Mar-Bell Auto Body

I have a critical eye when it comes to auto body repair. I took my wife’s car to Mar-​Bell and it came back near perfect. I was so impressed that I took my truck there to have a door painted. Wow! The color match was perfect, the door looks perfect and even my critical eye can’t tell where the new paint starts and stops. Butch got our work done on time, under budget and is an honest and proactive communicator. I don’t provide reviews often, yet felt compelled to tell others about my experience. This place might be the best autobody repair shop in central Illinois!

Seriously outstanding service, results, and great pricing!
I drive a 2007 Toyota Camry and take pretty good care of it. However, the front fender of my car was met with some aggression by someone’s boot (seriously, who kicks someone’s car?), which left a large, foot-​sized dent in my fender. Thinking it would cost an arm and a leg to fix, and not wanting to bother turning it in to my insurance, I drove around for about 6 months with this huge dent in my fender.
Finally, it came time to trade in my car for something bigger, and I knew I was going to get screwed on the trade in with a huge dent in the fender. I decided to look around for someone to fix the dent, but I also didn’t want to spend a ton of money on the repair, since I wasn’t going to be driving the car much longer, and the whole point of the repair was to keep money.
Being a woman, you sometimes worry that when you take your car in to have anything done to it, you might be taken advantage of. Some mechanics and technicians seem to see you as easy prey or assume you’re too stupid to know when you’re being ripped off. This was the case with the first 2 shops where I went to get an estimate.
The first place told me that the whole door and fender would have to be replaced (the actual dent was not even on the door), that it would have to be painted, and that I was looking at 3 days of labor (never mind that this is my only car and I have no way of getting around for 3 days without it). The estimate for this work was $ 900+! Knowing this was too high, I went to another place, where I was given a somewhat similar figure of $ 735. At this point, I pretty much figured I was just going to keep the dent in the fender and just take a hit on the trade-​in value. However, a friend suggested I check out Mar-​Bell, and I am so glad I did!
The first man I spoke with at Mar-​Bell came out and greeted me immediately. He did not ask for a ton of my information before looking at my car; he just went straight out and gave it a look. Then he put info about my car into his computer system to give me the best estimate on needed parts for repair. After figuring out what would be needed to get the car to look showroom new again, his estimate was $ 415. This was much better than the competitors’ quotes, but still a little steep for me. Then I explained my situation, and told him that I was planning to trade in the car very soon and just needed it to look «good enough.» He told me that they employed a dent repair specialist who comes in only once a week, but that he thought that a simple repair (which he warned me would not be «perfect») would cost around $ 100. I was MUCH more agreeable to that figure, and besides, who needs perfection? I was told that they would call me when the dent specialist was in the shop.
The following Thursday, I received a call at 9:30 AM from the shop’s owner, Butch. He asked me if I could get the car there that morning, so I drove there immediately. As SOON as I walked in the door, they took the keys from me and got to work, no delay. From the waiting area, I could see the very clean and professional work area in the back, and I could see that all the men there were busy working on parts and vehicles. No one was standing around «shooting the breeze» while I waited for the work to be done, as is too often the case with all businesses. Butch came back out again a few times to talk to me and see if I needed anything. He made pleasant conversation with me and really seemed genuinely kind and friendly.
Within 40 minutes of my arrival, the work was done! I could not believe it. I have waited three times as long for a check up at the doctor’s office. I went out with Butch to look at the repair, and SERIOUSLY, I could NOT tell that there had ever been a dent there. For all their disclaimers about the possibility that this repair method would not yield perfect results, I could not believe how perfect it looked. These guys are seriously miracle workers. I was thrilled.
When I went in to pay, Butch told me that instead of writing a check for the $ 100, if I paid in cash, he would give me a 20% discount. I didn’t have cash on me, so I asked if it would be ok to run to the bank. «Sure,» he said, «no problem. Take your time.» Can you believe that? So I went to the bank and came right back with the $ 80, and he shook my hand and told me to call him again if I ever needed anything.
I seriously feel like I have been transported to some idyllic Norman Rockwell painting of small town America. How can people be this nice, or this honest? The technicians at Mar-​Bell were so professional, kind, honest, and stand behind their work. They are not out to swindle you out of your money, but rather to establish long-​term relationships with their customers in the community. Seriously, if you EVER need work done on your vehicle and you live near Decatur, go to Mar-​Bell before you consider any place else. I just wish I had gone there sooner!