I've had hit and miss experiences here. My Toyota had small problems and was fixed just fine. But my Lexus was brought in with more extensive damage and it was a nightmare experience. 1) I had to bring it back many time to get things fixed right 2) the car never drove the same again 3) they missed like 4 deadlines on dates they promised and I would have to call them to get an update 4) it took forever 5)to boot, they lost my spare key fob which is expensive to replace. I think on some brands, they're just not optimized to deal with. If you have a Lexus, I would suggest you take it elsewhere. read more

Directed to Cologne from our State Farm Agent to fix a scratch down the side of my brand new, 2014 Mazda CX-5. After an earlier issue with body damage to my car (stupid vandalism) taking weeks and weeks to repair through another body shop, I was hesitant to deal with the hassles involved again. Luckily, my service at Cologne was top notch and SUPER fast! I dropped my car off on a Monday and received it back on Wednesday afternoon, beautifully refinished. They even told me to come back after 30 days and have my car waxed, since they couldn't do it so quickly after the paint work! Very happy with my service. I'd gladly recommend them to anyone! read more

Someone gave my car an unwanted love-tap in a parking lot. Cologne is one of State Farm's approved body shops, is located right down the block from where I live, and has great Yelp reviews -- so I went with them. Expectations? Absolutely met and exceeded. Dieter and Bill were courteous, professional, and had all the work done on the promised date. I even asked how much it would cost to touch up an unrelated scratch, and they kindly offered to do it for free. Every interaction I had with them was great and I highly recommend them if you ever need to get your vehicle serviced. read more

I'm an easy customer with a difficult job. Let me explain. I have four Vespa scooters, all in need of paint. My goal was to keep two and get rid of two, and in the process, each would need the loving kindness of someone who knows how to wield an HVLP sprayer charged with urethane enamel. At the same time, this someone would need to understand the economics of painting a small, curvaceous motor scooter arriving in a dozen small parts, be conscientious enough to not let junk leave their shop, and give a damn enough to take the job on in the first place. Let me tell you about Cologne Auto Body, and in particular, Dieter who runs the place. All my interactions with auto body repair shops in my life have ranged thus far from lousy to crappy. It's a difficult profession to be in, I know: insurance companies pretty much dictate what anyone is able to charge for anything, rather like health care in this nation. The result is often that nobody ends up happy: paint full of dirt is the typical result as little attention can be paid to detail when margins are thin. Dieter Willms is a rare exception to the rule. After six other shops refused to even talk to me about painting something as odd for them as a Vespa scooter, Dieter was happy to take on the job. I explained I wasn't in a hurry. I explained I wanted a respectable quality job, not show-quality, but not embarrassing like some Vespa scooters I've seen leave other shops. It needed to be a re-spray that made sense after the money was laid down. Dieter came through. I have a beautiful scooter - MUCH more so than I had any right to expect for the sum I paid Cologne to do the job. When something fell on one of the parts, he pointed out that it was probably an accident in their shop and insisted they respray the part. I am quite simply in awe of the professionalism and the pride in workmanship I've seen so far, and would not hesitate to recommend this shop to anyone in need of paint or bodywork. You can get away with much less in this line of work, and I've received much less for much more money paid in the past. Way to go, Cologne - and Dieter, you're painting the remaining three Vespas, and anything else that comes up meanwhile. Couldn't be happier! read more

My BMW 650 was brought here after another auto body repair place did an extremely below grade and dangerous repair job on an accident claim. Without going into a long drawn out story, Luis at Cologne not only fixed my car properly, he was attentive, professional, and continually updated me on my car's progress. Luis at Cologne is definitely a delightful breath of fresh air when it comes to being honest and doing the things right. It's good to see that Small businesses like this is still exist and customer service is live and well. Thank you Luis and if I ever need an auto body repair place again, you will be it! read more

I partially pulled the bumper off my brother's Volvo convertible. I brought it into Cologne, praying it wouldn't cost me too much. Luis could not have been friendlier or more helpful. He fixed it in 10 minutes and literally refused to accept payment. This is during CoVid. Obviously why my brother likes this place. read more

I've since been back twice since my original review (people just seem to love hitting my car!), and the service and workmanship has been consistent every time. Dieter is always so friendly and helpful. Since I was so pleased with their exterior work on my car, I've started bringing it there for regular oil changes as well. They do a great job, and last time when I came to pick up my car, they had washed and waxed it, as well as cleaned the interior! Can't beat that. read more

My car is like brand new again!!! Some gal ran into the side of my 2003 VW Passat in a parking lot while we were both moving. My insurance company has Cologne Auto Body as one of the companies to work with. The car had some minor scratches. The biggest concern for me was the rear wheel alignment where the impact took place. They checked out the alignment and reassured me there was nothing to worry about. When I went to pick up the car there was a scratched bumper area we had talked about and was overlooked. They asked me to bring the car in after a month of the work being done to fix the bumper area and give it a detail. When I went to pick it up, the bumper work was completed at no extra charge and they had not only detailed the car, they also gave it a clear coat! It now drives well and shines from the inside out. Nobody wants to be in the position of having bodywork done. If I have to make the choice again the decision will be a breeze. From the first time I spoke to them on the phone to the time I drove off their lot I was treated with respect and integrity. These guys know the meaning of Customer Care! read more

So far it's been a great experience (other than the accident I got in of course which I will keep off of yelp as I will surely violate their language policy). Cologne is an approved auto body through State Farm which is great as if unforeseen costs arise that they didn't see, it's approved right away to get fixed. I called to check their schedule and Dieter (I believe the owner) answered my questions right away. Dropping off my truck was painless and he has kept me updated as to progress on the truck. Will update once I get my truck back and have an inspection done! read more

I had body work done at Cologne Auto Body 6 times in the last few years. I also referred several friends and family there. Every job was perfect. If there were any issues or concerns after the jobs were completed, Cologne resolved the issues immediately and without question. Several of cars had minor problems unrelated to the accident and body work. Cologne was always willing to work with me to resolve some the unrelated issues for a reasonable price As far as I am concerned, anyone who rates Cologne poorly is either unreasonable, a problem customer, or does not understand the complexities of the auto body business. There is no way any reasonable and credible person can claim to have a bad experience at Cologne Auto Body. read more

I have a Black 2003 BMW 325Ci that was hit on the left front fender and broke my left mirror off. I was referred to Cologne by a co-worker and looked them up on this site. The owner, Dieter worked with the insurance claims adjuster and saw to it that the repair was done properly. When I dropped the car off Dieter asked if I wanted to have the car painted from the doors for forward to get rid of the rock chips. Since it was beyond what the insurance would pay for, he quoted me an excellent price. I picked it up today and was stunned at how good it looks. Cologne performed unquestionably superb work. The panel gaps and paint match are second to none. Remember, this is an 8 year old black paint job. I dare anybody to try and find the paint lines. Their customer service is also excellent and all are very personable. Any such work in the future will not be done by anybody else but Cologne. If you're reading these reviews to make a decision just count the stars. read more

Took my car to Cologne Auto Body after getting rear ended and Luis was amazing to deal with. It was a big repair and he got the repairs done quickly. He communicated through out repair process and great to work with and you will not be disappointed with his customer service and quality of the repairs. read more

I have had two occasions over the past three months to use Cologne Auto Body. Luis helped us with work on our car and our truck. He was extremely knowledgeable, efficient, and friendly. He earned my trust right away. No matter how busy he was, he took the time to explain everything so there were no surprises. His crews did a fantastic job at more than a reasonable price. I highly recommend Cologne Auto Body! read more

Brought our second car here for 2 separate claims and repairs. They made it seamless and Luis always keeps us up to date. Professional, great work and just a pleasure to do business with. I recommend to anyone looking for a great spot. read more

I had the misfortune of someone backing up into the front of my car. My insurance company local agents referred me to Cologne and they did a fantastic job with the body work and painting required ($8k worth). Not only with the finished product (my car has never looked so good and the non damaged areas were restored to their full lustre) but also with keeping me updated along the way. Luis is very professional and easy to work with, and the car was ready in just 1 week as he promised it to me. I had a first class experience and after seeing how fantastic their detailing service is, I might be going back in a year for that service! read more

Wow! Fantastic customer communication and updates. Seamless interface with my insurance company. Luis already had ALL information necessary. All I needed to do was drop off my car and pay Luis my insurance deductible after the repair. The repair was perfect. I feel very fortunate that I chose Cologne for my repair. read more

My 21 year old van was hit on the side, damaging 2 doors. Because of the age of the car, I knew if the quote would be high enough, that the insurance would have totaled the car, even though it only had 100k miles and runs great. The original quote to completely paint the whole side of the car because of the odds of exactly matching the color on such an old vehicle would definitely have gotten the car totaled, but Luis was great to work with, and in order to avoid losing the car, we made some compromises to just fix the doors and I would live with any slight color matches. They did the best job they could do to keep it under what we figured we needed to keep it. They did a great job of repairing the doors and completed it on schedule, and they did a pretty good job on matching the color as well. You can see the doors look much better than the rest of the car, but that is to be expected for such an old vehicle. The bottom line is that they worked with me to do the best job they could do an avoid it being totaled. There is no way I could replace it with such a low mileage van in the shape it is in. I know because somebody totaled my last van, and it took me well over a year to find this one! My hats off to Luis and the guys who did the repairs for saving my car and doing such a nice job! read more

I dealt with Luis at this auto body shop. As someone else said in their review, Luis could not have been nicer. He was very clear exactly what needed to be done to repair my car and since we were paying ourselves for the repair, he tried to give us the lowest price possible. He also did some extra touch up work without charging us extra. I highly recommend this company. My car turned out beautiful. read more

I never have written a review, but we were so impressed with our experience that we had to let everyone know. Cologne is under new management and they went over and beyond in fixing a repair gone bad by the former owners. We are so grateful....They left our car like new! It was a fast, efficient repair and it looks a million times better !!!!! We highly recommend Cologne auto body. Luis and his crew will take good care of you! read more

I would give them 6 stars if I could. I had a minor fender-bender on the right rear of my civic. Called Dieter, He was very nice on the phone. I came in, he was very nice and accommodating in person. Everything was ready, all i had to do was drop the key and sign. He told me it would be ready by Tuesday ( dropped it off Sunday morning)- I was not expecting it that fast. It was ready, as promised on Tuesday. The work was immaculate, car was clean inside and out. Dieter even offered to wax the car for free at a later date!! That is unheard of. I worked in the car repair business for 10 years, as a mechanic, and service adviser. I know good service at a repair shop, and am very critical of shops. I will recommend this body shop to everyone I know. Thank you Cologne Auto Body!!!! read more

I've been a 15+ year customer of Cologne Auto Body in Belmont and saw the ownership transition from Dieter to Luis Leiva. Luis has done Dieter proud with his incredibly friendly, prompt and high-quality car repair. In the past 2 months he's repaired my Mercedes and my daughter's VW Passat. The detail work was exceptional, on-time and on-budget. Luis kindly helped coordinate a rental car for me as well. You cannot go wrong here! read more

***DO NOT TAKE YOUR CAR TO COLOGNE*** I took my car to this shop after it was nearly totaled by a speeding driver while it was parked in front of my home. Since the owner *was* a family friend of my husband's, the last thing I expected was to have a nightmare situation made even more hellish by the repair experience. After promising to have it ready in a month, they kept the car for several more. When trying to receive clarification from the owner as to the work done to the car, I was treated horribly and rudely...even made to feel as if I were attempting to get more out of the insurance company than should be expected. We brought the car back and forth several times due to obvious issues with the suspension and overall ride. I was given utterly lame excuses for the loud noise coming from the undercarriage ("it's the new tires--they will be noisy) and the exaggerated shimmying the car went through during a ride regardless of distance, condition of the road or speed ("it's all in your head...). Long story short, I ended up taking it to Rector Audi's shop after becoming fed up with Cologne and knowing instinctively my car was NOT the same as before the crash: immaculate both mechanically and aesthetically. Rector found they ignored and sent me home with a broken steering column, did a shoddy job with repairing the suspension, AND did some serious damage when reattaching the engine to the motor mounts INCORRECTLY. I was told I could have easily gotten in a grave accident with the condition of the repair I was sent home with from Cologne. As a reminder of the Cologne ABS nightmare months later, I noticed while detailing my car that the area they repainted was not matched well, did not cure properly and had several cosmetic dings and bumps on surface. LAME upon LAME. This isn't a review on Rector (though I will be writing another one with five stars for how they resolved the problems with Cologne), so I'll skip them. Cologne is a shady business. I recommend--for your safety as well as peace of mind--not to send your auto their for repairs. read more

I've brought all of my cars here, and I always knew that these folks would do right by me and keep my car running smoothly. The last few visits have not gone so well. When I brought the car in a few weeks ago, I asked that they check the brakes as they were making noise. I was charged for the labor, but they did not check my brakes. I know this because the sound had grown so bad that I brought the car to a shop close to work because it didn't feel safe to drive it home. What that shop discovered was that my brakes were worn down to almost nothing. The rotors were damaged and had to be replaced. Additionally they found a cracked engine mount, broken struts, a cracked control arm, and an out amber bulb. With this much damage, it is clear to me that something didn't go right at Cologne Auto Body. I called Dieter to follow up on these issues. He passed me to Keith. Keith didn't remember my car or the issues (fair - they have a lot of cars come through), called me by someone else's name despite my correcting him, and misplaced my paperwork. He eventually told me that he would call me back once he found my paperwork. He didn't call back. After trying to reach him again, I called Dieter. I asked Dieter to explain what went wrong and what he would do to make it right. The damage to my car due to their negligence was significant. Having been in every 3000 to 5000 miles since summer of 2010 ... they should have seen the wear. More importantly, they should not have neglected to check my brakes. The conversation with Dieter ended when he hung up on me. I had hoped to resolve this, understand what went wrong, and return to Cologne Auto Body. That will not happen. I am certainly not a valued customer there. I have sent them a number of customers over the last few years, I will be sharing with my friends and colleagues what happened and encourage them to look elsewhere for service on their cars. read more

These guys were great! I brought my car here after being rear-ended by a teenager in her parents SUV. They worked directly with my insurance company, State Farm, so billing was easy. Enterprise Rental Car is right around the corner, and picked me up and dropped me off at the shop. Not only did they fix up my poor car like new, but they cleaned it inside and out, and even waxed it. People think I bought a brand new car it looks so pretty! Thanks Cologne! read more

I came in for a estimate. Older guy came out looked at the car, took pictures of the damage, and my vin. He didn't write anything down. He had a notepad but didn't use it. He gave me a verbal number and I told him that was fine but unneeded a written estimate to submit for insurance. He said he would email it to me and never did. If you didn't want the job you should have just told me. Don't lie and promise something you don't have any intention on delivering. A complete waste of time. It also delayed my submission process with insurance. There are just too many other good body shops that follow up and actually want to help their customers read more

I have an Acura NSX which is a fairly rare and unconventional car. A few Bay Area shops claim to employ factory-trained NSX technicians, but I have had some pretty shoddy work done on the car at some of those places so I have to wonder if, 20 years in, those factory-trained techs have learned the art of delegation... In any case, Jim at Cologne Auto Body is the ideal NSX tech. Being an owner himself, he knows these cars inside and out. He is a skilled diagnostician and, best of all, a patient explainer of the car's many secrets. His own standards for quality of work are very high. My NSX was rear-ended and repaired (to the tune of $10k) by Jim at Cologne. While he was working on the car, he kept me updated about a number of things he found that weren't related to the accident but could use some attention. He even took some extra time and, for free, diagnosed a few minor issues I had been having with the car before the accident, and recommended some fixes. I'm sad that it took a collision accident for me to discover what a great NSX tech (and all around generally helpful and great guy) Cologne Auto Body has on staff -- but they've since earned a lifetime customer. They will work on my cool car AND my boring car! They are a bit further away from me than some other reputable garages but in my opinion these guys are worth the drive. read more

We took our car to Cologne Auto Body Last year after my wife was rear ended on her way to work. We were very pleased with the whole process. They even have a website where you can take a look at the progress of repairs to your car. The repairs were excellent and they even detailed the car for us. Way to go Cologne Auto Body. read more

I highly recommend Cologne. Luis is courteous, responsive, professional, and trustworthy. He took care of my daughter's car quickly and even went the extra mile to ensure it looked in tip top shape when we got it back. read more

Disappointed to even write this but the lady for the State Farm rep who is the one that checks the quotes etc. is so bad. I tried to let her know that the bumper situation was completely the other party's fault and she did not really give me a fair estimate. if you are able to go somewhere else, definitely do. She is not good at her job and wa slate even in the appointment portion of the schedule. Seriously, go somewhere else if you can. she is that inexperienced and unhelpful. read more

Unfortunately I can't leave less than a 1 one star review. We are an auto dismantler here in rancho cordova, and we sell parts through a website called PartsTrader, where repair shops send requests for parts. Dieter sent me an order request for a 2013 Honda Accord headlight, and before sending it out, I confirmed what exact model he had, price, as well as condition. I even sent him photos of the part. Then I get a call from the delivery driver (who I paid $50), and he says that Dieter says it was "different". What does than even mean? I try calling the shop, and of course they keep sending me to voicemail. Guy is too sissy to answer and own up to his mistake. We are not a free service for show and tell, he doesn't understand that now we lose money just because he doesn't want the part anymore. Well, now I won't ever sell parts to them anymore. Good luck squirt. read more

Update: Since they did such a great job with my fender bender, I decided to bring my car back to have them install a custom bike rack. Once again, the did a fantastic job. read more

Jim Russell operates out of this shop. He's an experienced mechanic and customers benefit from his skills and experience; but he also is very service oriented and uses his network to confer on ideas or just share his experiences if he comes across a new one (which he did in one of my cars). All of that combined makes for my cars being maintained or repaired very well. If you are in the Bay Area and looking for someone that knows the NSX, he's a good tech to bring your car to. There's a lot of Acura experience from his days at Acura and he is a Master NSX Technician if I remember correctly. He's great with the daily driver too. read more

2 unfortunate accidents in 3 years. One to each of our cars. Injured in one accident. The employees were sympathetic and understanding as well as professional and gifted in their repair work. Having the repairs done at Cologne made very stressful times sooo much easier to handle. The added detail work on the cars was icing on the cake!! You feel so good when you pick up your "Brand new" car! Thank you Cologne! read more

Had damage on our minivan and our insurance gave us a list of repair shops to choose from...I chose Cologne and IT WAS THE RIGHT DECISION. Dieter was professional, courteous and HONEST. Fixed the minivan on-time and it looks great! A+ Outstanding!! Thank you! read more

superior customer service, fast and efficient service. Cologne worked on my 2005 Acura TSX, and did a wonderful job. i'm glad i took it to them, as i got the car in a better condition that i had it in..... Dieter, the owner personally takes care of each individual job he gets, and makes sure the job gets done right. several dealerships use Cologne as their choice for body work, as i was referred to Cologne by my Acura dealership... All my parts were replaced by genuine dealership parts. feel free to email me if you have any questions about this shop... "A Job well done Dieter and the team". Thank You. Tesh. read more

My five day estimate is going on almost a month at this point and my car is together but is still missing a part and requires some 'fit and finish' before the job can be considered complete. After my five day estimate turned into an eleven day project I was able to take my car home again. There is still a missing part and the rush job they did to get my vehicle back to me still requires 'fit and finish'. Dieter tells me that he can maybe have it all done in another month. Seriously? He should have told me that instead of 'five days' when I was shopping around. At this rate it will be February before my car is completely back together. Cologne Auto Body came as a recommendation from my insurance company however I am reporting my lousy service to that insurance company once the job is finally done, whenever that actually happens. Perhaps I'll feel better and upgrade my review after Deiter 'wows' me with great follow up service however I'm not holding my breath. read more

I couldn't say more about how great my experience was with Cologne. I had a fairly minor accident but also needed other body repairs right at the start of the pandemic. I had been working with the manager, Luis, and when I told him I wanted to delay the work, which was already scheduled, due to the pandemic, he was extremely understanding. I worked near Cologne, but was not going near there anymore. He remained in touch in with me and when I was again in the area, and could arrange for the work to be done, he quickly worked with me to get the parts reordered and get the work done. Not only did they complete a top notch repair on my vehicle, as quoted, but they also cleaned and detailed the vehicle on top of everything. Luis was communicative and helpful at all times. When I did go into the shop, they were practicing pandemic protocols and I definitely felt comfortable. As I told Luis, while I hope I don't need their services again :-), I would certainly return to their establishment in the event that I did. 5+ Stars! read more

If you are looking for a reliable shop, LOOK NO FURTHER! Cologne Auto Body is, hands down, the best place I've been to on the peninsula since moving here from Chicago. EXCELLENT customer service, reasonable quotes and pricing, and QUALITY work. Jim and his staff are top notch experts at what they do. Very friendly and helpful both on the phone and in person. I've been here several times: for an accident, for detailing, and for work from a prior accident that was fixed incorrectly somewhere else. They are great at explaining what needs to be done versus what should be done and are helpful every step of the way. On my last service, they even cleaned the entire inside of my car. I will continue to come here whenever I need work or have a question about anything regarding my car. I hope that others may have the privilege to get service from Cologne. 5 STARS ALL THE WAY!!! read more

I was referred here by State Farm after I smashed the front of my car into a pole in a parking lot (I am pretty sure the pole moved as I was pulling out!) I had never heard of Cologne but they were a State Farm authorized auto body shop so I thought I would give them a shot and boy am I glad I did! They did a GREAT job on my car! Great customer service too! My car was done on time and a month later they had me bring it back to be waxed and detailed and it looked brand new! I am very happy with their work and service. I hope not to have to go back but if I need more body work on any of our cars, I will definitely go back to Cologne! read more

I had my car brought to Cologne to repair damage to the front. It is a pearl color that is notoriously difficult to match, but it came out as a perfect match, and I could not be more pleased. They did great work and communicated well. I would not hesitate to use them again. read more