Toyota of Berkeley Certified Collision Center

My 2015 Tundra Limited was rear ended by a semi truck. Pretty sure the driver was texting. The bumper was damaged. Keith at Berkeley Toyota and his team did an amazing inspection. They fought with my insurance company to get the truck back in perfect working order, and won. I can’t tell that my truck was in an accident. They also looked extensively for signs of frame damage. They drove my truck over to the Toyota service station to get an alignment before I picked it up. When I picked up my Tundra, it looked and drove perfectly — again.

I was very happy and pleasantly surprised to the service I received. I stopped by because my Mazda had side molding that was falling off. I asked if they had universal clips to reattach it, Keith, the service manager said, ‘No problem.’ As we chatted he slipped 5 new clips in and snapped the molding back on. No charge, he says. Happy to do it. If I were a Toyota owner I would have been happy to pay for his time and materials. The fact that I’m not made me a very happy customer indeed. I’ve always thought well of Toyota products. I feel even better about them now. Thanks.

Keith was great, accurate about the timing and took care of the insurance portion for us. Our car looks new again. The only negative was the receptionist failed to call us when the car was done-​other than that it was a positive experience.

Not a good experience…
Poor quality, they would not take responsibility and kept saying that it was because the non original parts, They lost the front license plate and the best they could offer was
Go to DMV…
I will not let the Dealership name lure me in to those places ever again, next time I will read the reviews

I had a possitive experience at Toyota of Berkeley. Keith (collision estimator) was fast, friendly and professional. Someone had smashed into my parked truck and I needed an estimate. I was in and out of there in 15 minutes.

I came here after getting in an accident, and while they were busy they could take me in right away. Keith was very personable and supportive — I was pretty shaken up about the accident and he made the whole process much simpler (especially as a young woman who has been taken advantage of in other car repair situations). I told him I was paying for my damages out of pocket and he did everything he could to get me the best possible price, explaining what should definitely be Toyota branded parts and what are fine as after-​market parts. It only took a week for my repairs to be completed!
I’ll have to admit I was hesitant to come here given the history of the business’s bad Unilocal reviews, but as a Toyota Certified Collision Center I figured it was worth a shot — and it was, thanks to Keith! Thanks for everything, Keith!!!

I called this place after class Friday and spoke with Keith about changing out my license plate and how the previous license was «welded» into my car because of a rusty screw. He told me to come in and he’ll check it out and possibly give me an estimate of what would be possible.
Sure enough, he was able to switch it out and replace it with proper screws and went over in detail with me what was going on. Amazing transparency, excellent service, phenomenal communication.
KEITH is your man! This place is rad.

Got into an accident last week and Keith Bullis (Cerified Collision Estimator) took my car in told me that it would cost me $ 70 per day to store the non-​operational vehicle. He was awesome in contacting me a couple days after the accident to get claim numbers and phone numbers of involved party to «squeak» at them to get them to move. He called on my behalf twice a day. For a company that profits $ 70 per day of storage to do everything they can to get the vehicle off their hands, I AM VERY IMPRESSED!
Good job guys! And thank you for a good customer experience.

I am surprised at the negative reviews here! I just picked up my ’09 Venza today after a run in with an AC Transit bus and it looks like new! Keith is super nice, and helpful. He gave me a thorough explanation of the estimate and kept me informed through out the process. They even cleaned out my interior before I picked it up. Made a difficult situation less awful! Thanks!

I’ve brought my 4Runner in here twice, once to have the rear fender replaced and most recently to have my windshield replaced. Not only were both repairs/​replacements done within one day (I really, really rely on my car), but the prices for both were extremely reasonable. For the windshield, they prepared two estimates, one using a Toyota name brand windshield, and one for a «generic» windshield (same quality, same features). The estimate for the latter was one third the cost of replacing the windshield with the name brand glass. I chose the generic and couldn’t be more pleased. Keith was extremely pleasant to deal with, which was much appreciated, given how shaken up I was at having just had a minor accident. Mindful that I was paying out of pocket, he assured me that the generic was just as good as the name brand, and did not try to pressure me into purchasing the more expensive option. In addition, the mechanic who gave me a courtesy ride to and from the shop couldn’t have been nicer. Terrie was wonderful to deal with, as well. It is a great comfort to know that if anything happens to my car, and requires a replacement part to its body, Keith and Terrie will be there to make sure the job is done quickly, professionally, and at a very reasonable cost.

I cannot understand all the negative reviews for Toyota of Berkeley Body Shop. I’ve taken my 1^st gen Prius and now my 2^nd gen Prius to this body shop for various collision or other repairs (none my fault) since 2000, most recently this month, and I have never received anything but the best service. Keith has been consistently reliable, prompt, and completely honest. Our car was broken into on March 18^th in SF three blocks from the Davies Concert Hall (rear window smashed to steal a bag with two piano books), and Keith replaced the window in one day as soon as the insurance authorized it, then replaced the trim panel on Monday in 10 minutes after that part came in. He was careful to transfer the after-​market leather piece from the old panel. Their rates are lower than the Albany facility of Toyota of Berkeley and are certainly reasonable. I have had repairs done four or five times at Keith’s and Terri’s shop and have never had any complaints. Please take all the negative reviews with a grain or two of salt…
I might add that these days it is not safe to leave ANYTHING in your car, especially if it is in a bag. Thieves apparently assume it is a laptop or iPad (even if it is really a couple of music books) and it takes only a few seconds to do in a window and snatch anything on the seat. Unfortunately, the thief can lower the rear seat and take anything in the trunk too… our thief also got a duffel bag with two baseball gloves and some baseballs out of the covered trunk that way. This was on Hickory Street at Franklin in San Francisco, parked in a well-​lighted parking spot.

STAY AWAY! Not only does this shop have ridiculously high rates for everything they can think to charge you for, you won’t ever feel like you’re getting truthful information about what’s going on with your car, or what your options are. They thrive on being coy and expensive.
Case in point: I took my Prius there when the emergency lights flashed on. First they said it would be $ 135 just for diagnosing the light. My usual mechanic was closed for the week and I needed my car, so I made the HUGE mistake of proceeding with them. Then they called back and said that now it was $ 540 to take out the hybrid battery and repair the wiring at issue. On the next call it was «the wiring is corroded, which we can repair for $ 1,300, but we recommend replacing the whole system for $ 3,000.» I was so fed up that I just had them put the car back together so that I could drive it away and take it to my usual mechanic the following week. They still charged me the $ 540 labor for no fix whatsoever!!! (My usual mechanic, Arts Automotive, was able to diagnose and repair the battery for less than $ 500 and the car is now functioning beautifully.)
Toyota of Berkeley was a waste of my time, money, and energy. Please don’t make the same mistake.

I’m starting to wonder if all Toyota service shops work under the guise of just being shady. I stopped going to Folsom Toyota because I found they over charged me for some extended warranty work. I think they just «found» extra stuff to charge so they could make up the difference and make some money. I felt I should try a different shop and see if the experience would be the same. Well, it was exactly the same. I just can’t believe the crap they come up with to try to get extra money. Either that or there shoddy repair guys are breaking other stuff while trying to fix what you actually wanted repaired. Very disappointed,

NEVER, EVER, AGAIN. SCAM ARISTS! RUN, DON’T WALK FROM HERE.
We bought the «extra» protection for our GPS system (for $ 750 extra) for our Prius at the urging of our salesperson who said we could «drive it into a river» and we’d be covered. He said it was important as the «screen» (that controls EVERYTHING like radio, gps, heat, etc) «breaks all the time» and they cost «3k» to replace. He convinced us and we bit the bullet on the extra protection. Long story short, unit stopped working and they say they can «fix» it for $ 1600. Of course they same guy doesn’t work there any more. What a joke. NEVER DO BUSINESS WITH THESE CROOKS.

this place will rip you off and try to fix things that aren’t broken. I have a 92 Toyota corolla that I brought in b/​c I could pop the hood open anymore. They tried to tell me to replace a perfectly good hood for a new one. I had to scream and yell at this guy until the mechanic came out to see what was wrong and he agreed with me that the wire for popping the hood had to be replaced and not the hood. In the process of fixing my car they also broke my door handle and then tried to say that the handle fell off b/​c of age. I was so angry that I started yelling at them until they finally replaced it (no charge… though I probably wouldn’t have paid)

Best at what???
After getting an estimate from my trusted local dealer, I decided to get a second estimate and found Toyota of Berkeley, the only certified Toyota repair shop. I chose Toyota of Berkeley because the price was substantially lower and the reputation (I asked about the certification) of certified Toyota repair. I was assured the repair would be above and beyond the standard for other body shops. That being said, when I got my car back and inspected it to find the bumper tabs to secure the fog light to the bumper missing overlooked, their reaction was ‘it was a human mistake.’ What? That’s like saying a carpenter forgets to put the screws in the door knob to secure it to the door!
Anyhow, my mistake to take the car home. Because the estimator, Keith, informed me he had to contact my insurance company for a supplement payment to complete the job. My frustration lies in that he should have said he would take care of this immediately and admit to the mistake. After two weeks of deliberating with my insurance company and the body shop, I’ve returned my car to the shop only to feel the old saying appropriate, «You get what you paid for.»
Next time I’ll pay the price of my trusted dealer for the peace of mind.

While Keith was *super* nice to deal with, I was pretty disappointed with the service. When I picked up my car after it was supposedly done with repairs after a break-​in, a handful of things hadn’t actually been fixed — and one had been fixed improperly — and, something that wasn’t broken suddenly was.
I still haven’t gone back to get everything fixed because my car was there for the first three weeks of January and I really don’t feel like giving it up again to the black hole of the body shop.
Bummer, because the customer service was great — but the actual service, ie the repairs, were subpar.

I wish I had read Unilocal’s reviews earlier! Don’t go there, and report them to the state!
I went to Toyota of Berkeley Body Shop for an estimate after a minor car accident. The insurance company estimated the repair at $ 1,700, and the estimator (Keith) at Toyota Berkeley gave a outrageous estimate of $ 3,800. Keith informed me with this price they cannot «guarantee» the work! Also, they wanted $ 2,000 more to fix some minor scratches on my Toyota Prius!
Other highly recommended body shops quoted in line with the insurance company’s estimate (so it is not a matter of quality, but overcharging, other reviewers found they even charge parts that were not installed). So I asked to have my car back to take it to another body shop, since I have lost faith and was warmed that this body shop is a fraud.
The manager (Terri, rude big lady with a cane who makes racist remarks: see Marcos J’s previous review) claimed if I don’t fix my car there, then I should be charged «storage fees» for $ 65 a day for 2 days. (A previous Unilocal review indicated she used to charge $ 50 for storage fees a day). She then insisted that she «will only take cash» in order to prevent me from «disputing» such charges if I pay with a credit card.
I was never informed of such charges or conditions in advance; otherwise, I would have never taken my car to this Toyota of Berkeley body shop for any estimation. I was forced to pay by cash before I could get my car out of that garage.
This place claimed to be a «Certified» Toyota Body Shop, thus justifying unethically overcharging Berkeley residents and Prius owners; but I wonder if this «Storage charge» is legal? How can we report this unfair practice to the state, and consumer protection agencies?

This it the worst body Shop. They should recieve no stars and negative stars.
The whole process of getting my car fixed by this incompetant body shop took over 9 months of coming back and forth to get things fixed. They still caused damaged in my car that I will have to repair from my own pocket.
The manager/​owner is rude and inconsiderate and even made racist remarks when I made a complaint. She will not listen to any complaints and is the rudest person I have ever met in business.
If you have had your car fixed by them I highly reccommend you have your car inspected by the auto repair board of california. Do not just file a complaint with the board:
HAVE YOUR CAR INSPECTED. The inspector found parts on the invoice that were charged and the work not even done.
stay away from this place!!!

STAY AWAY FROM TOYOTA OF BERKELEY.
I just had the worst customer service experience of my life with these pricks. My car got hit by an AC transit bus on a Friday evening, so I had it towed to Toyota of Berkeley. I called Saturday afternoon to learn that they close at noon on Saturdays. Not a big deal, I can wait until Monday. I call on Monday to learn that they intend to charge me $ 50 a day for storage, including Sunday (when they’re closed) for a total of $ 200. At no point did they call me; they were perfectly happy to let my car sit on their lot, racking up extortionate storage fees. On top of that, they were charging me for an estimate! I tried to plead my case, but they were very rude and unyielding. In order to get my car back I had to pay what they asked; I’m currently disputing the charges.
What upset me most about this experience is the way I was treated: not as a valued customer, but as someone vulnerable to be exploited. I don’t see how a business can be so myopic as to prefer a few hundred bucks now in exchange for thousands of dollars in lost business due to bad word of mouth, especially in the information age.