Coelho’s Body Repair & Auto Sales, Inc. has been fixing cars under the auspices of Nelson Coelho Jr. since 1980. A burgeoning car mechanic since age 12, Mr. Coelho honed his skills by spending his high school summers and weekends working in his father’s auto repair shop. Today, the entire Coelho family is involved in the day-to-day operation of the Fremont-based body shop.
Mr. Coelho says his work is all about “the art of invisible repair.” Coelho’s Body Repair & Auto Sales strives to bring vehicles back to their pre-accident conditions while leaving no evidence of any repair. Such seamless restoration is time-consuming and takes great expertise, but it has become the trademark of Mr. Coelho’s business.
As a small, independent shop, Coelho’s Body Repair & Auto Sales values its customer relationships over its relationships with insurance companies. “We’ll go out of our way to accommodate our customers and save them money whenever possible,” says Mr. Coelho. “We can even help them file insurance claims.” The company believes communication is the key to great service, so customers are encouraged to ask questions and discuss any concerns.
“We excel at what we do because we truly love the work. We’re a small operation by choice. It lets us have very personal relationships with our customers and give them the kind of attention they can’t get at larger shops, so it really feels like a family.”
Getting more than one estimate on your collision damage can save you from needlessly spending money.
“You should definitely get more than one estimate, just to gauge different costs,” says Nelson Coelho, Jr., owner of Coelho’s Body Repair and Auto Sales. “Many times, I’ll write an estimate for a partial repair—maybe the front portion of a door is torn—and I’ll say, ‘Go get another couple of estimates, but watch what they say about the paint on this door.’ If you go to another shop and they want to spend a lot of time fully refinishing that door, it’ll end up costing you more.” By comparing the prices and repair suggestions of different shops, you’re guaranteed a more complete perspective than simply bringing it to the first shop you see.
Another thing to watch out for, says Mr. Coelho, is a shop overestimating the amount of damage to a car after it’s been brought in for repairs. “Sometimes a shop will write a really short estimate to get you in, but once they start the job, they’ll call back and say there’s additional damage,” he explains. Make sure a shop tells you right away if an overestimation is even slightly possible. Ask if the damage could warrant further work before you leave your car with them. If they say yes, ask about the specifics: What kind of ancillary damage could there possibly be? What’s the price range for further repairs?
Remember, estimates are based on visual damage only, so be wary of one that’s too simple or low-priced. “An estimate should be as honest as possible,” says Mr. Coelho. “It’s the right thing to do, and body shops should hold themselves to high standards when it comes to estimation.”
In the event of body damage to your vehicle, Mr. Coelho also recommends getting a full, detailed policy explanation from your insurance company: What exactly does your policy cover? Will you have to pay for certain services but not others? What are your options? “A lot of times, insurance companies don’t explain enough,” he says. “People will come to a shop with estimates that make no sense whatsoever to them. There’s no reason for that.”
Having your car sidelined by an accident can be a stressful affair, so it's important to hire a body shop that can provide a quick return to the road, but it's equally important that the quality of the work isn't compromised for rapid service. Ideally, your post-accident car should come back looking like its pre-accident self–what Nelson Coelho, Jr., owner of Coelho's Body Repair and Auto Sales, Inc., calls "the art of invisible repair."
"Our goal is to restore cars to their pre-crash conditions; to make it look like there was never a problem in the first place," he explains. "We're very meticulous." This steadfast commitment to excellent, seamless repair directly relates to Coelho's Body Repair's focus on customer relationships–a family-type approach made easier by the presence of Mr. Coelho's actual family, who are involved with day-to-day operations.
"We're a small, family shop," he says. "Most of my customers are referrals–some have been coming to us for 30 years–and we like to give them personal attention, so it really feels like a family." Thinking of his customers as kin makes it impossible for Mr. Coelho to accept substandard work, and since his shop is small and independent, he can afford to pay close, personal attention to each job.
"If you're in a ‘cattle herd' shop–a really big shop where they're doing 10 jobs a day and pushing you out as soon as possible–it's possible you're going to receive substandard work," he says. "Here, we have a lower car count, so we can really focus on individual cases. And even though I'm the owner, I also write the estimates, do the paperwork and check every aspect of a car's repair."
Coelho's Body Repair specializes in collision repair with an emphasis on paint matching, which can be an overlooked aspect of auto bodywork. Good paint jobs go unnoticed, but bad ones can draw unwanted attention and compromise otherwise decent repair work. "Our aim is to do showroom-quality paint jobs," says Mr. Coelho. "A lot of times, we have to try and match the texture of the original car, which isn't easy. If you paint a door that's flatter than it was pre-collision, it has less texture and gives off an almost perfect reflection, which doesn't look natural. During repairs, we have to leave some type of factory texture to match the original, which can be more of a challenge than people realize."
Ultimately, Coelho's Body Repair exists to serve its customers above all others, including insurance companies. "If a shop has a contract with an insurance company, at some point, I feel like they're not working for the customer anymore," says Mr. Coelho.
