which I was planning to change anyway, I dented the area just behind it, the passenger side corner. It's not terrible, just cosmetic, no effect on the hatch or anything like that. But it reminds me of how dumb I was during those three seconds and I hate that

Does anybody have experience with body shops around the East Bay Area? Berkeley, Oakland, even San Francisco would be OK. Looking for a place with a good price/quality ratio.

Thanks!
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1989 Westy AT, 2.2 GoWesty.
We drove it to Argentina: http://www.vanenvan.com

[vwlovr]

if no one here has a good recommendation, call the guys at buslab they'll probably know someone over there.

i know a shop in redwood city i'd recommend (Liebes Auto Body) if you wanna make the drive. they painted hood stripes and fixed some damage on my RV. they were also doing a full paint on a nice tristar at the time, super nice guys and very professional.

[juanb]

Thanks. That place in Redwood City was the only one a search returned. I might check it out, I used to work very close by. And actually fell in love with Westys after renting one for a weekend from California Campers, also nearby I think.

But I work in Emeryville now, so there or in Berkeley would be perfect. If I find a place there that does a good job I'll post in this thread for the benefit of future searches.
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1989 Westy AT, 2.2 GoWesty.
We drove it to Argentina: http://www.vanenvan.com

[davideric9]

Try 101 Auto Body as they have plenty experiance with Vanagons. Its very close to you, right where 580 and 80 split in Richmond. Good price. Best part was how they let me work with them and supply parts. I took out all the glass and lights and moundling and bumbers in their parking lot with their consent and stored the windshield in their shop.

I did have a few do overs with them where I was not satisfied with the work, and they redid it without complaint.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/101-auto-body-richmond

Justin
101 Auto Body
5327 Jacuzzi Avenue, Richmond, CA
(510) 524-4857
101autobodycollision.com
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1987 Syncro Westfalia, stock (bought 1994)
1986 Syncro Westfalia SVX, 3 knob (bought 2008)
1987 Westfalia (bought 2010)
1988 Wolfsburg GL (bought 2012)

[Californio]

The Miracle over in Alameda is good. I think it's on Clinton Ave. I had my Saab repainted there and the job was indistinguishable from OEM. As a believer in race car paint jobs for my Syncro, I had it painted at Scheib's in Oakland for a couple hundred bucks, taking off all the easy stuff, and, well, you get what you pay for. They sprayed the entire van including clear coat for something like $500.

I guess it really depends on how much you want to pay.

[Jamos]

If you want high quality, I would absolutely recommend Allied Autobody in Berkeley. Right across the street from REI near Gilman.
They are great people and do amazing work, but probably not cheap.

101 that was mentioned above, used to be called Miracle, and several folks have recommended them over the years to me, including Marco & Steve at the Buslab.
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'86 Wolfy Westy Weekender
2020 Audi Q5

[juanb]

Thanks for the suggestions. My mechanic, Art at Auto Point Motors in Pt Richmond also suggested 101, and gave me the name of his buddy there. So I'll go for an estimate tomorrow.

I also asked at Sunny Auto Body in Russian Hill San Francisco (I actually live around the block, and they have straight 5 star ratings on Yelp), and they said $500 for pulling two dents, painting the panel and installing the bumper I'll provide. Not bad I think.

Lucky me, I dented the body in the same panel, maybe 15 inches away from the only other dent I had, which it had when I bought it. So after the fix, my Westy will look better than it did before
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1989 Westy AT, 2.2 GoWesty.
We drove it to Argentina: http://www.vanenvan.com