California West Coast Paint & Body

I’ll start by saying I’ve got a 1979 300D Mercedes Sadan. I have loved these cars since high school! Some guy on his cell phone rear ended me in deadlock traffic and didn’t have insurance. Already a casual nightmare scenario. On top of that, it took me a full month to find a place that would even touch my car.
California West Coast Paint & Body saved the day. From moment one, Shaun (Sean?) epitomized incredible business ethic. The sweetest guy on the phone and in person. I am such an amateur when it comes to car repair and he made it about as comfortable and easy as I could ever imagine it being. In fact, everyone I dealt with there was incredibly nice.
The turn around from drop off to completion was lightning fast and the workmanship was perfect. The paint? Perfect. The fixed bumper? Like brand new. And Shaun (Sean?) was such a standup dude, that he through in a few bonus fixes. Who does that? I can’t speak highly enough of this guy. All in all, this place just put a huge smile on my face after what was honestly a withdrawn bummer of insurance hassles and driving around a busted up car.
Thank you, you sweet car wizards of West Coast Paint & Body. This is my first Unilocal review, so as a final note I’ll say the experience was so good that it COMPELLED ME to write about it!
–Alex

California West Coast did an amazing job on my 2015 Corolla. It had front end damage after I rear-​ended another car.
Joe took care of everything right away. He talked to the adjuster and within a few days he had an estimate and it was approved. They worked on my car for a few weeks and it looks better than when I bought it.
I met Shawn on my way out. He’s a great guy and he’s got a wonderful shop. Try these guys out!

West Coast Auto Repair is the only place i trust to fix my car. Shawn (the owner) is hands on and a pleasure to deal with. He is honest, fairly priced and does not tell you things need to be repaired when they don’t. In fact, he talked me out of doing repairs that I was planning on doing and added in some extra details free of charge! Everything is clearly explained and done well. When having to speak with a representative from my Insurance company he was patient beyond necessity. I did not have to call and check in on the progress as he did so for me. It was the BEST experience with an Auto body shop i have ever had. I saw all types of cars being repaired (vintage, expensive, new and used). West Coast was speedy and I had my car back sooner than expected. My parents have a ’68 Chevy Malibu that was my Grandmother’s car and has stayed in the family. As with Vintage cars, there is some extensive work needed and even though it resides in Orange County my Father will be bringing it to West Coast. BRING YOUR CAR TO SHAWN AND YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT!

Great place to take your car!!! I’ve taken my car here 3 times to get repairs done on it from other people hitting me. Their very nice and friendly people and will do anything to get the work done fast! My recent experience was the best I’ve ever had! They went above and beyond to get me my car a.s.a.p. I’m very pleased at how they would call me each week to give me updates about what was going on with my car. If I could give them more stars I would. as soon as I can I’m definitely taking it back to get my whole car painted, this is the only body shop I trust with my car!

I had an incredible experience with California West Coast! They were recommended to me by a couple classic car friends. I had them paint my car seven years ago and it’s still perfect. They quoted me a price and stayed with it even though the had to strip the entire hood and block the whole car. I did the work myself and had no experience and they were honorable, and made magic with their choice of color! And perfect job!

I had a great experience here! Everyone was super nice (and even funny which is helpful after an accident). I didn’t have insurance coverage for my accident, so Shawn was able to do just the minimum amount of work at the most minimal cost to get me safely back on the road. Very pleased.

I don’t know where there low reviews are coming from, but I am thrilled to say that my experience here was fantastic. After getting side swiped by some idiot with my kids and hubby in the car we pulled over but the above mentioned idiot kept on going. After contacting our insurance and having them refer us to a place that I could feel was going to stress me out with delays and what not, I contacted my go to mechanic Ivo from Renner Motorsports and he said go see my friend Shawn trust me in ten years I have never heard a complaint from any of my customers. Nuff said! dropped the car off and in less than a week later my 2012 Jetta was perfect. Shawn was great he gave my husband updates nearly every day on the progress of the car.

I had my International Scout painted there 10 years ago. They did such an amazing job that it still looks great today. They were able to match the exact color I wanted, and the price was amazingly affordable for such great work. The gentleman I used was named Shawn who I highly recommend asking for. He is great. I just went bak this week to have a section repainted that I had damaged, and once again they did an awesome job.

Great service! I dealt with Carlos and he was awesome. He kept in touch, called to update frequently (which I like) and was never difficult to get a hold of. I felt comfortable with the communication and they worked with my insurance and got the huge dent out of my car beautifully. I was lucky that my 21^st century guy was also awesome and they both made for a good experience on a bad situation. I see some not so good reviews and thats too bad but I can only speak from my own experience, I am super happy.

I have had years of experience with this body shop and all of the experiences have turned out to be very bad. Wish there was a MINUS star rating — or none at all. My boss, his wife and I have taken our cars to this shop over the years and the same result is achieved — — the paint cracks and falls off, especially on bumpers. They don’t seem to have a grasp on bumper painting. In my accident, my insurance company paid for a completely new bumper — which this shop did not install. They fixed the old one and repainted it. How could I tell, you ask? Well, the paint cracked and fell off and — voila — old paint underneath. Not only do they NOT know now to do body work, they are dishonest to boot. I’d steer clear of this place if you value your car!

I am having terrible issues with CA West Coast Paint and Body.
My car is a 67 Dodge and the body is straight and rust free. I brought it in for a paint job on May 29^th (it is July 10^th as I write this review) and I still do not have the car back. In fact, they are no closer than when i viewed the progress on June 26^th. Nothing has been done since that date, it is only sitting there.
This lack of concern for their customer’s time is troubling, but not the greatest issue because i believe if a job is done well it is well worth the extra time.
But that’s not the case. I have had to address issues with them that are basic, and elementary to auto body repair and achieving a professional result.
Each time I have found their response to be, «If we had known you wanted perfection, we would have charged you accordingly.»
Perfection is not what i am looking for, only responsible and professional paint and body work which is what they advertise to 100% Customer Satisfaction. I am not seeing any of this commitment now, after they have the car despite their grand and glorious promises and claims when i was considering them for the work.
When body sanding is unprofessionally executed, the straight lines in body panel creases can be changed, become inconsistent and wavy. This is the distinction between amateur work and professional work (in my opinion) and these are the issues I am having.
It felt kind of ridiculous to have to point this out to the person supervising my job (Shawn Hemmat) and it shook my confidence that I had to bring it to their attention. But what was worse is when they reply that they can’t «see» what i am talking about?
I brought this to their attention at the beginning of the project and have repeatedly pointed it out after my subsequent visits to look at the «progress».
Now they are claiming that «I want show room quality». No. I only want better than what I brought in. The car was crisp and straight, with a couple of minor repairs. I want those fixed properly, straight and I want the remaining body to be at least as straight as it was when they got it in their hands. THIS is what I am paying $ 4K for.
I am not getting the budget, bottom of the line paint job and looking for premium results, I am paying $ 4,000 and looking for a professional job worth $ 4000.
Update: It is now July 18^th. I went to CA West Coast again yesterday and there has been no new progress made on my car, nothing. What’s more, they are now holding my vehicle hostage, demanding a deposit of $ 2000 before they will continue.
I have two issues with this. 1.) It’s not part of our original written contract.
2.) If I can’t get progress while they are waiting payment in full upon completion, what incentive will they have to move forward if I give them $ 2K now?
I can’t trust them.
I have filed a report with the CA Attorney General’s Office and sent certified letters to Shawn Hemmat and the owner (Mik Daijadieh) demanding progress. If there is no movement by the end of the month (August 1^st) I will sue for the removal of my vehicle to another shop that will do the work.
They have kept me from the use of my vehicle for almost 2 months already, all for a simple exterior paint job. In good conscience I have to advise anyone considering this business for work on their vehicle to re-​think this choice.
This is my experience.
I am happy to provide copies of my email correspondence to Sean Hemmat and his less than professional replies to anyone interested. His words, actions and inaction speak volumes. I also have high resolution photographs of before and the «progress» that speak for themselves.
OK, it November 19^th, 2012 (I took my car to paint May 29^th) and it is still not complete.
There is a long list of what I rate incompetent, lazy or else neglectful actions by California West Coast so, i will dive in.
Consider my fairness and patience (which I have run out of) in the length of time and the many opportunities I have given California West Coast to «make this right» as you read.
I was told in the first week of September that my car was finished, and ready to pick-​up. So, on Sept 7^th, I paid for the work in cash ($ 4,000), they require cash payment and you should, by now, understand why. I noticed right away that the windshield that they had removed and replaced was not installed properly. I showed this to Mike and told him that it would leak the way it was installed. The weatherstrip was not seated properly and stretched out of place. So, I looked in the car and, sure enough, on the floorboard, there was a small puddle of water. They had hosed off the car to clean it to present to me and because the windshield was not installed properly, it was, indeed, leaking.
Mike told me to take the car home and he would have his «windshield guy» come to my home and make it right.
I am out of character space to continue, look for a second post.

I’ve had several cars worked on here for small and mediium damage. Overall very good things to say and this palce was reccomended by my honest mechanic. They always do a quick estimate and can work with you with or withouit insurenace. Sometime takes a litlle while, but worth wair=ting for high quality jobs. I did have one job peel paint aftyer a several years and I need to find my receipt to see how we can resolve that.

Brought my wife’s car to CWC after she was in an accident. The car was pretty beat up with the front and back crumpled and the airbags deployed, but my wife was a wreck — this was her first major accident.
The guys at the shop were incredibly kind and supportive from the moment the car arrived on the truck. When discussing the options for repair they were non-​biased and extremely informative. They offered good advice for dealing with the insurance companies and were very flexible about the storage of the car and everything else.
In short, these guys are good, honest people, and I’d recommend them to any of my friends.

The Narrative:
I recently won a police package Chevy Tahoe in a public surplus auction and it had your standard black and white paint job, so in order to keep the LAPD off my back I needed to get the four white doors and white roof painted black. After calling a few paint and body shops that only do paint if they’re also doing bodywork, someone finally recommended California West Coast to me.
The Sale: 4 Stars.
Marc was my sales guy. He was extremely friendly and very disarming. So disarming, in fact, that he’d be able to manipulate someone like me much more easily than your average high pressure sales person in the auto sales/​repair industry. In the end I felt like I got a decent price but I’m sure I could have haggled for a better deal.
The Product: 4.5 Stars.
The paint match was *perfect*. 5 stars
All dents fully repaired. 5 stars
The sand and polish job was a great recommendation and it made the truck look like new. 5 stars
The paint job itself was professional looking but definitely not factory perfect. 4 stars
2-​year guarantee. 3 stars
The Price: 4 stars.
I think I got a good deal. I had the feeling that I could have gotten the same job for a little less. I also had the impression that Marc wasn’t about to be honest about how low he’d go. This means that as far as repair shop culture goes, this place respects their customers but they have no interest in getting their customers the best deal in town.

We had our ’67 convertible painted there just over 5 years ago. We had stripped everything off the car (including the windshield), and brought it to them on a flat-​bed. Over the years, the paint has been cracking really badly in several places (which they blame on flex, although other people with the same car don’t have the same problems with their paint). The paint completely peeled off inside the hood (they said it «shouldn’t have been painted there anyway», that I should use a heat shield instead), and now, the paint is bubbling on the front fender, and peeling back around the wiper blade mounts. Apparently the 5 year warranty is an expiration date for their work; I would not trust these guys with any of my cars ever again.

My apologies for not getting this review up sooner. It’s been 3 months since my visit to West Coast Paint and I am still beaming! Kudos to You Shawn and your staff. I was so impressed with Shawn, his employees, and the service I received at West Coast Paint and Body Shop. These people know what it means to «meet a customer’s needs.»
They went way beyond what they had to do to make me happy. I recently had some rear-​end bodywork done there on my BMW after someone hit my car while it was parked. (The culprit didn’t even leave a note! LOL! Yeah Right!.) Well Shawn and his amazing staff turned that BMW from a pumpkin into a chariot. They really did a nice job! But it get’s better. Not only did they fix and paint the bumper on my car, they washed and waxed it too! Inside and out!
They also finished the work early. I remember very well that the weather predictions were calling for heavy rain and Shawn told me he wanted to get the job done before the moisture arrived. He was straight-​forward with me about the prices, my options, any risks and surprizingly didn’t try to push anything on me that I didn’t want just to make a buck. Nice! The office and shop areas were clean, warm, and very friendly. I’m surprized there aren’t more positive reviews about this place.
Now here’s the best part (pay attention); when I arrived to drop off my car Shawn arrived to the shop shortly after several of his staff members (he was on time — I arrived early). After introducing himself; he asked if I’d like a cup of coffee and how many other times I was offerred coffee by his other staff. I thought, «wow» he’s good! This man was not only smart enough to assess his customers satisfaction levels, but he knew just how to do it and with a couple of questions about a cup of coffee. Oh, and in case you are wondering, I was asked 3 times! Very nice work Shawn! And if I didn’t already say it, Thank you for making my visit a pleasant one.

I can’t believe I’m the first person on Unilocal to write a review for CA West Coast.
I bought a 1970’s classic muscle car when I first moved back to LA (’74 AMC Javelin). A few years ago, I needed to have my engine rebuilt. The guy who started the job scammed me, and let my car sit on his lot for a long time. I’d always taken great care of her. So I was shocked to find out that he let her sit, uncovered, exposed to rain, dust, etc. AND with the hood off!
Unfortunately, this caused some rust spots and damage to the paint. The guy agreed to take the car to a local body shop to repair the damage. However, after he dropped the car off, he disappeared. So I was stuck paying for the repairs. Lucky for me, the shop was CA West Coast.
Once I started dealing with Shawn, the owner, my mind was at ease. We agreed on a price to fix the rust spots and repaint the car. I also decided to change the color from white to black. This meant a bit more work, since they needed to repaint the entire car, and not just touch up the damaged areas.
When it was finished, I have to say, I was blown away. They did an incredible job. Even better than I expected. The car is so gorgeous, everybody that sees her comments on how sweet she is.
I felt like their prices were fair, they did great work and were easy to deal with. I used to use another shop before this, but I’m so happy with their work, I’d definitely take her back to CA West Coast again.
Edited to add: While they were working on the Javelin, I brought my Mini Cooper in to repair the damage done to my driver’s side door by some idiot in a parking lot. No, I didn’t see who did it. No, they didn’t leave a note. Asshole. Thank god I have full coverage on my auto policy. Shawn took care of it. He also repaired a small scrape on the front end (once again, done by some idiot backing into me who didn’t leave a note), which he was able to work into the insurance. The only thing I had to pay for was my deductible. Gotta love it.