Like New Auto Body

I have used this body shop 5 times. When they say like new auto body shop they are speaking the truth! With out a doubt— They certainly are not greedy bastards like most autobody shops! –Also friendly, Warm spirited honest.

First review I’ve written on Unilocal,and I hope that my review helps others to avoid the headache, stress and appalling dissatisfaction I experienced when dealing with this joke of a business. I took my vehicle in on November 4. Today is January 3 and I still don’t have it back, 8 weeks later. The insurance adjuster estimated 2 – 3 weeks to complete the job. Given auto body or mechanic businesses depend on their ability to reasonably estimate the time and cost it takes to complete a job, and the fact that the owner, Arturo, has been in this business for 20+ years, I doubt very much that he «ate» the cost of 4x over the budgeted hours. The time it has taken to complete the work pales in comparison to his lack of responsiveness, attitude and customer service skills along the way. Around week number 3 (the week before Thanksgiving), he said he had about 20 hours of work left on the vehicle and assured me it would be ready by the holiday. That Wednesday, expecting to pick up it up since I hadn’t heard otherwise, he dodged my calls and didn’t return any of them. I went to the shop to speak to him and look at the vehicle. There were 5 different cars being worked on and mine was setting to the side, collecting dust. Mind you — a day earlier he had told me 20 hours left — yet, none of the body work had been done, he was waiting on a part, and painting still had to be done! At week 4, he stopped taking or returning my calls all together and I resorted to making weekly trips to the shop each Saturday to check on the progress of the vehicle. I was given every excuse in the book — the holiday, a missing part, the wrong part coming in, etc. Each week it was something different and it was never a matter of him reaching out to me to give an update or a realistic time-​frame of when the car would be ready. It was always me going down to his shop on my day off to demand answers. Fast forward to week number 6, right before Christmas. My husband and I were driving across the country to visit family, leaving that Saturday morning. When I made my weekly visit to the shop, Arturo informed me that he was waiting on the correct part and once received (which he estimated would be Tuesday), he would have the car together within 3 days. He swore up and down it would be ready by Friday for our trip that weekend. Friday morning, my husband called him to touch base, and was told it would be ready for pick up around 6:00 that evening. We tried to reach him that night, both by phone and driving up to the shop, he ignored our calls. We ended up having to rent a car the next morning for our drive, which he will be paying for. He finally text us that next morning and said that the car wasn’t ready and to rent one if we had to, at his expense… what a saint. My husband and I were out of town for 2 weeks. Upon returning on a Thursday evening, we attempted to reach him with no response. Saturday we went to the shop — surprise… it still wasn’t ready! Evidently, it was scheduled to be painted that day. Sunday, he was going to come in and reassemble it and have it detailed and ready for pick up Monday. We communicated that we didn’t want it detailed, at this point, 8 weeks later, we just wanted the thing assembled and returned to us that Sunday, which he confirmed was fine. It’s now 6pm on that Sunday. The shop is closed and of course, he isn’t answering his phone or returning our messages. Hopefully, we will get it back this week but I plan to call the insurance company and an attorney first thing tomorrow.
On a flip note — he did cover our deductible. Whoo-​hoo! I’m convinced that the only reason this place is still in business is due to this offering. In hindsight, I would have gladly come out of pocket on my deductible to work with a shop that is not run by a bunch of ignorant jokers. Auto body shops are a dime a dozen in San Diego, save yourself the trouble and go elsewhere, trust me. If this were the only shop in California and paid me 3x my deductible, I would pass and pay to have it towed to Arizona, just to avoid EVER having to deal with this place again.

If you need body work, they are good, BUT If you need car repair work, there is a different one of the brothers on that end who is a swindler! He, Arturo, really pulled the wool over my eyes. He put tires on my car that were 14 years old which could have killed me. I also found out that he had been putting parts on my car from the junk yard that he had told me were new parts. He somehow convinced me that he knew how to fix my car. I had to go back countless times, leave my car there for a week at a time. Everything that I had him replace, I have now had to have my new mechanic re-​do, some of these things didn’t even need to be replaced, but he convinced me otherwise then put parts from the junkyard and took my parts out. O2 sensor (old part), brakes (he said he did but did not do!), solenoid, EGR valve, air filter, flushes (didn’t do), sliding door lock… it is so hurtful to have this experience. So much time and energy and money and now my car is worse off from everything that he moved around.

I highly recommend «Like New Auto Body» to anyone out there who wants the work done right on their vehicle. I had great service and excellent paint job to repair the oxidation on the hood and roof of my car. They did a perfect color match. I am so impressed and so thankful to Arturo and the rest of the crew. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Mary Gargano

Got into an accident where the lady in front of me fully slammed on her brakes out of nowhere, so you can see what it looks like in the picture. I really should’ve asked his name, but I have a feeling it was Arturo who helped me. I don’t know what it was but I just felt I could trust him. He’s a sweet, genuine guy and you can tell he’s not one of those mechanics who try to rip you off or make up something to get you to pay more. Don’t expect some fancy waiting area, expect someone who’s very good at their job. Anyways, thank you again! I hope I don’t have to come back here because I don’t want to have another accident lol But definitely check these guys out!

I ended up scraping the side of my Lexus on a concrete pole in a parking lot. It was pretty bad, going down both doors and a bit of the rear quarter panel. I ended up stopping by Like New since it was near my house after getting 2 other quotes. Arturo was super helpful and was able to give me a very detailed quote on the spot. At first I was a bit skeptical becuase his quote was by far the cheapest I had received, but after reading the reviews on here I decided to just go for it since I was paying out of pocket and not through insurance.
I have to say after getting my car back it looks perfect and I couldn’t be happier. He did an amazing job. The job did take longer than he had promised, but at the end of the day I was OK with that becuase I would rather have them take the time to do it right and not rush it back doing a bad job. Definitely would use them again if needed, prices were great for excellent work.

As my luck would have it, I was rear ended pretty bad and brought my car back to Arturo. He was able to fix me up better than new and gave me a very fair price. The car looks great and I couldn’t be happier. You won’t be disappointed with the quality of work here!

My car was vandalized and with my insurance money Arturo took care of my vehicle repairing the damage, answered all my questions and was prompt courteous and reliable. I give this place a thumbs up, he stressed how important it was to have good customer service and relationships with his customers and he did with me. highly recommended thanks!

IF I COULD GIVE THIS PLACE ZERO STARS I WOULD.
After having our car in the shop for over a month to fix the power locks, power windows and the air conditioning, Arturo flat-​out LIED to us saying everything was «all fixed» except for one part for the air conditioning that he was trying to get a hold of. Well, we went to the shop and the car was TRASHED inside and out! Nothing had been fixed whatsoever, although it appeared that they had been working on it because the bottom was left WIDE OPEN and sitting outdoors smushed a paper’s width in between two other cars. Goodness knows whether they have been harvesting our car for parts.
These guys never answer or return our phone calls, and they are continuing to give us the run-​around. Don’t make the same mistake we made by trusting these guys. STAY FAR, FAR, AWAY FROM THIS SHADY OPERATION!!!

We’ve all heard the old expression, «Third times the charm.» The first time I went to Like New Auto Body was in 2011 after an accident where some A**hole, completely whacked-​out on pain killers, plows into me at 50 mph… and of course the butthead had NO insurance.
I called half a dozen auto repair places and Arturo at Like New was the only guy who:
A. answered his phone,
B. returned my calls
C. came out personally (right away) and gave me a very accurate assessment of my situation. I gave him the job and he repaired my car to my 5 star satisfaction.
Last year my AC unit died and I went to 3 different shops for estimates. Arturo came in at about 30% less than the other guys and had me on the road in no time, blowing frosty cold air in the hot afternoon east county heat.
Three weeks ago, I took the Memorial Day weekend to go visit family in Phoenix AZ. I got as far as El Centro when I started to overheat. I pulled off the freeway, went down the main drag and found an auto repair facility (won’t mention any names) who did an assessment of my problem and quoted me almost $ 500 bucks for a new thermostat, radiator and fan.
I said thanks but no thanks and nursed my jeep back to San Diego. I took it into Like New Auto and Arturo did a thorough inspection and determined it was just the thermostat and relay switch for the fan. I got my jeep repaired for about ¼th of what the ‘other guys’ quoted me.
My Dad always told me, once you find a great mechanic, NEVER tell anyone. You don’t want him to be so busy, he can never get to your car… and he was right.
BUT, when you find a good, competent, and HONEST mechanic and auto body shop, and you’re moving out of state (I’m moving to Florida) you tell everyone.
I give Arturo and the entire staff at Like New Auto Body 5 stars!

Someone backed up into my car while it was parked downtown. When I got back to my car a few hours after parking, I saw yellow paint scratched onto my front bumper and paint chipped off… This made me very mad because my car is my baby.
Anyhow, upon taking my car and calling to multiple local auto shops around town. This shop had the best reviews and the best price. I must admit I was a bit unsure of how the finished product would look but, Arturo blew me away.
Not only did he give me the best competitive price, He really worked with me since I had to pay everything out of my pocket. He even painted a part of my grille for free.
The car looks immaculate and I got the car back looking «Like New». He did a wonderful job refitting the brackets and painting the bumper. I would highly recommend Arturo and his work.
I am happy with my car and Arturo brought my confidence back and now I can ride around town with a smile on my face because i know my car looks good as new.

I had a good size gash in my right rear wheel well. We got some quotes from various body shops. This was the best offer. Their work was outstanding. I would certainly recommend this shop to anyone seeking a repair on their car.

This is the body shop I will use for everything in the future! I’ve already told all my friends.
I backed my Mercedes Gl-​450 into a pole and scratched it badly. not only did they use genuine Mercedes parts, but the price was AMAZING!!! this is really the best of everything — great work, great price, honest.
They REALLY try to get the best deal for the consumer, recognizing that the best way to increase business is by word of mouth!
I honestly can’t say enough good about them, look no further, this is the last body shop you will ever need.
I’d give even more stars if I could!!!

Even my overcritical self can agree that this shop is pretty terrific. Based on the reviews I sought this shop out, none to easy I might add, since they are bit hard to find and at the end of a long line of businesses on one long stretch of a building. Once I did, I was met with one of three brothers who works there. He doesn’t speak perfect English, but he was super nice and seems to really know his business of making cars like new again.
So, after a quick estimate with the body mechanic, I put my Audi A5 in their hands. I had a couple of out of the blue scraps on my bumper that I noticed recently. They started working on my car right away and it was done in just a couple of hours.
When I say I can’t tell there was ever an «issue», I’m seriously telling you it’s true. I’m a bit OCD, and they did a miraculous job of matching my paint and making it like there was never an issue. Best yet, I didn’t have to deal with insurance or huge out of pocket costs. My new favorite local body shop is this one. Yep, terrific work, super nice, and very honest people. I would not hesitate referring friends or going any time again.
Thanks!

I stopped by Like New Auto Body about a month ago after I hit another car in a parking lot. I really didn’t have the money to fix it completely and called Arturo to see what he could do. For $ 150 he was able to take the dent out and rubbed out most of the scratches. All of this in under 30 minutes! Completely amazing! I would strongly suggest coming here! Arturo is extremely friendly and will work with you. You will never see this business by driving down the street as it is hidden way behind a bunch of buildings, so call ahead of time and Arturo can even come meet you at the street to help you find the business. Hopefully I won’t need to see them again, but if I do, I know they will take care of me!

I got my brand new Toyota Corolla 2013 literally a month and a half ago. Being the genius that I am, I backed into a sign in my work parking lot. I was devastated. The bumper was scratched and my taillight was broken. I felt like an absolute schmuck and had no idea who could fix it for a good price while doing an amazing job.
Thank you UnilocalERS! It was because of all the amazing reviews that I decided to turn to Arturo for help. He worked with me, gave me an amazing deal AND my car looks brand new again! Thank you guys for the excellent job!

Brought my car in after backing up into my next door neighbor’s car… ouch… to get an estimate but then had to wait until my insurance claims adjustor came out to look at the damage. They approved the amount and highly recommended Like New Auto Body and said they were very honest and hard workers. So dropped the car off to Arturo Tello there and he took great care of the car. Looks as good as new! Very pleased with the outcome and would highly recommend anyone needing their car repaired to take it to them…

First I have to say thank you to the Unilocalers who turned me on to this shop. It was because of you that I was able to find what I consider the best bodyshop in SD. I used to go to ‘Carter Collision’ in Santee back in the day and the guys at ‘Like New’ blow them out of the water. So thanks for helping me see the light. Now onto the review:
They do great work. They live by their name «Like New». I think they should actually change their name to «Better than New» lol it’s that good. Clean & tight fit & finish. I honestly cannot tell there was ever any damage. (I have a very discriminating eye when it comes to this stuff as I’ve been in more accidents than I’d like to admit). they get an A+++ on workmanship and another A+++ on service.
Don’t expect a fancy waiting room with leather couches, a pretty receptionist and cable TV. You won’t get any of that. What you will get is a pair of hard working (brothers I think) who know their trade and know how to take care of their customers.
I will definitely recommend them whole-​heartedly when my friends/​fam ask where I took my car. I hope I never have to come here again, but not in the bad way… in the good way! Pick up the phone and call, I think the number rings the owner’s cell. He does text as well as email & fax. You can’t get much better service. His prices are also the best around.
Thanks for reading!

Arturo is a man of his word! I was nervous to find a good auto body place and used Unilocal to discover this hidden shop!
I came in with two messed up bumpers (from my fantastic driving) and rims that looked like they had been in a cheese grater. He not only took care of these problems but polished my headlights and fixed the paint on my rear view mirror. My car is a Honda Accord Coupe and is a 2008 it now looks like I bought it yesterday! SOOOO HAPPY!!!
My paint is a blue pearl color and is hard to match but I can not even tell there was ever any damage!
I did not have insurance to cover his service but his price could not be beaten. His service was great! Thank you guys.

Where do I begin… In the last 6 months I’ve had the worst luck with my car. When I backed into a pole I came to Arturo because my bestfriend had strongly recommended his shop after they had worked on his brand new dodge challenger. It looked fantastic! And with his five star rating on Unilocal I was sold.
Arturo is always available to speak to and easy to work with. He is true to his word and true to his price (which is always affordable). He will go to the ends of the Earth to make sure you are taken care of.
Thank You Arturo!