I do not recommend Kaizen Collision Center in Santa Maria (1104 W Betteravia Rd).
My experience with this facility and General Manager Tobin fell far short of even modest satisfaction--marked by dishonesty, self-contradiction, and truly the worst management I have encountered in my lifetime--due to improper repair, vehicle damage, and a complete lack of technical qualification:
* A Trail of Changing Stories: Management repeatedly shifted excuses to avoid fixing the collision-related dashboard rattle. First, they claimed it wasn't from the collision. Next, they claimed they couldn't hear it--until I rode along on a test drive with Tobin and the lead technician where it was immediately confirmed. Finally, they came up with a third story, claiming it was covered under a technical service bulletin to dismiss the existing issue with the vehicle since they lacked the proper staff and technical ability to locate the rattle.
* Interior Trim Damaged by Inexperienced Technicians: While attempting to locate the rattle, their staff lacked the proper trim removal tools and training, improperly prying and visibly damaging my instrument cluster bezel without ever fixing the rattle. Lacking in-house technical skill, they then wanted to sublet the diagnostic work to a third party at my own expense.
* Tobin Contradicted Himself & Blamed Shop Test-Drive Miles: When confronted, Tobin misrepresented the facts by claiming the 58 miles accumulated between intake and pickup caused the bezel damage. He completely dismissed the fact that the car remained in Kaizen's continuous custody the entire time, and those 58 miles were put on the car during their own multiple diagnostic test drives (by their estimators, the lead technician, Tobin, and myself). Tobin directly framed and contradicted himself by presenting an initial intake photo showing a pristine, undamaged bezel--yet he still refused to acknowledge their clear wrongdoing.
* Released Under Protest & Legal Action Pending: Because management refused to take accountability or remediate the damage they caused, I retrieved my vehicle under protest.
Formal complaints have been filed with both the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and the California Bureau of Automotive Repair (BAR), and a Small Claims Court action is being initiated to recover the full replacement cost of the OEM bezel along with professional labor and installation damages. read more