Whitman’s Auto Body

I cannot say enough nice things about Whitman’s and, more specifically, Patrick. Honest as the day is long and genuinely care about their customers. There may be other good auto repair shops out there, but I’ll never know because I won’t go elsewhere. On top of good work, Patrick interacted directly with the insurance company on my behalf to make sure everything was handled correctly and efficiently… plus he coordinated the rental car for me. Can you tell I love there guys :-)

As yes Patrick is as good as it gets. I am still savoring the fabulous over the top treatment I received yesterday… This is the third time I have had occasion to go to his shop and each time I was treated as the most important person in the world … Thank you for extraordinary workmanship and service… He really really cares!!- Niz

I first spoke with Patrick on the phone Friday and he was the upmost kind and confident that he would not only be able to fix my car (on a SATURDAY) but for free of charge because I just wanted to have it safely on the road and did not care for how it would look aesthetically. He was not able to get me on the road safety but pop out the dent in my car to where it was almost camouflaged (and in 15 minutes!) Words cannot express how much of a help he was. There is no doubt in my mind this shop will be the only place I go to for any future car repairs… thank you so much Patrick!

Patrick (the Manager) was the most helpful, considerate, professional guy I have perhaps ever encountered in automotive service ever. Helped me get some work done in a crunch (my wife was due any day and it was urgent!) — done well, done reasonably. Above and beyond — can’t say enough good things about them (and Patrick specifically). 5 star +

Whitman’s is the personification of professionalism. Patrick Doherty (manager) is one of those people that vibrates competence. He was ahead of the curve on every point and handled a small troublesome repair for me with genuine concern. I only wish that Whitman’s could somehow export this kind of old school sensibility to other don’t-really want to be here types.

Have gone to Craig at Whitman’s for years for our 2008 Camry hybrid and he’s always been on top of things. We had a couple issues come up but Craig, Patrick and Devon took care of us like VIPs! Thanks you guys — you’ve EARNED your strong 5-​Star rating!

My car sustained damage from another driver who fortunately was insured! I took the vehicle initially to the autobody shop that the other driver’s insurance company suggested and wasn’t impressed. After doing a Unilocal search found Whitman’s and took my vehicle there. The car looks great — and I can say that this company values their reputation and their name in the community.

My insurance company tried to steer me to some chain body shop they use. I read the reviews on that shop and thought, «no, thanks.» As minor as this accident was, no one wants to see their «baby» banged up and less than beautiful.
My mechanic Bill never steers me wrong, he recommended Whitman’s. I am happy to say Patrick was straight up, obliging and my car now looks beautiful again. They polished the car well, and some nicks showed up that I hadn’t ever noticed prior, but he took care of that too. Even a small accident can be unsettling, however, you’re in good hands with Patrick. :)

I visited three San Rafael body shops to estimate repairs to my BMW. the first two were intent on exaggerating the claim, lying to the insurance company and doing unnecessary work. Craig and Patrick were the exception. «Cash register honest». Their estimate was half the competition and less than my deductible. the work was perfect. the car looks like new. And it was delivered early. I highly recommend Whitman’s if you are particular about your car and you want an honest repair. they are the best.

After reading the good reviews here on Unilocal I decided to go to Whitman’s first for an estimate on a problem with my front bumper. I stopped by with thoughts of $ 1,000 for a new bumper but 20 minutes and $ 50. later drove off with it looking great. Thank you Patrick! If I or my friends are ever in need of an auto body shop this is the place to go.

This goes out to paint, body, and the guy up front who’s name is Patrick. From now on this is the only place that will touch my stuff. It’s seems like I never have a happy ending when it comes to auto body, and paint until now. Never have I been so satisfied. The price was exactly what I was originally quoted, and the quality of the craftsmanship far exceeded my expectations. They knocked it out of the park on the first pitch!

Patrick at Whitmans Auto Body does impeccable work in a timely fashion and brings with him Old World Straight up business. I would recommend his shop to anyone looking for top quality AutoBody repair and/​or glass replacement. He worked hands on with his talented team or artisans to carefully install the replacement glass and rope seal on my ’88 911 Carrera. This is a tedious and challenging job with the floating rope seal and flimsy aluminum trim. His installation was factory perfect! He came highly recommended by my close friend and Porsche Aficionado Thomas Hogan, the folks at Sonnen Porsche, and Rob at S-​Cargo. Couldn’t be happier with the work and experience.

Meets and exceeds every expectation. Great to do business with. Ask for Patrick.

These guys are great! Patrick is very responsive and wants to get the job done for you. He’s on the ball and been very helpful for me when I’ve needed work done under a variety of circumstances. It’s so nice to have a go-​to person that I know will take care of any issues in a professional and reliable manner.

Wow, another 5-​Star review. I showed up in the middle of the week short notice with paint blowing off my van hood. Patrick got me in next day and did an outstanding job for a very reasonable price. My van was ready to go Monday AM and it looked brand new! They even cleaned up my headlight lenses! So much Value, thanks guys.

GO here if you have any kind of body work needed. Patrick is smart, trustworthy, professional, and goes way beyond the call of duty, every time. I’ve had to bring in my CLK 550 Benz twice in the last six months — one for a banged up door (my fault), the other for a dented passenger side door (not my fault). In the first visit, he worked with the insurance company to ensure my repairs could be completely and thoroughly done (a BIG help). He also had a bunch of extra work done for free — painting, minor dent repair, removing scratches, etc., — and did them beautifully. As for customer service — he’s bar none! Kept in touch, gave me timely updates, and let me know realistically when my car would be ready. When I got it, it was GLEAMING. PERFECT. Compared to what I brought in, it looked NEW. Totally unrelated to the accident, he also offered to buff and paint my rims, which were scuffed beyond recognition, for a really, really great price. The thing about Patrick is this — he offers all the options — the go-for-broke-but-we’ll-get-it-like-new, the middle road which is still great, and the low price for the minimum repair if that’s all what you want. Just today he fixed my passenger door and charged me NOTHING because he knew it couldn’t be repaired 100% without going the whole hog, something I didn’t want to do. That was purely nice of him. I’ll bring all my business to Patrick and will surely be back (also because it’s inevitable that I’ll need to!!!)
HIGHLY RECOMMEND. If you love your car the way I do, you will be so happy you brought it here!

Sadly, I’ve had a fair amount of experience with auto shops over the last 5 or 6 years — In no small part due to a combination of my 2 teenage drivers, and my (admittedly) low tolerance for dents, scratches or scrapes.
In this instance, I ended up here with a dented hood on my M3 thanks to some Marinite backing into my parked car in San Anselmo, and simply driving away.
In the past, I’d gone to Anthony’s — but was so dissatisfied with my last experience (car dirty on delivery, argumentative staff, an «OK at best» job) that I decided to find a new spot. And I’m damn glad I did. Not only did Patrick and his crew go way above and beyond to help us out with a recalcitrant insurance company, but the quality of the repair is *perfect*.
Did I mention I’m picky? They nailed it. Plus — the little things — the car was spotless inside and out, they fixed a couple things that needed fixing — on their own, without asking, and without an extra charge — which made it even better. While I hope I never have to visit a body shop again… if I do, I’m coming here. Thanks, all — it’s nice to know a serious customer service ethic is alive and well at Whitman’s.

Patrick, the manager, is very helpful and knowledgable! Nothing less than fantastic experiences with this body shop.

I can’t say enough good things about Whitman’s I have had more than one
very satisfying experience there. The customer service is outstanding !!!
Just recently I stopped into the shop (with no apt) to have them take a look.
Someone had tapped my bumper and the backup sensor was alarming
every time I put the car into reverse, very annoying. Sonnen Motors had
told me the entire bumper needed to be removed to fix the problem $$$$$ !
Craig took a look, thought outside the box and fixed it for me on the spot,
and, then only charged me $ 40!
A week after that, my son was in an accident, we had his car towed to Whitman’s and sadly found out it was totaled.
Patrick handled all the details of the insurance, disposing of the car, ect
swiftly, making it as painless for me as possible. He even helped me
clean out the car !!
Thank you Craig and Patrick, you are the best !

After a deer jumped in front of my 1988 Jaguar XJ-​S last October, destroying the hood and much of the front body of the car, Patrick and his team put it (the car, not the deer) back together better than it was when I bought it; despite tremendous difficulty in obtaining quality replacement parts. They used new parts when available but mostly had to source used parts, rejecting all but the best, going above and beyond what the insurance company authorized, in order to make the car look as good as before, if not better.
Because many of the replacement parts were very hard to come by, putting my car back together took nearly 3 months. This was a long and difficult job but Patrick kept me up to date on what his next steps were, patiently working to get even the smallest details right.
When I bought the car, there were a few items, like parking lot scars, not related to the accident that looked okay at 10 or 15 feet but not good up close. Because the car was already in for service and they’d already gone to the trouble of matching the paint, they gave us a break on fixing these items too.
The quality of the paint matching is incredible. It’s an important point because the car is 25 years old and had faded slightly into its own, unique shade of white with millions of microscopic scratches in the clear coat giving it a worn kind of luster. Now the whole car is so shiny and smooth that I can’t tell the difference between the newly painted sections and the original sections. If I didn’t know what they’d fixed, I’d have no way to tell.
In short, they did an amazing job making my old car look very nearly brand new. And not just from 10 or 15 feet. My XJ-​S looks as good under close scrutiny as it does from a distance.
If I have one reservation, it’s that their internal communication could use some improvement. On the job above, Patrick had a difficult time setting expectations or committing to any kind of estimated time line. This could be due to the fact that he wasn’t in control of when he’d get replacement parts or what condition they’d be in when they arrived, so I initially cut him some slack but, on a subsequent job on a different part of the same car, there was some confusion or miscommunication regarding the billing. It was resolved but I think it was pretty stressful for all concerned.
I can’t think of anyone who does work as good as Whitman’s. It’s a year and a half since the incident in this review and my car still looks amazing but, if possible, nail down exactly what their work is going to cost and when you’ll get your car back *before* they start working on it.