Benjamin’s Auto Body

this is not for the benjamins auto body in reno nv

This is a good, honest body shop. They did the work quickly and even offered to fix something totally cosmetic (an air conditioner console knob that had broken off) that we had just gotten used to dealing without. We paid a pittance for the part, and now it’s good as new!

I was persuaded to have my car taken to Benjamin’s by the tow truck driver while quite distraught after an accident.
They took nearly two months to complete a job that was supposed to take 15 business days. It basically involved just the front bumper, radiator, radiator support, hood, and headlights. There was no other panel damage. Benjamin even acknowledged that the delay was his fault because he did not order parts in a timely fashion. In the meantime, I exceeded my rental allowance through my insurance company and had to pay out of pocket to rent a car while mine was still under repair. All the while, when I would call to inquire on the progress, Benjamin repeatedly told me it would be ready within a day or two. That went on for over two weeks.
When I finally got my car back, I learned after a day of driving it that they had replaced the radiator with the wrong part (using the radiator for a model with an automatic transmission, which has a separate connection to run coolant around the transmission. My car is a manual!) and it was leaking coolant furiously. It became undrivable and I had to have it towed to a repair shop where they installed the proper part. Benjamin paid for this supplemental repair (because he had to) but it was a tremendous inconvenience to have to have my car towed and be without it for another 5 days.
They also failed to replace the outside temperature sensor (indicated by a dashboard reading of –99 degrees in May), which is part of the bumper assembly and should have been done along with the other repairs. On my car, a faulty temperature sensor results in inoperable air conditioning. I had to pay to have this completed out of pocket.
Finally, the car was returned to me with numerous small blemishes around the rest of the body which were not there before spending two months at Benjamin’s. Small scratches and scuffs to the paintwork abound. Upon visiting the shop, it is easy to see how this could happen: there are 10 – 15 vehicles packed into the confined space at any given time. Moreover countless large, heavy parts (bumpers, radiators, and the like) are haphazardly stacked around the work floor and on top of cars themselves. And while these small damages are minor, they demonstrate the overall lack of professionalism or care that seems typical of this place.
I strenuously advise against taking your vehicle here for any repair.