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Thread: Recommended Body Shop / Refinishing Shop Massachusetts Area

  1. #1
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    Recommended Body Shop / Refinishing Shop Massachusetts Area

    OK. Did a search and came up dry. Need some recommendations for auto body work / refinishing. Not for my BMW but for my nearly-new GTI. Driving along the other day on 495 getting ready to pass a dump truck when said dump truck's tailgate opens and a few cubic yards of hot asphalt comes pouring of the back. WTF, indeed. While no structural damage, nearly every panel has numerous rock strike damage from dents to gouges to deep scratches. Want to take it some place good. Right now I'm seriously looking at King Collision (Plymouth) as they are "certified" by VW (for past 11 years) and many other OEMs and a look at their shop was positive.

    Can anybody provide their recommendations? Anyone have experience at King Collision?

  2. #2
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    u live in mass... woodys is hands down the best. $40 an hour labor. They just did my fathers camaro came out beautiful.

  3. #3
    MauiM3Mania's Avatar
    MauiM3Mania is offline Observer/Master Skeptic Moderator
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    geargrinder's Avatar
    geargrinder is offline Having No Trouble Here BMW CCA Member
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    Key question is "where in Mass". I got at least 3-5 good reccs but they're between north-side and far-north of the city. I take it you're south coast, something like that?
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    Quote Originally Posted by geargrinder View Post
    Key question is "where in Mass". I got at least 3-5 good reccs but they're between north-side and far-north of the city. I take it you're south coast, something like that?

    Anywhere from Cape Cod up to and including southern NH in terms of north/south and as far west as Framingham seems reasonable to me.

  6. #6
    geargrinder's Avatar
    geargrinder is offline Having No Trouble Here BMW CCA Member
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    Here's the thing to know. If you want to go to the top-notch sexy specialist shops, they'll almost always charge you an overage fee per-hour over what your insurance will pay for, to cover for the fact that they are paying true specialist pros to take their time and do it right, and to deal w/ the fact that the insurance co's usually pay lousing hourly rates (and are happy for you to go to cheapy-Joe's-house-of-Bondo because its not their car, they just want to get out of it as cheap as possible). A good example of what a top-notch shop does 'extra' for instance with my M3 - recently I got a new hood and fenders redone at same time due to a tree-branch incident, and they made sure to paint the underside of hood in the same correct color code for the engine bay paint for the car, vs leaving it primer, or just shooting it with the top color etc. which is what a cheapy joint would do... In a way the ones who charge extra is a bit of a litmus test for who the best guys are, but, it sucks having to pay more of course if you can get insurance to pay for it and still get a quality job.

    The other thing to be aware of is how well the shop works the insurance companies - if the repair needs more work or parts than the adjuster wrote up, will they work hard to get a supplement approved and argue with the insurance company about whats required to do it right vs knocking out the bare minimum hack job to get the car out the door and get paid.

    Mike's Autobody in Malden. Do a lot of the higher end German cars - Porsche & M-cars & S/RS Audis etc. Do immaculate work. Well known and usually pretty booked out. They have another shop up in Burlington or someplace but the top notch guys and special projects all get done at the little place in Malden. I take my BMW's to Mike, did great job on the M3 recently. Do charge overage charges, which are higher for Porsche & M-cars cuz they only let the top guys work on those. If you use their Burlington shop they might do straight-insurance rate there, I dunno...

    Anchor in Woburn. Used to do a lot of Audi work I know, we've taken the wife's car there several times (which obv is basically a VW 2.0T DSG GTI dressed up in an Audi costume...), really nice people, great service, super nice, they love my dog and claim if we don't bring her when we come to pickup, they won't give the car back. I think they'll do straight insurance-rate work but you'll need to check if they sometimes have a fee, I don't recall.

    Used to be Dick's in Somerville but apparently they closed a couple years ago. That's a shame, they also did great work and were great w/ working the insurance company for you. I'm gonna guess the shut down because they could sell the shop for $10M dollars to build swanky Davis Sq condos on, the same way Metric Systems turned into a (great) craft brewery.

    If you really want to drive far (and get spendy), Sublime Restorations up in SNH is premier. But you'll wait a long time. Both to get in and to get your car back. Aren't really enthused about insurance work, really are more about doing minty resto or project cars over the long term... For SURE a big overage charge, I suspect in some ways to ward off insurance work because they don't need it. But probably one of the very best shops in New England.
    2003 M3CicM6 TiAg
    2002 540iT Sport Vortech S/C 6MT LSD TiAg
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  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by geargrinder View Post
    Here's the thing to know. If you want to go to the top-notch sexy specialist shops, they'll almost always charge you an overage fee per-hour over what your insurance will pay for, to cover for the fact that they are paying true specialist pros to take their time and do it right, and to deal w/ the fact that the insurance co's usually pay lousing hourly rates (and are happy for you to go to cheapy-Joe's-house-of-Bondo because its not their car, they just want to get out of it as cheap as possible). A good example of what a top-notch shop does 'extra' for instance with my M3 - recently I got a new hood and fenders redone at same time due to a tree-branch incident, and they made sure to paint the underside of hood in the same correct color code for the engine bay paint for the car, vs leaving it primer, or just shooting it with the top color etc. which is what a cheapy joint would do... In a way the ones who charge extra is a bit of a litmus test for who the best guys are, but, it sucks having to pay more of course if you can get insurance to pay for it and still get a quality job.

    The other thing to be aware of is how well the shop works the insurance companies - if the repair needs more work or parts than the adjuster wrote up, will they work hard to get a supplement approved and argue with the insurance company about whats required to do it right vs knocking out the bare minimum hack job to get the car out the door and get paid.

    Mike's Autobody in Malden. Do a lot of the higher end German cars - Porsche & M-cars & S/RS Audis etc. Do immaculate work. Well known and usually pretty booked out. They have another shop up in Burlington or someplace but the top notch guys and special projects all get done at the little place in Malden. I take my BMW's to Mike, did great job on the M3 recently. Do charge overage charges, which are higher for Porsche & M-cars cuz they only let the top guys work on those. If you use their Burlington shop they might do straight-insurance rate there, I dunno...

    Anchor in Woburn. Used to do a lot of Audi work I know, we've taken the wife's car there several times (which obv is basically a VW 2.0T DSG GTI dressed up in an Audi costume...), really nice people, great service, super nice, they love my dog and claim if we don't bring her when we come to pickup, they won't give the car back. I think they'll do straight insurance-rate work but you'll need to check if they sometimes have a fee, I don't recall.

    Used to be Dick's in Somerville but apparently they closed a couple years ago. That's a shame, they also did great work and were great w/ working the insurance company for you. I'm gonna guess the shut down because they could sell the shop for $10M dollars to build swanky Davis Sq condos on, the same way Metric Systems turned into a (great) craft brewery.

    If you really want to drive far (and get spendy), Sublime Restorations up in SNH is premier. But you'll wait a long time. Both to get in and to get your car back. Aren't really enthused about insurance work, really are more about doing minty resto or project cars over the long term... For SURE a big overage charge, I suspect in some ways to ward off insurance work because they don't need it. But probably one of the very best shops in New England.
    Super. Many thanks.

    Appraiser was here yesterday. Looks like car is going to be totaled by insurance company. While no structural damage the gravel strikes hit almost every panel on car and will require replacement of windshield, front grill, front bumper, headlights, foglights, two wheels, a/c condenser, sideview mirror covers. Car was in excellent, low mileage condition. Not sure what path this will all take from here.

  8. #8
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    I'll have to stop by Mike's in Malden; 2 minute drive from my house! I have a few rock-chips and misc stuff I'd like to get perfected.
    -Chris

  9. #9
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  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by upbeatgfx View Post
    u live in mass... woodys is hands down the best. $40 an hour labor. They just did my fathers camaro came out beautiful.
    Damn that is cheap, I will have to check them out. Thanks!

  11. #11
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    Need some body shop recs for around the Cambridge area. There's Mike's in Walden? What other good choices are there? Thanks.

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by scooper View Post
    Need some body shop recs for around the Cambridge area. There's Mike's in Walden? What other good choices are there? Thanks.
    Highly recommend Mike's in Malden. I would not go elsewhere, honestly. Good people. Not fast, not cheap, but great work and they stand by it, too.

    1999 Estoril/Gray M3

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