oh yippee, i get to be the first reviewer of this body shop AND it's my first yelp review ever. since i've been taking for the past couple of years, i suppose it's my turn to start giving back. *sigh* so true story. about a week after i move to LA having just taken ownership of my mother's car (yes, my mother lives in the rural midwest. yes, all 7 of the cars she's ever owned have been domestic with my lovely dodge being no exception) the damn thing needs a new part for the a/c. so, i'm driving back from friggin' west covina (no disrespect to those on the east side) when a giant meteor drops out of the sky and lands on the hood of my car causing a hideous softball-sized dent. okay, so i don't know if it was really a meteor or say a rock that bounced up from the shoulder, but in any event, i now had major damage. this was my welcome to LA after not having had a car for the past 5 years. i don't know any body shops. yelp is of no help in this dept. (c'mon yelpers, as good as you are with restaurant reviews, we need more reviews of services.) so i got a tip to check out this place from my sister who was involved in a fender bender a few years back, and the insurance company sent her here to see sergio and his son arno. sergio is one of those middle-aged men who looks like he could be someone's shady uncle but is really the nicest guy around. i got an estimate here and at two other places. now, this place had the intermediate cost, but they had pictures of celebrities on the wall with notes to sergio thanking him for the great work he'd done on their cars . . . and when i saw that susan sarandon vouched for the place, i decided to go with it. yes, i'm naive. they did an excellent job on my car and had it ready faster than they had estimated. the best part of my experience though was not just this repair but the fact that i've had a couple of . . . let's just say "mishaps" getting into my garage and both times i've gone back and had my car touched up at no cost. why? i get the sense that the people here want to keep their customers happy, and they do a great job of cultivating relationships. this place feels like family . . . the kind of place whose number you want to keep in your cell phone just in case something comes up with your car. the last time i was back a few days ago, i didn't see sergio, but brian helped me, and he was great . . . super friendly and got my car touched up and in and out in a flash. overall, if you need a dependable, honest body shop that you want to be able to rely on should anything come up, look no further. just one more thing. getting into and out of the cramped parking lot can be a bit tricky, so beware. also, i noticed that they'd remodeled the front office. it is a lot more comfortable but they took down the pictures of the celebrities. i wish they'd bring 'em back. read more

This place is the best! I've been a few times as it's a Mercury Insurance certified repair shop and I live down the street. This last visit was to replace the hatchback and side panel glass from a break in on my '06 Prius. They were super friendly, totally professional and fast. So fast that they had the car fully repaired in under a week but it took Mercury a few days to catch up and approve the work. When I picked up the car they had even buffed out a huge scratch on the front bumper, and washed the whole thing! Amazing work, can't recommend them enough. read more

Despite some of the negative reviews here, I recently got into a pretty bad accident with an '03 Mini Cooper and took it to Custom Auto Craft due to it being local and on Mercury's preferred list. Here's my impressions: The body work came back looking amazing, the clear coat was better than when I purchased the car new, and little things like seams and plastic that you never expect to be the same were perfectly aligned. I understand some folks saying the parking lot is tight and perhaps the guys are rushing around a little bit and might make "guy" comments but stop being so sensitive; you're going to a auto repair place, I grew up in Boston and compared to the guys who worked there, these guys were both friendly and patient. I guess everyone in LA expect that a guy is gonna come out and hand you a latte or some shit and listen to all of your problems, but this place is just about business and they're frank about it. I actually like that. If you're a girl and are afraid to go to place because a guy compliments you, even if it's a bit rude, you have so many more problems than car damage. My advice, get a boyfriend and have him bring the car down. Not trying to be a dick, but I have had two female neighbors go down for estimates after my experience and they said the guys were very nice and not at all like some of the reviews stated. Ed and Steve were the guys I mostly worked with, they were very frank with the estimates and the date of delivery. Linda was quite pleasant behind the counter. The car was a few days later than they estimated, but if you understand how repairs go, this is a pretty good estimate. All kinds of little shit comes up during repairs, especially with multiple guys working on the car, so you need to be patient. What they're doing here really is an art form so you shouldn't rush the work. In my case, a new clear bra had to be applied and they wanted it to set up nice, so I had no problem waiting a little longer. The results were unbelievably well done. In sum, if you understand body work and the skill required to do it right, I think you will be pleased with your experience. The work was second to none, the estimate and delivery date were both accurate, and the car looks better than new. read more

While backing out of a parking lot, I swiped the front bumper of a pristine 2008 black Cadillac. While most people would leave the scene and let the owner deal with the damages with his/her own insurance company, I sought out the owner (a lovely elderly lady who I soon realized was the type I know I'll grow into ... stubborn, never to be taken advantage of, and definitely driving only on her own highway!) who was in another salon. We didn't think the damages would amount to more than a couple of hundred dollars, and she suggested we proceed without our insurance companies. The owner took her car for 3 estimates, one of which was at Custom Auto Craft. We were appalled at the estimates! The complication was the front bumper has sensors. CAC and another shop quoted $700+ and Eli's Auto Center (at 8435 @ 3rd Street, LA 90048) wrote an obviously inflated estimate for $1500 for the exact same repair!!! I called my own shop and he quoted me $480 as a favor (Reza at Hi Tech Body). I suggested to the Cad owner that we take her car to my shop, but she complained it was too far (on Venice Blvd. close to La Brea -- only 2 miles from her home!!! "That's too far, dear. I don't leave the city." HAH!). So, I made a visit to CAC and explained my situation. They knew the owner of the Cadillac as she lived in the neighborhood and had been taking this car and her other car to them for years. They also knew she was picky and not flexible in her wants. Sergio, one of the owners, agreed to do the repair which he had previously quoted at $770, for $500 to help me out. One good deed deserves another! Thanks Sergio and Custom Auto Craft! PS: Karma is awesome! One month later, I received a refund check for $490 from the LA Superior Court -- I won a traffic violation I had contested last year!!! read more

This was the second time I had my car repaired at Custom Auto Craft! They are great! If you have Mercury Insurance they make it super easy for you too! They do beautiful work, the staff is friendly and informative. I hope I don't need them again... but if I do I would definately go back~ read more

Taking my car here was the worst mistake ever! I must admit that when I first read some of the reviews on here, I thought it seemed like a great place to take my car - i was dead WRONG! They ended up charging more than 30% over their estimate, took 1 week longer than they originally said it would take, and even after I picked up the car, it still had a major accident-related issue that they refused to fix!! The owner was completely RUDE and honestly - if you are a female - DO NOT go there alone. The shop workers stare, and one might even be balsy enough to comment on your legs like they did to me (I was dressed in a suit!). By far the worst service and results I have ever received. There are many other body shops in LA, i recommend this be a LAST resort. read more

After my windshield cracked I researched options. Weird thing is that repairing a windshield repair costs almost as much as replacing it. Ed was very helpful in explaining the various grades and prices. Price was right it line for what I needed and he turn around time was fast. Called it in and the next day it was done in an hour. I've used them in the past and there work is always top notch. Highly recommended! read more

I highly recommend Custom Auto Craft! Lucy was so knowledgeable, helpful and super pleasant to work with! All in all great customer service! I will say, I was hesitant to get my 2017 Lexus CT fixed at a place that wasn't a Lexus dealer. But I felt very comfortable after I spoke with Lucy, and I may or may not had ease dropped on a formal client dropping off her new Mercedes Benz and saying how she's been coming here for the last 7 years and is the only place she would trust her car. Not only was she a longtime client but was not a local, she was coming from OC. So after that, my gut feeling was to trust Custom Auto Craft. My expected return date for my car was 16 days from my drop off day. I got my car in 9 days! Lucy told me she knew I was paying for a rental and knew how expensive it was so they did their best to expedite the process. Goes to show genuine customer service! Every 3-4 days I was getting updated emails on the process of my car. They're truly amazing and trustworthy! I highly recommend them! They have a loyal client for years to come! read more

Avoid getting your car fixed here at all costs! They do great autobody work but everything else they are horrible at. I had to take my car back 4 times after getting it back because the power steering, computer and transmission were still messed up. I also found the power steering cap to be replaced by a rag with a rubber band around it. Take your car anywhere else in LA except here! read more

Someone recently hit my parked car so I had to call into my local body shops to seek advice for repair and a quote. I went to 3 places and Eddie at CAC stood out head and shoulders above the rest. It's so hard to know who you can trust when it comes to getting your car fixed; Eddie talked me through the best and most affordable way to get the car fixed and also picked up things that were wrong with the car that others didn't. Any work that needed to be done he explained to me in full, so I completely understood and didn't feel like I was being ripped off. I was kept up to date and informed during the time the car was being worked on and the customer service was superb. His prices are also very affordable and hard to beat. I highly recommend Custom Auto Craft. read more

I had such an incredible experience with this Auto Body Shop. They are located in the heart of LA and they couldn't have been nicer and more helpful. Specifically, Steve and Lucy, they were informative, kind and went above and beyond the call of duty. If only more automotive shops dealt with their customers like they had, we as--non car repair thinkers--would feel less like we were constantly being ripped off. I recommend HIGHLY to take your car here and definitely ask for Steve or Lucy--they are AMAZING!!! THANKS AGAIN!!! read more

The front-end bumper of my car was ruined by some guy who made ridiculous left-turn. It was not my fault, but the guy didn't have insurance or couldn't pay replacing the bumper. Luckily, I had full coverage and my insurance paid for it. They recommended Custom Auto Craft. Since I did not have a regular, I took the advice unfortunately. I brought in my car to CAC and entrusted it with them. After a week, I got it back with a new bumper. The replacement looked ok, but when I returned home the bumper was very louse. So I asked them to tighten it. They did, but they did by clipping with a plastic piece. It did not look bad, but the black clip is noticeable. Also, the emblem on the bumper was off-center. I asked them to center this too, but they said they couldn't anymore and that is the best they could. How hard is it to replace a bumper? Such a drag. I don't recommend CAC, and I am not coming back to them. read more

a short and quick review... a few years back, my car was damaged in an accident...took it to this place where it stayed for about 3-4 weeks. during that time something had fallen on my car's rear panel and dented it. when i came to pick up the car, i immediately noticed the damage at the rear and told an older guy about it....OF COURSE he denied any and all responsibility for the damage...he was even yelling about it...thankfully a younger guy stepped in and after reviewing the initial estimate, that showed no damage, etc., and after i was in mid-dial with my insurance company (THANK GAWD I CHOSE A COMPANY THAT WAS IN MY INSURANCE CARRIER'S PREFERRED LIST) to complain about this, they finally gave in and said they would fix it. one saving grace (which earned them a star above the 1) the younger guy did offer a full color sanding job at cost (370.00) versus it normally costing about 500-800. and even after it all, i'm pretty sure i didn't come out ahead... would i recommend...probably not. from what i understand the original guy (who was cool with me) is no longer there....so who knows now what's up... read more

I recently took my vehicle to Custom Auto Craft to be repaired following a break-in. The staff was incredible throughout the entire process. Lucy was informative, accommodating, and kind. She made me feel comfortable and well taken care the whole time. Lucy ensured that my vehicle was quickly and properly repaired, going above and beyond to accommodate my needs. At the front desk, Mary was extremely helpful and proactive. She kept me up to date from the estimation all the way through the vehicle repairs. I cannot say enough good things about this body shop - from the customer service to the delivered product, they far exceeded my expectations. read more

Custom Auto Craft is amazing. From Lucy that calls twice a week and could not be nicer, to Eddie who I worked with and the owner. They fixed my car beautifully. They worked so well with Mercury and helped me figure out the rental car. I am super impressed with the communication and the work. Plus, it's my second time there - Marie Louise Gonzalez read more

I have had satisfactory work done here in the past, but I recently went in for an estimate and got a quote of $1,400 to fix our car. We ended up taking it somewhere else and got it done beautifully for less than $400. $1,4000 or $400, which would you pick? read more

Getting in an accident is so frustrating! But when your insurance company hooks you up with the most amazing collision repair shop, it makes everything so much better! I cannot thank you guys enough! Mary, Lucy, and Ed! You guys were amazing! You always let me know what was going on with my car and kept me up to date! Thank you for being so reliable and thank you also for helping us out with our break pads and rotors for my truck. My truck looks amazing! My husband is very hard to please but he had not one negative thing to say about what you guys did to my truck! He just kept staring at it! And the icing on the cake? I had some scratches on my bumper and the paint was scratched off, they touched the bumper up with sone painy! AAAAAND, they washed my truck before my husband picked it up! Inside and outside was clean! I'm talking better than some car washes! Just A+++ service all the way around! You guys will be my go to collision repair place if I ever get involved in another fender bender! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! read more

Custom Auto Craft - top three photos are before and bottom three photos are after! - Body Shops Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Seriously the best of the best! I was referred to them years ago through Mercury Insurance after I was unhappy with the previous body shop Mercury had sent me to. I will ALWAYS take my car to Custom Auto Craft now! They are extremely professional and polite! Mary, who might be the sweetest person ever on the phone, was constantly giving me updates to the status of my car, and always made me feel like a priority. The repairs were done perfectly, and they even buffed out some old unsightly scratches I had on the other side of the car. Seriously the nicest people and they do beautiful work. What more could you want?? read more

Lucy and Mary are terrific! Very friendly, knowledgeable and professional. I can't tell you how comforting it was to work with Lucy after dealing w all the craziness of being in an accident. The shops work looks beautiful and I highly recommend their work. read more

This place is fantastic. I've had bodywork done here 3 times now (at the recommendation of my insurance company)- and each time, they continue to exceed my expectations. Mary is very courteous and efficient. She answers all my questions and keeps me up-to-date about all repairs. She has great communication with my insurance company, too. Lucy is so thorough with her inspections and overseeing the repairs. My car comes out of here looking brand new! Everyone I've encountered at Custom Auto Craft is incredibly professional and hospitable. Highly recommended. read more

I have been going here for years. The staff is wonderful. My car always looks new after they fix it. Very professional and honest group of people. I wouldn't go anywhere else for auto body needs. This place is the best! read more

I have to give this auto shop 5 stars! I can't say enough good things about the whole experience.They really go out of their way to help you & provide the best quality. Eddie exceeded my expectations with his skills & expertise. The quality of their work is unmatched. The best part is he even helped me find new car insurance:) Hopefully I won't need to go back anytime soon, but in the event of another accident I will definitely be a returning customer. read more

i had sent my sister and my niece to this shop from a referral from a long time reliable friend. they both had great experiences so,after hitting a big piece of a truck tire laying on the freeway on my brand new car, I decided to give them a try. I was surprised on how big and professional the place looked. From the phone conversation to being greeted on location everything was top notch. Eddie was very personable and professional from the get go. My car was done correctly and ready at the time I was told. It is very refreshing to find a place that takes pride in what they do and if you find yourself in need of a body shop,do yourself a favor and give them a call. read more

Took my car in for a paint job, everyone was so nice and got my car back in a few days and it looked great! Highly recommend

Great experience at Custom Auto Craft. Very professional, nice people at every stage of the process. They kept me informed throughout. Price was fair and my car looks great. Highly recommended. read more

I brought my car in here for some mechanical work because i saw their great reviews, i have to say i have never been happier. My car is pretty old (92 Camry) but its been reliable and I have been saving for new car. The last mechanic i went to wanted to charge me 1,200 to put in a new water pump and a few other things but i wast willing to spend that much on the car so I shopped around. When I walked into Custom's office I was greeted with a warm welcome , I told them my story and Eddie and Lucy told me they would do what they could to get me the best prices, 1 day later Eddie called me and told me he had shopped around for parts and they could do all the repairs my car needed for 450$ , 1/3 the price i had been quoted at other places. 2 days later i picked up my car and she was running better then ever, I'm definitely coming back here for any repairs in the future. read more

Amazing shop that went above and beyond when my Volvo was sideswiped one night parked in front of my house. The actual repair was amazing and was significantly better than work a previous shop had done for another repair. Their attention to detail was outstanding and they even fixed small things that the previous shop had messed up on without charging me or my insurance. Beyond their excellent work, their customer service was outstanding and not something that I am used to with car repair shops. Eddie and Mary (along with everyone else) walked me through the entire process and made me feel completely comfortable. They sent me daily email updates telling me the status of my car's repair, had an accurate estimate and finished the work ahead of schedule. I cannot say enough good things about their work quality and customer service and will definitely recommend them to anyone I know who needs body work done in the future. read more

Soooooooooooo happy to find this place!!!!!!!! I got in an accident and they did an amazing job on my car. They really made it look like new$$$$$. Ed and the whole staff were so accommodating and went above and beyond. so thankful to finally have an auto body shop I can trust. read more

This place is amazing. I've taken 3 generations of cars to them over the years. The work they do is impeccable, as the owner pays close attention to detail and truly cares about doing things the right way. However, the main reason that I will remain a loyal customer is their service. The two ladies who handle the customers, Lucy and Mary are the best. They are friendly, accommodating, professional, and really make me feel taken care of as a customer. I highly recommend this business. read more

CROOKS THEY STOLE MY MERCEDES PARTS FROM MY CAR AND REPLACED THEM WITH TRASH. RUINED MY CAR SERG AND HIS CLAN ARE SCUMBAGS. I took my Mercedes in for an estimate for minor grill damage. They guy that dented my grill had Mercury so I figured I would just get an estimate from Mercury approved shop. I CANT MAKE THIS UP I JUST NEEDED AN ESTIMATE TO REPLACE MY GRILL THE OF MY CAR WAS PERFECT. NO ONE HAD EVER SERVICED MY CAR OTHER THAN MERCEDES. I Simply was getting an estimate bc they were located down the street I was going to take it to Mercedes for the repair I was curious to get an estimate close home. SO brought my Mercedes in for an estimate for minor grill damage. They were so helpful and made sure I got the nicest rental car from enterprise and I didn't think anything of it other than wow these guys are great!!! It had been about four - five days and I thought the estimate was talking a little long but didn't mind because I honestly loved driving the Chrysler 300 and they gladly picked up the cost of the rental car. That should have been a huge red flag right there. The damage was so minimal some fool in my building was in front of me and backed into my grill twice. So I just agreed to his mercury insurance approved body shop for an estimate. Nothing major. Day six Custom Auto Craft called me to tell me my car was ready. Great the estimate is finally ready. WOW what scam. Not only did I never receive and estimate from them I never game them approval to make any repairs on my car which was only damage to my grill. THEY RUINED MY MERCEDES which has only ever serviced and repaired by the Mercedes dealer. They made a ton of fraudulent repairs did body work which was not necessary they ruined my hood and the paint didn't match which was nothing next what else they did. Remember this was just minor grill damage. My favorite thing they did again my car was only ever service by Mercedes is Custom Auto Craft stole my original Mercedes part out of my car and replaced with horrid parts and ruined my car. Because I was hot. blonde they thought I would be too stupid to notice. When I got my car back I had so many problems with the engine and AC condenser. They even replace my Mercedes horn with a motorcycle horn. I couldn't make this up if I tried. This is recorded with downtown LA. motors. THEY ARE A BUNCH LOSERS. I took my car in for a estimate on the grill and got it back and it was ruined with so damage done by stolen parts fraudulent repairs and such disgusting experience. Thanks Serg you loser oh and loser Mercury rep that's in it with them. read more

Selected this place because of the scores on yelp, but I was not terribly impressed with their work on my car. They took longer than expected, over a month, and they fixed the damaged area well, but they damaged the rest of the car. They even forgot nuts to the tires on the car, until I brought it up and they had to locate them. They painted the right side of car and damaged the paint to the trunk of my car. The interior was filthy and you could see the residue of the repair done to my car, meaning the sanding dust and foot prints of the workers, even some white chalky stuff that I am not sure what it was. Selected this autobody shop because of the scores, but now see they just duped people. read more

My car was the victim of a hit and run a few months back. It was parked out on the street, and some ass glided into the back of me, scratching the back left panel and messed with the alignment of my driver side mirror. Then, a few weeks ago, I was driving home from a meeting when I was hit in STAND STILL traffic by an unlicensed 16 year old driver in daddy's car. Unfortunately, she caused more damage in a different area of the car! My car was only purchased a few months ago, so I couldn't have been more unhappy. My neighbor (his review is below), had taken his mini there to be fixed after his accident, and he couldn't recommend them enough. I took my car there and was given two quotes. They said it would be one of them, depending on what the damage was when they pulled off the back bumper. Thankfully I wasn't paying for the damage. The daddy was paying cash. Having said that, I didn't want the man to get ripped off. They called me after they pulled off the bumper and said that it wasn't going to cost as much as the higher estimate because there was no damage to the back bar. If you ask me, that's a wonderfully honest thing to do. They could easily have said it was going to be the higher value, and dad would have had to pay it. Many places do that. Also, when I dropped off my car, I showed them my driver side mirror that was damaged in the unrelated accident, and when I came to collect my car, they had fixed it for me when they really didn't have to. Their service is friendly and great. They greet you by name. They have my recommendation. I dealt with Steve. read more

Great job for a great price! My 13 year dark green old subaru that gets parked on the street (which means sprinklers, bird poo, sun and more) was getting some really white oxidzed areas that looked terrible. Eddie took a look and thought he could work around the spots to get it looking better--It now looks great! They did everything to minimize the cost while maximizing the results! I always loved this car and now look forward to driving it proudly once more. It looks practically brand new. Thanks guys! read more

Got into an accident in my brand new '15 Audi A6. Was recommenced to custom through my insurance. From the minute I walked into the door, I was at ease. Eddie and his team provided great customer service, updates throughout the process and even detailed the car for me when i picked it up...less than 2 weeks after I dropped it off. Great work! Big fans of these guys. Hope i don't get into another accident, but if I do...100% bringing my car here. read more

These guys went above and beyond in providing me service and did so with professionalism and even some humor when the battery in my Prius died. I would highly recommend them. read more

Everyone at CAC was absolutely fantastic. Long story short, I was at fault in an accident and went to them along with the woman I hit to pay for the damage. I was incredibly shaken up and everyone there was nothing but kind. Eddie was genuinely kind and patient with me, and talked me through the whole process. He gave me more-than-reasonable prices and helped me negotiate with the other driver and was totally sympathetic as I sorted out details and tried to collect myself -- even helped guide me out of the parking lot when I left. The other employees -- the lovely receptionist and another man -- were equally as kind, patient and willing to help. As a customer and especially a shaken up 19 year old girl, there is nowhere else I would've rather been and nowhere else I'll go in the future. read more

I had an amazing experience at custom. First of all when I came in for my estimate it was quick and I got the estimate back in less than 24 hours. When I brought my car back for the repairs, they were done in exactly a week (the time estimated) and my car looked perfect. Lucy takes amazing care of her customers and goes above and beyond. I recommend custom for your next repair! Also, the enterprise is right across the street for easy access. read more

I am so disappointed with my experience at this place. I took my car here because it was approved by my insurance company and it was conveniently located in between work and home, but I sincerely regret utilizing their services. First of all, they initially quoted me a 3 week turn-around, but they had my car for over five weeks. Secondly, when they contacted me to pick up my car it was in fact not complete. The interior was filled with white paint sediment and the exterior had not been detailed which was clearly shown by the bird shit on the roof of my car. After telling them I was not satisfied and my car needed to be detailed, I came back two days later to find the interior of my car still dirty and a dead battery. After having my battery jump started I drove away to find out my right rear reverse light is not working, the washer spray in my hood was never set up and one of my front lights is out. I refuse to go back to this place and now have to take my car to a different body shop to finish the job correctly. I strongly advise you to not waste your time with this unprofessional establishment. read more

Long story short....THEY ARE CROOKS!! Stay away unless you want your car completely screwed up when they return it to you. It's a shame that they are a Mercury preferred repair shop....after they screwed up my car, I couldn't get Mercury to pay for the additional repairs required that they caused. (IE installing the wrong oxygen sensor that is not even for my car) The biggest complaint I have is that some incompetent member of their staff filled my gas tank with diesel fuel and then denied it and blamed it on me. I've been driving for 20 years, and I know the difference between unleaded and diesel. Needless to say this was a very expensive fix that I had to pay out of my pocket! CROOKS!!! KARMA!!! read more

I've taken my car here twice. First to paint the front bumper to cover rock chips and second to fix and paint the rear bumper because I got rear-ended. Very pleased with both paint jobs and body work. I definitely recommend this place. read more