Balboa Auto Body

Repair was great, I had no problems with the actual work. My issue is that someone stole cash out of a closed compartment in my car while it was there for repair. I probably should have remembered to take it out, but I find it very shady that someone would open up the compartments of my car at all, nevermind stealing money. So for those reasons I would not recommend them.

THE BEST AUTO BODY SHOP. Seriously go here. Steve was the salesman who helped me and was great! So nice and professional, and my car looks brand new! I was 5 minutes late after they closed and a man named Leo reopened the store for me so I could pick up my car. Great service, great pricing, and awesome people. Never going anywhere else for auto work.

Ask for Steve! I would definitely give this autoshop a 5 Star. Steve is very friendly and knows how to talk to his customers and explain full detail. I like how he is willing to work with you and be honest about your repairs. I think there is a reason why insurance companies hire these guys to work with them. I took my car to his shop for a paint job on my bumper and driver side door & got to say that I’m very happy. Good job guys! Yes, I would recommend to my friends and family.

Was hit by a woman running a stop sign. Our insurance recommend BAB. After we had it towed there, their estimator claimed the car was totaled. He said he could not get the hood raised to see what the actual damage was underneath. I asked why someone who is in the body shop business could not simply take the hood off to accurately determine the damage to the front end underneath. He refused to do so and claimed the car was totalled, which it was not. After having to fight the insurance company for a fair value of the car (no comps in the local area to accurately value the car) for 2 – 3 days, we took the buy out, bought the car back from the insurance company, had the car towed somewhere else, and got the mostly superficial damage repaired without having to pay extra. As I was walking to the back of their lot to meet the tow truck at our car, one of their employees walked beside me the entire way and tried over and over to convience me to sell him our car. Obviously, they would have loved it if we had not bought the car back and they could have had a steal of a deal to profit from. The entire experience was so wrong and such a hassel on several levels I still shake my head when I have to drive by there on Balboa.

Went there to get an estimate for paint buff up and scratched rear bumper. He cleaned up those scratched/​paint stains on the car for free and asked us to buy touch up paint for those scratches from Toyota. The guy with the ponytail helped us so much, I never caught his name though, but great person. Whereas we got an estimate from Penske Collision Center for 3.5 grand. Yes! Those theives. I would recommend anyone to go there, since those people at least don’t try to rob you blind.

Let me first say that Steve is AMAZING! I honestly don’t know what I would do without him!
I have been taking my car here for years now and would never take my car anywhere else! Every time I have taken it in I get it back looking 100 times better than before. I have referred several friends to Steve and everyone has been more than satisfied!
If you need your car fixed, look no further. These guys will get the job done right the first time.

As a TV journalist I am always looking for a great story to tell. I recently found such a story at Balboa Auto Body. I recently brought my wife’s car to them after someone backed into it in what I thought was a minor fender bender. The damage turned out to be $ 2,500. Steve La Bella was absolutely the best in keeping me apprised of his dealings with insurance companies, car rental issues and the repair timeline. He called me repeatedly with updates and was completely upfront and honest about what we were dealing with. When I finally picked up the car after the repairs were done I couldn’t believe my eyes! In addition to it being repaired, Steve arranged for the entire car to be detailed both outside and inside… it looked brand new. This company oozes with competence and integrity!
John Soderman
KUSI-​TV

«They went the extra mile to communicate with me when there was a problem and provided a not only a good experience, but also a good customer service experience.»
About a month back someone put a huge dent in my rear qtr panel… after looking for quotes I settled on Balboa Auto Body. They did a great job fixing it up and they even took care of some light key scratches near the drivers side door.
…the story continues though. After getting my car back I noticed that there were some light scratches on the other qtr panel. I took my car back right away and we began looking at it and trying to figure out if it were missed in the initial claim or if it happened at the shop. At the end of the day, it was inconclusive so we had to wait to talk to the owner of the shop… We were not able to figure out where the scratches came from; if they were there before hand or not. What the shop did for me though was amazing. They offered to clean it up at a reduced price. They went the extra mile to communicate with me when there was a problem and provided a not only a good experience, but also a good customer service experience.

I have used Balboa Auto Body in the past and the work and communication by their staff was excellent. I had received 3 estimates and Balboa Auto Body was very reasonable but their reputation for quality work outweighed the others. I was very happy with the final results.
So I get hit again, in a different car and not too bad but looks like the tire from the other vehicle scuffed up the front corner of my car. I took it to Balboa Auto Body for an estimate. Steve took a look and said he may be able to use some product to just rub the marks away and then look for any scratches to the body. He came back with a rag and some product and started rubbing the black scuff marks away. We did not see any scratches, so Steve applied some wax to the area and then said he was finished. I asked him how much I owed him and he said nothing. Steve spent some time to fix the damage to my car and did not charge me anything. Exceptional customer service! These guys are very knowledgeable and do quality work. I’m a loyal customer, although I hope not too frequent. Thanks Steve.

So far… so great! My experience with Balboa Auto Body, and in particular Steve, has been one of the best customer service experiences I’ve had in a while.
I’m on an incredible time crunch with the repairs, given that I have to move out of the state next weekend. My situation and car were processed quickly and efficiently, with such a friendly accommodating experience. Steve completely understood and got started on the vehicle same day! Parts were ordered right in front of me and I got followed up with a few hours after and the car had already begun work.
Without Balboa Auto Body, I honestly would have had to make a few adjustments with near future life plans… No other body shop I went to today (3 different) were willing to help me out. Literally a saving grace. I couldn’t be more pleased and thankful.
Steve is Mega Chill !

I had what I like to call a «Christa moment» and backed my driver’s side rear view mirror into my garage. I completely destroyed it! My insurance company recommended this place and I made a run on my lunch break to drop it off. I thought it was going to be super expensive and require a rental car. When I got to the shop the guy I sat with was super nice. He called a parts place down the street and told me that it was $ 75 or so for the mirror and if I picked it up he’d pop it on and I’d be on my way. No claim. No deductible. No rental car. Just a trip down the street and waaay less money than I expected. I got the part and returned and they had me on my way in no time. I totally recommend this place. They are professionals and know what they are doing. They aren’t just trying to scam you out of money or give you BS.

Was referred to Balboa auto by Mercury, and had rear end damage, for the 2^nd time.
I dropped off my car to Steve Monday @9am, and received my car Wed 4:00p. As far as I am concerned, this is the fastest body shop i“ve ever dealt with.
Geez Steve, you guys are QUICK

It’s sad how many times I’ve been here! My car is accident prone and time after time I’ve brought my car here. I once was conned by a tow truck guy to take my car elsewhere and had a bad feeling, I called Fernando (who no longer works here) and he had his guy retrieve my car and pay for their tow truck guy and I didn’t have to go back to the hood to pick up my car! It was a big relief I didn’t have to deal with the owner of that autobody again. He did seem shady.
I have recommended all my friends and family to go here. I’m not an easy person to please; this place surely meets my standards and they truly are the best!

I have used Balboa Auto Body three times now for repairs on two different cars. What can I say, I have extremely bad luck when it comes to getting hit. The first time they repaired my primary car it all looked great on the outside, however some of the interior things weren’t quite meshing as they were before the accident. They were never able to fix that to my satisfaction so there’s my first negative, although not a big one.
The second time my pirmary car needed to be repaired was just recently. It looks great and was repaired faster than I was promised which is good — and bad. I got hit on the front right side and there was considerable damage which also affected certain mechanical components, not just the body, so I was worried when they got it done that quickly that they possibly missed something. WELL. I got the car back on a Thursday night and drove it to work on Friday. All seemed well. Took it in for an oil change on Saturday and ran errands. Still all good. Later Saturday went back out to get gas. I turn off the car at the gas station and see out of my rear view mirror nothing but tons and tons of smoke. I got out and asked the woman behind me if she saw where it was coming from, she said the tailpipe. The smell was unbelievable, SO pungent it made your eyes water and you couldn’t breathe. Being a Saturday I couldn’t call Balboa so I sent a text to my regular mechanic. Luckily he just happened to be at his shop still which was right down the street so he told me to bring it over. He saw all the smoke. He smelled the same smell. The smoke was SO bad that it removed the finish off of a sticker I had on my rear window. He was 100% sure we were smelling coolant. His first thought was blown headgasket but needed to do more diagnostics to confirm. He asked me to bring it back the next morning.
Next morning the car isn’t smoking anymore, isn’t that always the way. He did what he could do without tearing the car apart (why would I pay him to do that when it’s possibly related to the accident and subsequent repair?). The coolant level was low so he topped it off and told me to go ahead and drive and see what happens. At this point I’m terrified of driving my car for fear I’m going to damage something. I emailed Balboa and told them we had a potential problem. On Monday Fernando responded to my email saying he would have his manager call me. I get a call from Leo. This is where they get the one star rating. Leo treated me like I had a negative IQ. Totally condescending, his tone of voice was like he was talking to a mental patient that he didn’t want to set off. After explaining to him what went on over the weekend, he kept telling me «it’s normal for there to be some steam out of your tailpipe it’s just condensation.» UM NO IT WAS SMOKE how many times do I have to say this? After much going back and forth I ended up speaking to Chuck who had the same attitude as Leo. I asked them to call my mechanic so he could tell them what he saw on Saturday. Only then did they take my complaint seriously. After talking to a man. They ended up sending my car over to the dealer for them to look at it. After reading the paperwork from the dealer I hit the roof. They went ahead and told them their version of what I saw, not what my mechanic and I told them was happening. Seriously. These guys probably missed something on my repair and are doing everything they can to wash their hands of it. I will NEVER NEVER NEVER use them again, even if their body work is good. The way I was treated is totally unacceptable and should not be tolerated. Just waiting now for the coolant issue to cause another problem which I WILL be holding them responsible for!!!

My wife and I went here after a bad accident. Steve really helped us out and was very accurate and she. we could get our vehicle back. Would never use anyone else.

Amazing! Fast! Honest! After my car was involved in a hit and run, i dreaded the trip to an auto body shop. Thanks Unilocal for pointing me here when I needed a place to rely on!!! I’m a happy customer!!!

Extremely satisfied with my experience in dealing with this business. I had about $ 4K worth of damage to the front end of my late model SUV, and from the moment I brought my vehicle in to their shop, they were all over it. Came out and took a bunch of pictures, then followed up only a few hours later with the estimated damages, explained the claims process, and gave me an expected completion date, which was met. To my surprise, when I picked up my vehicle, they even buffed out other scratches around the body of the vehicle (away from the damage) on the house!
Business’s that provide this level of service are difficult to come by in this day and age… these guys are the real deal.

Very honest and helpful business. They were able to fix my car for FREE after I got quotes from two other auto body shops for $ 1k minimum. I can’t say enough good things about this business. Truly a great experience and I will be recommending them to everyone.
Honesty is hard to find in this industry and this company lives by it. Please see them before you agree to terms with any other auto body shop. I’m confident they’ll be able to help you better than most other businesses.

Took two weeks to replace my bumper and whatever you call that piece of metal on the side of the car around the wheel well.
Steve was nice, but always sounded rushed when I talked to him on the phone. He gave me some tips on getting other non-​body things fixed on my car, which I appreciated.
I wish it would’ve been faster, but I have no idea how long something like that is supposed to take.

I was told to come to this place by my insurance company (Mercury) after a guy rear ended me and basically forced me to crash into the car in front of me. Balboa Auto Body quoted me (really my insurance company since they were paying for it) at about $ 1,200 after taking a brief look. After taking off the bumper, they realized there was a lot more damage and it would be about $ 3,600 to fix. They made the call to Mercury and took care of the details and basically just called to tell me it would take a couple more days longer than expected.
Aside from that minor hitch, everything went as planned and I had no trouble. I was very satisfied with the repairs, and the staff was very friendly. I don’t know much about car repairs or the details involved but based on this experience, I’d probably come here again.