Independence Auto Body

I’ve been meaning to write this review for quite a while. Last year my SUV got broken into and I took it to Independence Auto Body to repair the damage. Jim Tidwell was exceptionally professional, honest, and helpful. The work was done fast, the damage was repaired with expert quality and attention to detail, and Jim took care of all the interactions with the typically stingy insurance company. Jim even took the initiative to repair a couple of unrelated things on the car and refused to take any money for doing that. The man is a true professional in every sense of the word. The least I can do to thank him for his kindness is to leave this review.
I hope to not need any body work on my SUV a long time (hopefully never), but if I do, this is definitely the place I’ll be taking it to.

I am clueless when it comes to cars/​vehicles, and given the bad reputation of many in the car repair business, I was very anxious when our SUV took a minor hit and needed fixing. Luckily, I live near Independence Auto Body.
Jim Tidwell was professional, transparent, efficient and simply did a VERY GOOD JOB! Our ride rolled in beat and worn, and rolled out looking shiny and brand new!
I sure wish I wouldn’t have to bring my car in for repairs (at least not anytime soon), but for as long as Jim Tidwell and his shop is there, I have no cause for worry.

Great service, honest and transparent, very happy with their work!

Jim is outstanding. Knowledgeable, friendly, honest, and his prices are very reasonable. We needed to replace the side mirror on our car. It would have been hard for us to be without the car for a long time, so Jim was able to get the new mirror painted and ready to go without keeping the car. When it was ready, he gave me a call and we brought the car over for him to install it. Within 3 hours we had the car back, and it looked perfect. He even gave us a little bottle of touch up paint to take home in case we get any scratches.
Jim is a top notch guy. I hope to never have to go back to him (knock on wood) but if the need arises, I will definitely use him again.

Stupidly backed into something again, argh! Went to see Jim at Independence on a Friday afternoon & he fixed it super fast, on the spot! At a great price too! I’ll always come back even though I moved to Santa Clara.

I could not be happier with the service that I received from Independence Auto Body.
Almost three weeks ago now I got involved in a major 4 car crash on the freeway. My car was in a pretty bad shape and definitely no longer suitable to drive at the time. I rode with the tow truck driver, and on the way to the tow yard, he highly recommended Independence Auto Body.
I did not know any body shop at the time, so I foolishly just agreed to have the car taken to another body shop recommended by my insurance company, and had a very unpleasant experience there which made me distrust their work. I also got the notion that this other body shop was doing everything they can to please the insurance company instead of the customer (me).
Then I remembered the tow truck driver’s recommendation and demanded to have the car taken to Independence Auto Body — that proved to be one of the smartest moves I have made this year.
Jim Tidwell, the manager of Independence Auto Body, is an honest guy who really strives to help out people and make his customers happy. In this day and age, when I feel like everyone in the auto industry is out to skin customers alive, he is a rare find. Jim went the extra mile with me — taking time to answer all my questions and concerns, even before I decided to have my car taken to his shop. He is very professional, and really took the time to go through the car and work on the detailed estimate. He is trustworthy and honest — he tells it to me like it is with no BS, and I very much appreciate that.
Going forward, I intend to use Independence Auto Body for all my auto body shop needs, and if you do, you won’t be disappointed too.

My teenager had her passenger mirror replaced. I sent her to get the work done with a check for the amount of the estimate. The work was impeccable and we were both perfectly satisfied. Then Jim called to tell me that the estimate was wrong because the job took less time than he had thought it would. He was calling to tell me we had overpaid!!! Unheard of and very appreciated! Thank you!

I recently had my 2012 VW Passat repaired at Independence Auto Body after running into a low pole in a parking lot. Working with Jim made this experience so much smoother than I ever expected. He is delightful, professional, pleasant, and has the customer’s best interest at heart all the time.
The work on my car was done incredibly well. My car is two years old and looks brand new again. It was immaculate when I picked it up, inside and out.
If you ever have the unfortunate circumstance where you need auto body work, don’t go anywhere else but Independence Auto Body. You will not regret the decision.

I followed some great recommendations to find Independence Auto Body. I’ve now gone to Jim three times, and every time has been a great experience. He is honest, knowledgeable, and does fantastic work. It’s great to go to a body shop that listens to the customer, and gives you all the options (not just the ones that make them the most money).

I read the amazing reviews for Independence Auto Body after being referred here by another auto body shop I had used in the past; the other shop was backed up at the time. So glad they referred me here! Unbelievably pleased with everything about the experience at Independence. Jim is a truly honest, straight-​talking, no-​nonsense, reliable, great communicating businessman who delivers on everything he says he’ll do, and then goes beyond expectations. I’m convinced he sees each job as if it were his car, and sets very high standards for himself. Pride in his work, clear communications, excellent work quality and customer satisfaction certainly are what this body shop is all about. Jim’s a true pleasure to do business with. The car looked absolutely GREAT (repainted the front and rear due to deteriorating clear coat, and removed some misc. scratches), and it was cheaper than what the high-​end body shop was going to charge if they had the time to do it. Over the decades we’ve lived here, we’ve had our share of ‘opportunities’ (with teen drivers, etc.) to use body shops after the accidents. In retrospect, none of them could come close to the quality of work and pleasant experience I had with Jim and his shop.

I recently had my BMW repaired at Independence Auto Body. Jim kept me informed throughout the process and the end result was fantastic. This is one of the few shops that hasn’t lost touch with high customer service and a great work product. I am very pleased with my choice and the shop worked out everything with my insurance company directly. Will recommend to my friends and family in the area if they ever need body work done.

Jim was absolutely amazing to work with. He dealt with our insurance company for us when they didn’t want to pay for half of the fixes we needed. We never even had to deal with the insurance company after filing the initial claim. It was the best autobody experience we’ve had.
Of course our car was fixed timely and beautifully.

I just had my front headlights fixed in a jiffy and at no cost with super friendly Jim and Alex there! And he gave me some solid advice on another little issue which also worked out for me. Definitely recommend them for their excellent, fast and friendly service!

I had an exceptional experience at Independence Auto Body. Jim really has a passion for the work he does. He made me feel very respected and listened to all my concerns and addressed all my questions. He made this very difficult time a breeze! I had high expectations of what my car should look when it was done. My car looks absolutely beautiful and I am so happy with the work that was completed. I will continue to bring any of my cars to his repair shop and will 100% recommend this place to my family and friends and anyone who needs collision damage repair.

Over the years Jim has repaired multiple cars for me. Each time he done an excellent job in a timely fashion. He is also great with insurance companies. Being involved in a car accident is very stressful, so if you are looking for someone to take care of you and your car in a calm, professional manner I recommend you give Jim a call.

I highly recommend Jim and Independence Auto Body to anyone who’s looking for a body shop. I just had my back bumper replaced due to a fender bender. Jim was quick and his work was perfect. He also worked with the insurance agent to provide a quote. He had the car ready earlier than expected and held it for until I came back from out of town. He even detailed it — the car looked brand new.
If you need a body shop, go to Jim! He’s fantastic.

I have gone to Jim at Independence auto body for several years and for several cars. Thankfully it’s quite infrequent that I need their services but whenever I do Jim makes it as smooth and enjoyable a process as I could imagine. They are very friendly and professional and with very reasonable prices. They have even done some work for me for free when they were able to make minor fixes on the spot when I dropped in unannounced.
I should have written this review years ago and I’m actually shocked they only a few reviews on Unilocal at the time of this review though I’m not surprised at all that they are all 5-​star reviews!
Definitely go here for anything related to your auto body needs.

The team here went far beyond what was required when repairing my car. They got all original parts when replacements were required, and for things they cannot do onsite (wheels, alignment) the work was done by highly rated places. I’m very happy with the end result.
Jim kept me upto date throughout the repairs, and he was happy to answer questions, even after the work was finished. Highly recommended!

Jim is really honest, trustworthy and provides quality work. I would recommend this shop to everyone!

Just got my front bumper replaced there. I was paying out of pocket, so I was looking around for a while. Independence was recommended to me by a friend (which per Jim is how they get their customers, they don’t have any huge signs or anything).
They did a great job on the car, made it ready sooner than it was supposed to be (He said. 2 – 3 days after he get parts from dealer, so estimate was 5 days, got the car on Friday afternoon: 3.5 days), for cheaper (apparently some part was not needed, so he didn’t charge me for that).
Going to a body shop is as much fun as going to a dentist, you don’t know how much pain or cost it would cause! But working with these guys, makes is as easy and as painless as it gets. The main thing for me, was the feeling that, unlike many of other body shops that try to charge as much as they could, they are actually doing an honest job and actually do care about their customers.