Fix Auto Palo Alto

Can’t believe how awful my experience was.
Cavallino’s was once the best auto repair shop in the San Francisco area.
Somehow they’ve become just another insurance fix-​it shop struggling to get cars in and out.
Expect excuses for shoddy work, excuses for time to repair, and well, excuses…

I used Cavallino for previous repairs and they have always provided great work and service. Today just confirmed how great they are. I had a roof spoiler that needed to be installed. I went in this morning and to my surprise they were able to mount it while I waited. They were done in 30 minutes. I definetly would recommend Cavallino to others.

I have been using Cavallino as my autobody shop for several years, ever since my first experience using them.
Their work is excellent and their shop and waiting room are very clean and pleasant.
Today, they fixed my driver’s side mirror for free, and I certainly appreciate that!

Easy to schedule estimate appointment. Wonderful customer service — ask for Jonathan to help. He was able to creatively fix some minor damage to my Honda on the spot, without having to order new parts, waiting several days, and costing a lot of $$ out of pocket. Exceeded my expectations — would take any future vehicle repairs here!

Best Shop around! They did a perfect job on my M3 and also worked with my insurance. Kuddos Cavallino! Customer for Life

Terrible customer service. they should not be registered with AAA as a 5 star body shop. I went in for an estimate/​photos taken for insurance approval. The person who toln my information committed to email or call. Well it’s been nearly 3 weeks and I have not yet heard from anyone from here. When you call a rude lady answers. Do not use this place!

I had my car repaired by Cavallino after a collision. I appreciate how they kept me appraised of each step in the process and I’m delighted to have my car back. They told me that they guarantee their work, so I brought it back for a minor question. They took care of it immediately.
I used this company years ago for a different car. I’m glad to say that I am just as happy with the service now as I was then.

After getting several estimates of expense and turnaround for a very minor repair, I decided to go with Cavallino Collision Center because their estimate was the lowest and turnaround was the quickest. No regrets and I am impressed that this small job was well executed and with courtesy and promptness.

I attempted to get a written estimate for an auto body repair but decided not to go with this shop.
My Reasoning:
The estimator came across as untrustworthy and obviously viewed me as a mark rather than a potential customer.
He refused to give me a written estimate without me divulging my personal details. The oral estimate was nearly $ 1,000 higher than other local shops. He initially refused to use OEM parts and tried to debate the merits of my opinion with me. He eventually relented when he sensed that I was not interested.
Conclusion:
I would NEVER go to this shop as they seem untrustworthy.

Horrible service! Took my car to get an estimate after a rear end accident that left my chassis bent. I had to leave my car there until they could inspect it. When I got it back, my keys were missing the keyless remote!!! I told them I had given them the keys with the remote and they denied it saying they never take the remotes. After several calls with the manager, he said he asked the employees and no one had gotten the keys with a remote. The receptionsit was really rude and I rather just not deal with them anymore. Never going back there again.

While I have had my car worked on here before, after my most recent experience, I won’t be back.

I took my car to Cavallino to get my bumper fixed from a parking lot accident. They did an absolutely phenomenal job. My bumper and car looked brand new! All of the staff members were extremely helpful and great to work with. My car was even spotless inside and out when it was returned to me. Excellent experience overall!

Went to local car wash where they damaged the decal trim around my door. Dropped off car at Cavallino. Since I work in downtown Palo Alto, they drove me back to work and delivered the car to me in the afternoon. Not only did they do a great job, they washed and vacuumed the car. Did a better than the car wash. Years before Unilocal was around C repaired my car when it was hit. Again, did a great job. Top notch work and customer service.

NO. NOT trustworthy. I brought my truck in for an estimate. Over the course of a week, the estimator tried to talk me into selling the truck to him for scrap metal saying it wasn’t worth fixing and claiming the frame was twisted (which it wasn’t). I ended up getting it repaired at a different repair shop and selling it for five digits vs. pennies which is what the Cavallino estimator was offering me. It should be noted that, although I had no ultimate plans to sell the truck, I ended up selling it for five digits vs. pennies that the Cavallino was trying to talk me into, like it was a great deal. I didn’t like the slyness this guy was displaying.

i own a 2008 fj cruiser and it got vandalized twice within the year i brought my truck to this shop which i used to work, they do a near perfect job and deal with customer very professionally. All the staff of CAVALLINO COLLISION keep up the good work, I would definitely go back and recommend this shop. Thanks for having a honest and a near perfect work.

I agree with the unfavorable reviews here; only wish I had seen them before I went to Cavallino’s. My experience with them was very disappointing. Communication was very poor. The owner and staff seemed to view their customers as an annoyance which had to ‘tolerated’. I found that a strange approach to business. They did get the repairs done, but the workmanship was no better than grade ‘C’ and I had to return several times to have poor quality repairs fixed again. The impression I was left with is they seem to be more concerned about profits than they are about quality of work and customer relations. I have to say I would not go back.

My Ford Flex was «T-​Boned» by another driver recently. Got my car in to Cavallino’s through insurance. From the first phone call to the day I picked up my car, the service was wonderful. My car looks better than new, such a relief!

I had body repair and paint work done on my car at Cavallino Collision. Unfortunately, the body repair was substandard, as was the paint job. They failed to call and consult with me prior to final painting as I requested, and instead called me when they had finished the paint job. Needless to say I was not pleased about this. Had the paint job been ok, I would have overlooked this detail, but it was far from it. The body and paint has waves in it because it had not been properly block sanded prior to painting. No quality shop will turn out work like this.
Obviously I won’t be going back, and I recommend you find an alternate shop if you’re in need of QUALITY auto body and paint work.

1 star for «Untrustworthy» although it should be zero stars. I brought my beautiful 65 Mustang convertible to Cavallino a few years back that had been damaged by a moving company. I got a quote for a full-​body paint job. I guess the moving company (Crown Moving and Storage) must have known someone at Cavallino and got them to cancel my quote for a full paint job and replace it with a spot paint job quote without even talking to me so Crown would not have to pay a larger insurance claim. I was too busy to fight this and of course took my business elsewhere.

I went to Cavallino after getting an untrustworthy reception at another shop. They had been recommended to me as being very skilled and meticulous — they restore Ferraris, and they are authorized to do body work on aluminum bodied cars like the Acura NSX. Great!
Well, I don’t know if it was because my car is merely a common Miata, but my car was apparently assigned to the rookie paint guy. When I came to pick it up, there were obvious patches of over-​spray (even on the back of the car, when they were working on the front!) as well as tiny bubbles and peaks in the paint. I had to go back there three times for the same problem! At that point, I was frustrated but at least the job was done.
Over the course of the next two years I found that the adhesion of the paint wasn’t very good. The car picked up far more than its fair share of rock chips in the new hood that Cavallino had painted, and the edges of those chips seemed prone to additional peeling. Also, the front bumper cover developed some fine horizontal cracks, which should have been prevented by the «flex additive» that was included on the bill.
When I took the car back to them to see if they would cover these flaws under the lifetime paint warranty, they told me that rock chips aren’t covered (no matter how many there are), and that the cracks in the bumper were from my car getting hit.
If it got hit, it must not have been very hard, and it wasn’t while I was near the car. Another car I own was hit and the bumper was completely crushed, and the paint on the bumper cover has no cracks at all! So their explanation seems like a very lame excuse to me, and the lifetime warranty on the paint doesn’t mean much in practice. They will give themselves the benefit of the doubt.