Who are You Gonna Call after an Accident?
By Pasadena Independent
Published: Friday, May 8th, 2009
The Great Body Shop Debate
By Terry Miller
It was lovely warm evening, so I took the old 4-banger (MGB) out for a spin to run an errand. I parked the car, quickly ran into the store, out again in five minutes. Upon returning to the parking spot, I found no little red sports car. After looking around a bit I noticed it had travelled some 500 feet, in reverse, and came to rest at a concrete wall. Ouch!
It’s important to note that no one was hurt in this incident. My ego, on the other hand was considerably injured when I realized what a fool I was for not paying attention to that all important handbrake.
As soon as I wiped the egg off my face, I needed to get an estimate for the damage I had caused to my baby! The first stop was an AAA recommended shop in Pasadena. When I got the estimate, I nearly lost my balance. The amount seemed unreasonably high for what were essentially a crumpled bumper and some body work where the light was located. It looked as though I was in need of a government bailout.
A little homework was in order here, and perhaps some more estimates. My anger with myself for causing such an unnecessary expense was only exceeded by the frustration of getting estimates for the work and making a decision on who would best do the work.
After several estimates I came across Arcadia Auto Body which is also part of Auto Square Body Shops in El Monte.
I pulled the car into their lot and was warmly greeted. I felt no pressure of a salesman/estimator that I had experienced elsewhere. They looked the car over, made some notes and went to the computer. I joked that it seemed like a lot of numbers were being input, and that it sounded very expensive!
The estimate took only a few minutes and I was truly ready for another nasty bottom line. I was pleasantly surprised. The estimate was about one third of the original quote. The owner walked into the shop at the very time I was waiting for my estimate to be printed and we struck up a conversation.
Gerry Enders, owner of AutoSquare Collision Centers, introduced himself and discussed the business in general.
I wondered how auto body shops prices could vary so much! I then wondered why I hadn’t gone there (Arcadia Auto Body) in the first place.
Gerry Enders was open and honest about his business and obviously very knowledgeable about cars and body work, as well as paint. I immediately felt a good rapport with Gerry and the people who run Arcadia Auto Body.
My decision was made. "These are the guys" I said to myself.
I was told what the cost would be and the time it would take. I got a telephone call 8 hours prior to expected completion and the price was exactly what the estimate reflected, not a penny more!
My shiny new (seemed like it to me)’74 MG was back to its old self again with all its British glory … and detailed to a fine, shiny finish. They even vacuumed the car! I was genuinely awed with not only the workmanship but also the timely manner in which the job was completed. The body work was done perfectly and the paint superb! I was indisputably delighted.
I decided I wanted to know more about these guys so I set up an interview with Gerry in his El Monte Auto Square Body shop. The company has been in existence for over a decade and occupies an 11,000 square foot former car dealership on Valley Blvd. Auto Square has been in existence for over a decade and Arcadia Auto Body has been repairing cars since 1941.
Gerry Enders, father to a 12 year old boy and 9 year old girl, originally worked with his dad, James, in this business and is also keenly active in teaching others about the nuances of auto body work , management and automotive painting.
Once a month he flies off to Chicago where he teaches a class in Auto Body Management. After working for DuPont for many years, Gerry certainly knows paint inside out.
AutoSquare offers a flawless color match system that is fully guaranteed. We visited the paint mixing area which is a dazzling array of DuPont paints and a computer analyzer and even a light that simulates natural daylight to accurately determine the correct color of your car in the event of a cloudy day.
Having the owner on premises is a definite plus and being a CIC Class A facility with the latest equipment along with certified employees can only spell success.
According to Enders, South California has some of the toughest restrictions on air pollutants and AutoSquare Collision Center Body Shops have invested a great deal of money in keeping the government as well as its customers happy.
The term "Environmentally friendly" doesn’t always easily roll off the tongue, when one speaks of body shops. However at Enders’ Body Shops just about everything is recycled. All of the damaged and mangled metal and plastics are recycled and the cardboard boxes are carted away to a recycling center locally.
There are employees who have been with the company since its inception, which alone speaks volumes about a company.
For Enders and his 25 plus employees it is the workmanship that sells the company image best.
Since living in Los Angeles County virtually guarantees you’ll be visiting a body shop eventually, it’s good to have some background knowledge. Trust and integrity seem to be of paramount importance along with the workmanship and price. AutoSquare Collision center will be number one on my referral list and I’ll not hesitate to do business with them again should I be silly enough to leave my handbrake off again.
Auto Square is located at 11709 Valley Blvd in El Monte Phone 277-0022 and I40 East Saint Joseph Street in Arcadia . Phone 821.8669.
Gerry Enders, owner of AutoSquare Collision Centers in El Monte and Arcadia
Photo by Terry Miller
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