WHITAKERS Auto Body & Paint

08/04/2008 Posted by mohaney

This is the first review I've ever done, and I only became a member to warn others about this shop. I chose it because of the high recommendations on this site, but there are just not words to explain how dissatisfied I am with the experience I've had. On a scale of 1 to 10, they get a -12. My car's been in their shop for two months now, and I've called at least weekly for updates. I've left messages, stopped by in person or talked to the staff. They are always courteous and blankly tell me they'll call me back, which has actually happened maybe 3 times. That's out of two months of requests for information. When I stopped by in person, my car was buried in the back amongst hundreds of other cars. This shop clearly has more on their hands than they can handle with any semblance of reasonable efficiency. I've been told for the past 3 weeks that the car would be ready 'by Friday'; I've been told they're waiting for parts; I've been told that mine will be the first in line in the paint shop and the techs will stay after hours until it's done. I like to give people the benefit of the doubt, but I have no choice but to believe these are all flat-out lies, which I told the owner today. My accident was the other drivers' fault, so the repairs and the rental car are covered. It takes pretty bad service to make someone receiving a service for free this angry. As I told the owner today, they could offer me thousands of dollars of free repair work, and I would NEVER turn my keys over to them again. Save yourself months of headaches and go anywhere else in town. Or learn to repair it yourself - that might actually be faster and easier.

Pros: Staff is very polite when you actually talk to a person who can lie to you about the status of your repair.

Cons: Worst possible service. Period.

07/27/2008 Posted by zillman

I took my pick-up to three shops for an estimate on a dented front fender, and the lowest price I got was over 1300.00, and was told that it would take at least a week to repair. I found Whitaker's using an internet search and, based on their great reviews, I decided to give them a shot. Suffice it to say, I was amazed. Not only did I get an estimate of around $900.00 - which was 400 less than the next cheapest - but when I asked how long the work would take, Steve's response was: "how does tomorrow sound?" One of his employees even offered to drive me home....to Round Rock!!! This place is on S. Lamar for Pete's sake! Then, when I went in to the shop the next day to get my truck, I am given about $40.00 back, because the total cost of the work came in less than the estimate! Oh yeah, the work was absolutely top-notch. It looked perfect, and you could not tell the difference between the new fender and the rest of the truck. In my opinion, Whitaker's is the only name in town, and I am a customer for life.

Pros: Price, speed of repair, quality of work, professional staff, HONESTY

Cons: none

07/21/2008 Posted by wsmith08

As a proud owner of an Acura TL, I was upset when a scratch was found on my car. On recommendation from one of your employees, I took my car to Whitakers Auto Body and Paint, 2019 S Lamar. Joe H and his staff were extremely helpful and courteous. They were able to repair the scratch in record time, making it look as good as new. Please inform all your employees about the great service and workmanship that Whitakers has to offer. Just as I would recommend my friends purchase their next car from Sterling Acura, I would highly recommend Whitakers for all body/paint repairs.

07/21/2008 Posted by marvgall

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Whitakers Auto Body and their staff for the high quality of workmenship and professionalism I experienced when I had my wife's Lexus in for work recently. As you know I had been looking for a quality shop to do the work. While the dealership had recommended other establishments, they were on the other side of town, and a good 35-45 minutes or more away depending on traffic. The quality of work was excellent. The technique used on the headlight covers, the paint match, and the finish could not be seen from the orginial finish. The job was finished ahead of schedule, and the cost was well within the estimate. Again thank you!

05/28/2008 Posted by mitmat

I have had the unfortuntate experience of having damage 2 in less than a month... Mathew is a pro and took really good care of my babied car and my persoanl need to keep it clean, uh' okay perfect. Thank you Mathew understanding and being the detailed expert that you are.

05/11/2008 Posted by Jesse5050

I had my 1976 Starsky and Hutch Gran Torino repainted at this shop. They worked with me on getting the famous stripe just right.. never once got impatient. The body work was top notch and the owner Steve, will tell you up front what to expect. I had nothing but a good experience overall with this shop.

Pros: Easy to work with. Reasonable price. Good work

Cons: none noted

04/15/2008 Posted by mitZ3

I am a nit picky neat freak. No bones about it, but especially when it comes to my beloved Z3. Most people are surprised at my attention to the tiniest detail and thus I tend to be a nightmare to most detailers, body shops… but not Whitakers. Joe Hernandez is a great guy who understands my need for perfection. As a woman, it is often challenging and or uncomfortable to interact with car shops of any sort as they tend to think a woman, doesn’t have a clue nor can she appreciate automobiles. I am very happy with the service the Whitakers staff provided, they were courteous and went the extra effort to make sure I was comfortable every step of the way, including wanting to inspect their paint booth. It was the best I have seen! They took a multitude of pictures of my car before any work was done and I was able to go online and see my car during the process. This was a great help when I had questions… and I always have questions. They delivered the car exactly when they said they would. I rrrreeeeaaallllyy look over the car when it is done, and even though it was closing time (on a Friday no less) they allowed me all the time I wanted to really look and at the car. They did not rush me, they did not try to hide the car under dirt, or sloppy wax. Being a perfectionist, it is normal for me to spot something irregular on the car after it has been in the shop. While I did take the car back the following Monday to attend a minor issue that most people wouldn’t even see.. the Whitakers staff was again courteous and did not hassle me, they simply took the car and made it perfect within a few hours. Again, they delivered the car exactly when promised and again when I came to pick up the car, it was closing time and again, they allowed me all the time I wanted to go over the car and ensure my satisfaction. I am completely happy with Joe and Whitakers. They have proved themselves to be top notch people who really care about their customers and their product.

Pros: Joe Hernandez

02/15/2008 Posted by jmtalcott

I took my car here not knowing what to expect (I've never taken my car to a body shop before), but the staff was so nice and they fixed my bumper extremely quickly! I definitely recommend this place.

Pros: Fast service, polite employees

02/12/2008 Posted by wsmith6

Joe H and his staff are the best. Even after closing hours, they were professional and courteous. They were able to repair the scratch on my car, making it look as good as new. All for the price of a smile! Without any hesitation, I would recommend everyone to go to Whitakers for all their auto body/paint repairs.

11/01/2007 Posted by dwaustin

Just wanted to thank the team at Whitakers Auto Body . Two days in Austin I was rear ended in the back by a man with no insurance.Had no idea where to go. Got on line found Whitakers Auto Body on citysearch. Went to Whitakers. With the help of Joe and Tina every thing worked out well as it could after being in a wreck in a new city . Tina helped me with the car rental company, Joe was a great help with the insurance company and getting my 06 Honda back on the road and looking like new.The repair took a little longer than I wanted but the main thing is the car looks great . The people at Whitakers are very helpful and great to work with.

Pros: great people

Cons: little long