Rancho Collision Center

In December I Took my Durango here after I was rear ended. I spoke with Raul before handing the keys over and explained while the car was being repaired during the insurance claim I wanted to add a towing hitch to my car. The insurance estimate was $ 750 they end up closing out a little over $ 1400 On the Durango there is a lower spoiler piece with a an existing hitch cut out from the manufacturer which is about $ 170 the solid spoiler is $ 200+. I do my research before hand to educated myself to avoid being screwed over. They sent me an estimate for the total installation of $ 591 to install the hitch and the wire harness. They were trying to charge me body labor for what the insurance was already paying for I understand I was responsible for the mechanical labor of about 1.5 hours. We exchanged emails on 12÷3÷15 negotiating the labor and rates then i didn’t hear anything back until ¹²⁄₁₀ and we still couldn’t come to an agreement. By then I was over their services and just wanted my car back. When I picked it up on ¹²⁄₁₅ I dealt with Raul and Jose telling them how I was unhappy with the overal service. They offered me everything I wanted with the hitch installed for $ 352 after they discounted the parts and labor which was less than I was willing to pay on the first place. We made arrangements when the parts came in they would call me and they would knock the job out same day. Remind you this was ¹²⁄₁₅ I didn’t hear from them so 5 days into the new year so I decided to show up there and I make contact with Jose hoping he could explain what’s taking so long to get the parts. Jose stated the spoiler part with the hitch cut out the received was damaged two times so they were waiting on a 3^rd –_-(aka never got around to ordering it and prolly thought I wasn’t going to come back). On ¹⁄₁₂ they called and said all the parts were in and to bring the car so I made arrangements for ¹⁄₁₄ to have the work done. Dropping the car off I was hesitant expecting something to go wrong. Keep in mind were still at $ 352 for the bill I was responsible for, so 3 hours later Jose calles says the hitch is installed but there is no lights because the car wasn’t equipped with something sort of electrical and said it was going to be another $ 122 in parts and 2 hours of mechanical labor at $ 95 an hour. You could imagine my state of mind after a month of bull crap I just wanted my car finished. I tried to see if they would work with me on the price and nothing so I just gave them the go ahead finish my car in worries of them sabotaging it due to all the fugaziness. when I get the call to say the car is 100% done it was 20 minutes before they close and I had to get from El Cajon to here and if i didn’t make it in time I would have to come back on the morning to pick it up. I need my car I have a family I don’t drive my SUV for fun. So i reluctantly paid over the phone so Jose could leave my keys at the dealership next door. As I arrive the car looks great exactly how i wanted it a month prior but after 30 days 3 trips up there and a $ 665.52 bill after expecting to pay $ 352 I finally got what I wanted. Writing this review and looking at the invoice I just realized they charged me 2 hours of body work at $ 52 per hour to take off the incorrect body part they put on the car the first time. Smh after its all said and done they got me all I can do is share my personal experience about this place to help people in the future. I swear on my name I will never return here ever again or refer anybody there till the day I die.

THE LONG STORY (skip to tldr if desiring):
well i have had some sh*tty car luck since i finally upgraded my (perfectly functional but aesthetically falling apart) 2002, 100K+ jetta. granted, it was most likely a ticking time bomb, but ya know how it goes: no one hits the junky beat up car, they go right for the brand new! case in point: since trading that car in, i had 2 cars totaled, each by drunk drivers, within a 9 month period. you can read all about the debacle here:
but it was the 2^nd time that actually introduced me to rancho collision center. that 2^nd crash was seeming to put the damage at under total loss and repairable. back then, (not knowing i was a moving drunk driver target) I had sorta skimped on my insurance and didnt pay the extra premium for only OEM VW parts. so what did that mean for this wreck? FRANKENSTEIN jetta! my insurance was only going to pay for aftermarket parts… on a 9 month old car I was still going to pay off for 5 more years as thought it was in perfect brand new condition. i was pretty upset, needless to say, but put on my big girl pants and started proactively searching for the best businesses to work with. When I called my dealer and asked who they would recommend as VW experts to rebuild my car, they said they bring everyone to Rancho. And luck had it, the person who answered my call was Gabriel, and long story short… he promised me that they would only use OEM parts even at the aftermarket covered price, because they had a good relationship with competitive pricing to make it all work. i couldnt believe what Gabriel /​Rancho was going to do for me. but in the end, the car was totaled (thank god) and I got my do-​over miracle by VW (again read review). because who wants damaged goods… bad for resale, and who knows if it will ever be the same.
but i told Gabriel, if i ever need work done, I would go to them. and what do you know, THREE months into my latest car, I got sideswiped by a 70 yr old man… in retrospect to the others, small potatoes, but the first boo-​boo hurts so bad! yadda, yadda, insurance claim, no 3^rd party witnesses… I got screwed and had to use my insurance and deductible. I returned to Gabriel and he was as awesome as ever, and even gave me a contact for a mobile dent guy as a cheap alternative. but I wanted it done right. and then i went and waited 6 months for arbitration (lost) and Gabriel is no longer at rancho :’(but ya know, a promise is a promise. though no longer having this long standing relationship i still believed this was the place for skilled body work.
TLDR:
I came in to finally repair this annoying rear driver side dent and decided to coordinate with my 10k service and software update bulletin — since VW is right next door. the nice thing about here is you have dealer, body shop, and enterprise rental car all in the same location to make it totally painless. the perfect trifecta! since Rancho has an active relationship with VW next door, they were totally willing to drive my car over after the job was done to get my car serviced without me having to make an extra trip. fantastic!
i had the privilege of getting paired up with the brand new collision center manager (Raul Rivera) who really went above and beyond for me. between my unfortunate stories, my working relationship with rancho, and a few others mentionings, he made sure to resolve the car claim damage and make the rest of my car good as new. because although the first booboo hurts the worst, that time a costco cart rammed into the other side of my car leaving a dimple always made me angry to look at everyday as well. my car was done in only 3 days (as I was originally quoted 6 months ago), stayed within insurance quote to the cent, and man… it looks so beautiful and perfect again. a picture says a thousand words so look for yourself!
really cant speak higher about my experience. it was easy breezy and a pleasure. they work efficiently, but do not sacrifice quality. not sure what some of the other reviewers think with their dramatic 1 stars, but take if from the girl who has had a lot of car grievances that Rancho made my 3^rd crash reversal as easy and painless as can be, and like it never happened.
…because lets face it, with good body work it SHOULD be like it never happened. so really, what accident? :)

Impossible to get through to anyone, they just don’t answer the phone. If you’re lucky to get a receptionist, she’ll transfer you to the wrong person’s voicemail. Don’t complain, they’ll make excuses about being short staffed, because they had to fire people.
I dropped off my car a week ago. Since then, I’ve yet to receive a single phone call updating me on the status of my car. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve had to call. Seriously, I’m about to drive down there and just take my car, finished or not.

I highly recommend asking for Gabriel. He genuinely cares about his customers and tries to always make time for their car issues. I had a nasty scratch on my door and he lightly buffed it off and told me to order a paint pen from my dealership, saving me hundreds of dollars.
Also when I was having difficulty with the incompetence at VW next door, he took me to a manager and the issue I had been ignored by VW for over a month for was resolved the next day.
Now THAT is true, quality customer service.
I know my car is in trustworthy hands with Gabriel so I highly recommend checking this place out for your collision needs!

My wife and I were in San Diego a few weeks ago and got into a car accident. After looking at a bunch of body shops, I chose this one because it is a dealer and was close to my hotel. After towing my car to the shop, I met Gary in the collision center. He had me sign a few papers and told me not to worry. I got a rental through Hertz that was paid by my insurance.
Gary went above and beyond the call of duty. He worked with my insurance company on an estimate, and then had the car ready in a week as promised. He had me pay my deductible over the phone and the car was waiting for me when I returned to San Diego a week later. He kept me up to date as to the status of my car, and also was patient with all the phone calls and questions that I had for him. I cannot say how smoothly he made the entire process. While I don’t wish anyone to get into an accident when away from home, this place made the process as easy as possible and were very caring and helpful at all times. Thank you so much. It will not be forgotten.