Detailing your vehicle.

California drivers are notorious for loving their cars. They install ostentatious, oversized chrome rims, add little devices to improve the performance of their engine, install aerodynamic kits for the same purpose or simply for vanity. And finally California drivers like to show their vehicles by driving around. In the old days they used to cruse Whittier Boulevard to look at other vehicles and show off theirs. Today they are more discreet, but if you get around Wilshire Boulevard around Beverly Hills you will see that Angelinos spend insane amounts of money on their automobiles and they insist on them looking pristine. All car washes and detail shops in Los Angeles are buzzing with activities, especially on a sunny day which only occurs about ninety percent of the time.

According to Wikipedia : Auto detailing is the performance of an extremely thorough cleaning, polishing and waxing of an automobile, both inside and out, to produce a show-quality level of detail. It can be practiced for personal satisfaction, and it is also performed to prepare a car for car shows that feature the appearance of cars. Besides improving the appearance of cars, detailing helps to preserve the car, and thus, increases resale value.

Just about every self respecting Angelino when asked if he has a good detailing guy, says: “I have got a guy. He is the best. Make sure you tell him I gave you his number and he will take care of you.”

Most of these guys do not have a business license, but they do have a van or a truck that says “Angel’s Auto Detailing.” The industry is not regulated; anybody who thinks they can do the job can become an auto detailer. So consumer needs to be aware, especially in lieu of the way the modern vehicle paint has evolved in California.



Most modern cars use a clear coat paint system. The pigmented layer of paint, whether a solid color, metallic or pearlescent, is covered with a layer of clear paint to provide a higher gloss and a "deeper" look. Because of the environment and new OSHA regulations today’s clear coat is water based and needs to be treated with special care.

The surface of any paint, even clear coat, is vulnerable to scratches and oxidation. Polish not only gives the finish its gloss, but it feeds the paint with oils to prevent it from drying out. Polymers in the polish fill in minute scratches in the clear coat layer, restoring its clarity.

So how do you know who to trust, especially when it comes to a final finish of your favorite vehicle? Avoid carwashes. They have a lot of vehicles come through, but they do not usually have an expertise or the time to dedicate to detailing your vehicle. On the other hand a detail shop with a location is usually a good bet, because detailing is what they specialize in and since they have a location and a business license they would be more inclined to handle customer’s problems or concerns. If you are going to use mobile guy and a referral from a friend or a co worker, please also use common sense and ask questions to make sure detailer knows what he is doing.

So to conclude this story, as every self respecting Angelino I must tell you: “Do I have a guy for you!” His name is Antonio Aguilar. He used to work for our shop as a paint apprentice for several years. He then decided to branch out and started his detailing business. Antonio works at our shop so you as a customer get double protection; he stands behind his work and so do we. And finally his intimate knowledge of modern paint translates into a professional detail job for you. He does our vehicles and our customers vehicles. So come bye say hello, meet Antonio and see if he could make your automobile shine for this summer.

Whose car is it anyway?

At least once a week a poor soul drives in to our shop with a wrecked car stating the same thing: “They told me to get three estimates.”
They say curiosity killed the cat, but I can not help myself and ask the same question anyway: “Who are they?”

The answers differ from my husband, my uncle, the guy that hit me to my insurance company, a rental car company, city of Burbank. Whoever it is, they do not seem to have much regard for your time. Unless it is you who wants to check out a few different repair facilities so you could pick the best match, getting three estimates is a waste of time.

They ask you to get three estimates, so that they could pay you the lowest one and be done with you. By agreeing to do it you the consumer, sign up to work for them for free.

Remember three things Number one; your time is very valuable. Two, the law does not require you to get more than one estimate. (If they want you to get more than one they could hire an independent appraiser and have him look at your vehicle at your convenience at their expense.). And three: whose car is it anyway? You are not required to use any particular shop. You, the owner, choose the body shop to perform the repairs.

Why do I bring this up? Because just as often as I hear: They told me to get three estimates,” customers say: ‘They told me to take it to another shop.”
And then they apologize: “I know we have done business in the past, but the insurance company told me that they could not guarantee the work, unless I took it to their shop.”

Just to clarify the situation, since your insurance company does not physically repair your vehicle, they can not guarantee the work. The reason they insist you go to their shop is due to the fact that they have an agreement with that shop that would significantly lower their cost. If your goal is to save money for the insurance company, then by all means, go ahead and follow their instructions, but beware, you might end up with sub par repair.


Otherwise remember, the only one that can guarantee the work, is the body shop that actually performs the repairs. So use your time wisely. Go online and check body shops in your area, check testimonials or complaints, or call your friend or a neighbor and get a referral for a good shop. Whose car is it anyway? You bought it and you have a freedom of choice. So make the right one for you.

Matte Black paint finish, a hot new trend or return to the old.

In 1979, my friend Ed Fender restored his old El Camino. The old bird was all rusty, being parked for months at a time by the Pacific Coast Highway in San Francisco. Eddie put his heart and soul in repairing the rust, filling car with lead and straightening the body. It was a lengthy project which was performed as time allowed in the back yard garage. By the time Eddie was finished with body work he was broke and could not afford to get a decent paint job for the old bird, so he improvised and sprayed the whole vehicle with black primer. It turned out to look a lot better than Ed had expected. The old bird’s paint job was very popular with local gangsters and low riders from Mission boulevard. Eddy got offers to sell it on a weekly basis.

Thirty years later Matte black is back and it is back with a vengeance. Very high end vehicles, such as Ferrari’s and Rolls Royce’s turn up at car shows with a matte black finish. Two customers this year have inquired about matte black finish for their vehicles. Young man with a charcoal gray Chevy Silverado wanted to refinish it flat black, as he described it. Long time customer and a big time car enthusiast, Dave De Sousa asked me if I could paint his shiny black corvette in matte black. “It would look really hot!” exclaimed Dave: “I can’t wait to see it done.”
I had to investigate. Basically a matte black finish of today is a regular paint job with a clear coat that looks like satin or flat black. The cost is the same as a regular paint job, but because of flat black finish it requires more extensive preparation. Black finish is the hardest color to take care of on an automobile, matte black is even worth, because every little blemish on the paint is exposed. Obviously this paint is not for everyone, personally I would rather drive a white car; you do not have to wash it every day. But for real car fanatics this is a hot new trend that is spreading like wild fire.
What do you think?

Most Expensive Car Wrecks

#10. Bugatti EB110 ... $500,000
This 1992 $500,000 super-exotic Bugatti EB110 was being driven by a mechanic as part of its annual checkup. He claims there was an oil slick on the road which caused him to lose control and crash into a pole. The owner of the Bugatti is a famous feel good guru named Emile Ratelband. Not sure how good he was feeling after this wreck.

#9. Pagani Zonda C12 S ... $650,000
Only 15 Zonda C12 S were ever built, but that didn't stop this owner from driving it like a mad hatter. He crashed this beauty in the wee morning hours while driving in Hong Kong .
#8. Mercedes Benz SL 300 ... $950,000
The SL 300 Gullwing represents the very finest of Mercedes. The owner thought it would be a good idea to race this million dollar car on the streets of Mexico , at the annual La Carrera Panamericana race - limited to classic cars produced before 1965.#7. Jaguar XJ220 ... $1.1 Million
The XJ220 once held the record for highest top speed for a production car (217 mph).
#6. Ferrari Enzo ... $1.3 Million
The most famous Ferrari Enzo crash (shown above) was at Malibu , California in 2005, when the driver, Fat Steven Eriksson crashed the car at 196 mph.
#5. Bugatti Veyron .... $1.6 Million
The Bugatti Veyron is the most expensive production car in history. Only 300 are expected to be produced, and already two have crashed. Above is the first one. The driver thought it was okay to speed at 100 mph in the rain. He only had the car for one week.
#4. 1959 Ferrari 250 GT TDF ... $1.65 Million
This extremely rare classic car, the 1959 Ferrari 250 GT Tour de France , crashed into a wall at the Shell Ferrari-Maserati Historic Challenge in 2003.
#3. Ferrari 250 GT Spyder ... $10.9 Million
The record price for a 1961 250 GT California Spyder at auction was set on May 18, 2008 when a black one was sold for $10,894,900. So what is one doing buried in the sand? The unlucky owner had it stored near the beach when a Hurricane hit. #2. Ferrari 250 GTO ... $28.5 Million
The 1962-64 Ferrari 250 GTO became the most valuable car in the world. In 2008 an anonymous English buyer bought a 250 GTO at auction for a record $28.5 Million.The crash above represents a car worth more than the combined value of all 14 Enzos (see #6 above) involved in accidents. After a track event involving historic cars,the owner rammed into the back of another car after traffic slowed down.
#1. Tiger Wood's Escalade... $55 million and rising
The most expensive car crash ever?Final estimate to be determined by Elin Nordegren!

Governor signs AB1200. Does it help the consumer?

On Sunday, October11th right before the deadline at midnight, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into law AB 1200. This bill supersedes existing “steering” regulation and makes it easier for insurers to “steer” customers.

What is steering? Does it have anything to do with beef? No.According to Thesaurus it means guiding, maneuvering or pushing.In order cut costs Big Insurance companies have signed contracts with selected body shops to do work for reduced labor rates and to use aftermarket or inferior parts. Insurance companies then suggested to their insured’s using these body shops guaranteeing the repairs. Prior to this bill it was illegal to” recommend “or steer customers to certain shops. Consumer has a right to pick a repair facility of their choice. With this bill signed Insurance Companies have the freedom to steer.

“The California Auto body Association is very disappointed that AB 1200 was signed by the Governor,” said David McClune, CAA’s Executive Director: “I want to thank all of our members and other supporting industry groups that sent in hundreds of letters to the Governor asking him veto the bill.”

Doug Heller, Executive Director of Consumer Watchdog, a consumer advocacy group based in Santa Monica, California, has been leading the opposition to A.B. 1200. “The big lie (supporting the Hayashi legislation) is that insurance companies want to send people to their preferred shops to benefit the customer, when in fact they steer customers to insurance-controlled body shops as their way of controlling their loss payments. I don’t want a body shop cutting corners when they’re repairing a cracked axle on some family’s car,” said Heller.
“Isn’t it just plain wrong, “stated George Mondragon, Burbank Body Shop manager. Living in America we are accustomed to having freedom of choice. As is, Insurance companies have a lot of influence over their customers, who live in constant fear of their rates being raised for any infraction. We hear customers wanting to pay cash for their repair all the time, because they are afraid of their rates being raised. Many simply will do whatever their Insurance company will tell them to stay in their good grace.With this bill Big Insurance has more freedom to force their influence on consumers. And that is not good news for them.

But not all is lost. Remember, according to our constitution, citizens have a freedom of choice and in this case consumers have the right to choose a repair facility, no matter what anybody tells them. Stay tuned on updates on this controversial bill.

New technology for frame measuring

By definition an automobile or car is a wheeled vehicle that carries its own motor and transports passengers. The automobile as we know it was not invented in a single day by a single inventor. The history of the automobile reflects an evolution that took place worldwide. The modern automobile has gone through an incredible transformation since the early days of last century when model T Fords crawled on the unpaved roads of our country. From wire mesh bicycle like wheels and thin tires to ultra light alloyed ones and wide super performance tires, from a manual crank starter to an electronic transpondent, from open air ventilation to air conditioning, from a simple wish bone suspension to an electronically controlled all wheel drive, from a simple head lights to movement sensitive xenon headlamps etc., the modern automobile has evolved into a multifunctional vehicle roaming around busy highways. These days it is not uncommon to live 75 even 100 miles away from work, something unheard of even 5o years ago.

One of the major changes in a vehicle constructuction in recent years was replacement of conventional frame with unibody design. True to its name unibody combines frame and body into a single unit thus making a vehicle dynamic solid performer. However it made frame repairs more complicated. In the past with vehicle mounted on conventional frames most repairs were done in two dimensions. With the unibody construction measurement and straightening has to be done in three dimensions. Never an old adage “Measure twice cut once” rang more true than when it came to a modern frame repair.

Keeping up with the progress Burbank Body Shop has acquired a Car- O- Tronic Classic, a reliable and user friendly computerized measuring system supporting the entire repair process from initial damage analysis and assessment to final checks and documentation.
Due to a complexity of measurement it was a challenge to pick the right equipment.
“Our technicians are craftsmen, “said George Mondragon, a shop manager:” but they do not have a degree in software engineering. It has to be easy to use.”

The simplicity of the system makes measurement fast. An entire vehicle can be measured without entries from a keyboard. Backed by the world’s largest vehicle database and fully compatible with any alignment procedure, Car – O – Tronic is a photo based measuring system. Actual vehicle photos allow you to precisely and quickly target measuring points. Measuring and pulling can be done simultaneously thus allowing for efficient repairs. Finally, the computer printout is produced prior to the repair and in its conclusion to certify the accuracy.
Please stop by for a free demonstration or just a cup of coffee. We are always happy to see you.