El Segundo Auto-Body : any experiences?

[tom h]

I've been casually checking out El Segundo Auto-Body, at 717 East El Segundo Blvd, El Segundo 90245.

Has anyone had previous experience or word-of-mouth concerning them ?

Most likely my girlfriend will have some minor collison & paint repair done there, on her BMW. But I am also searching for shops to paint my 87 GN in about a year's time.

many expensive, late model Mercedes , BMW, & Porsche in the shop; occasionally I've glimpsed a 'classic' muscle car when I drive by.

The shop owner/manager seemed to have all the "right" answers (or at least, what i wanted to hear!). Eg,

-- Any metal work is straightened (spoon/dolly) from behind panels as much as feasible, to minimize body filler.
-- All exterior trim removed. Door jambs, wheel wells, undercarriage masked off to avoid dried overspray.
-- As much as feasible, sands down to sound primer (or bare metal) if required.
-- Likes to use BASF-Glasurit paint system exclusively (although of course, the prep & elbow grease is far more important).

The manager was not unfamiliar with GNs; I mentioned I'm seeking a "show-quality" paint job with perfectly straight-looking body panels, and that I expected it would cost $6K & up. "Oh, it will cost a lot more than that !", he replied with a twinkle in his eye

 

[gnX405]

I used to live in El Segundo, and had work done at that shop on my 85 T-Type which was black.

I had the trunklid repaired and repainted as a result of a theft. The car was stolen one night, while parked behind the Hacienda hotel, taken a block away, and the trunk was broken into by pounding out the lock cylinder. The damage to the lock area was pretty minor.

The work that they did was okay, but not stellar. The car had a decent paintjob on it to begin with. In my opinnion they used too much filler near the lock, and caused a proud spot. For the paint on the lid they did a good job at making sure it was smooth and without orange peel.

They are a pretty big shop, and they turn over a lot of bump jobs. They assign an agent to each job and that agent is supposed to be the single point of contact for the job. I'd use them again for minor collision repair, but in my opinnion they are not the place to go for a full restoration job.

If I were to do a big project, like what you describe with your GN, I would talk to Mickey or Todd of Twins Custom Concepts in the city of Orange. It's not exactly nearby, but they do corporate jobs for SEMA, are great guys and are in the know as to where to go. Feel free to mention that John Norton told you to call. I see that they now have a website with some of their work.

twins custom concepts.com

Hope this helps. I met them a couple of times but never did do any work through them before I left the area.

-john

 

[tom h]

...
They are a pretty big shop, and they turn over a lot of bump jobs. ...
-john

That sounds like "Jim & Jacks Auto Body & Repair", on Grand Ave. They are a high volume collision shop, and don't look like anything special.
Is it possible we're confusing Jim&Jacks with the El Segundo Auto-Body

El Segundo Auto-Body is a smaller shop on El Segundo Blvd, a couple blocks east of Main Street, and directly across the Blvd from the Chevron refinery. There's also yet another shop on El Segundo Blvd, but I forget its name.

My girlfriend was in a rush to get her BMW minor repair completed, and we just dropped her car off at El Segundo Auto-Body , this morning. I'll post as to how it turns out!

I appreciate the feedback, though. And I'll definitely checkout Twins Custom Concepts for my "princess"

 

[gnX405]

You are absolutely correct, I was referring to Jim & Jacks in my reply. I did confuse them with El Segundo Auto-Body.

Isn't there also a shop that specializes in Austin Healeys somewhere in El Segundo?

 

[tom h]

...Isn't there also a shop that specializes in Austin Healeys somewhere in El Segundo?

Don't know, offhand.

 

[tom h]

update

Girlfriend's BMW repair (2001 model X5) was completed a couple weeks ago at El Segundo Auto-Body (not to be confused with Jim&Jacks Auto !!)

Overall, the quality seems excellent. Admittedly the work was relatively straightforward, but even after careful scrutiny I could not tell apart refinished panels from original. Also, no dried overspray in door jambs or wheel wells - they were careful. This was an insurance repair, and if there was any pressure to cut corners, there was no evidence of it.

Both the owner (forget name) and the manager (John Rios) were good to deal with.