A1 Autobody, Calgary review

[sosofly]

I was one of the people affected by the July hailstorm in Calgary. Needed to get my car fixed so I chose A1 Autobody in Calgary cause I heard good things. I do not recommend!! They've had my car for almost 2 months now because they keep messing up.

Problems:
-Took off the tint to one of my back passenger windows (don't know why), car has all windows tinted and when I saw it I just about busted a cap on their ass.

-A1 did re tint the window, however the weather stripping was messed up, they glued it back messy (not aligned with window, missing weather stripping)

-Large and long bumper scratch, and numerous drivers side door scratches

-Dent found they didn't remove

-Defective NEW windshield (scratches in glass)

-New windshield not installed properly (took it to another company to do), then had to be redone by A1

-Scratches on a passenger window looks like they rubbed sandpaper on it, lol)

...and those are just to name a few. I found another customer picking up their car and told them to check theirs over and they found problems as well!

DO NOT GO TO A1, if you've got a great result last time good for you, but I think that with this hail storm they are not taking their time and making sure they are careful, they just want your car out of the shop asap.

[InRich]

... you shoulda done your research on here.... if you did, you woulda known MOST of us have had a bad experiance there...

that place is garbage.

[sosofly]

Originally posted by InRich
... you shoulda done your research on here.... if you did, you woulda known MOST of us have had a bad experiance there...

that place is garbage.

A1
I have a feeling I'll never get my car for a while....

[maxwinedog]

Ive heard mixed reviews on A1.

[InRich]

^ dont take your car there.

[top_speed]

EDIT:NVM

[maxwinedog]

Originally posted by InRich
^ dont take your car there.

you talking to me or OP?

[copynpaste]

Couple reviews ive came across.

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These people are inconsiderate and do not even know whats going on. Trying to make an appointment is impossible. I called for 3 days trying to get a hold of a person to make an appointment and finally did when the day came they said i had no appointment at all. Then i tried to book another appointment and all i got was voicemail. I will not be going back considering i never got the chance to get in.
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I had a bad experience with A1 Autobody shop in Calgary. A1 may be OK with body works but when it comes to hi-tech electronics they are useless and their workmanship is sloppy to say the least. I took my car in to A1 for some body repairs. I was hit in the...
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I had a bad experience with A1 Autobody shop in Calgary.
A1 may be OK with body works but when it comes to hi-tech electronics they are useless and their workmanship is sloppy to say the least.

I took my car in to A1 for some body repairs. I was hit in the passenger side rear wheel area by a guy who was texting on his cell phone while driving his car in the parking lot at the airport.

The bodywork came out OK, no complaints there, but for some unknown reason the A1 guys had removed my navigation panel.

When I got the car back the navigation screen was chipped in two places, the plastic mounting frame was scratched and the navigation DVD was missing altogether.
Why they had to remove it? I do not know. I can only guess that they may have tried to copy it or something.
Anyway, the center console of my car was full of scratches; they had used it as a workbench for their tools obviously and the upholstery around the sun visors and seat belts stained by dirty greasy fingers.
I took my car back in and complained about the quality of their work.
And they fixed it. They fixed the chipped navigation screen. Guess what?
They covered the damaged area with black tape!!!

I was so disgusted I took my car and drove away.

I paid a lot of money for my car and they treated it with a total lack of consideration.
The Lexus dealership gave me quote for a new navigation screen.
It costs $5000 to replace it.

I really did not expect such a bad service from A1.
I am an old guy but obviously still naïve.
If you drive a beat up truck by all means take it in to A1 for body repairs but if you have a nice expensive car please do yourself a favor and take it somewhere else.
Ask your dealer of a body shop that they recommend or something.
A1 Autobody sucks. I am not going back in a thousand years.

[InRich]

No one should EVER take their cars to A1.... EVER!

[GOnSHO]

ive had 2 cars worked on there and they did IMMACULATE work for me..

hit or miss apparently...

[kvg]

I had 2 good experiences using A1, but my father got rear ended and the didn't start it till the p/u date. When it was finally returned it was missing a trim piece and they told him just to come get it when it came in.

[AutoMats]

Had a friend who is an adjuster and was contracted to work out of A1 for 5.5 weeks. Well, I asked him about his thoughts on the place and he said this is definitely a hit or miss place and one he wouldnt recommend. A lot of sloppiness, carelessness going on. One thing he noticed is that this place is all about quantity and getting as many cars done and out ASAP even if they have to cut corners, which they do quite often. If they feel they can get away with it, they will half ass a job. He saw quite a few returning customers with complaints or mistakes needed to be fixed.

[Mar]

That place is the shitscum of all shit, I hate that place. The very first time I was there I waited for a couple of minutes while the woman behind the counter mowed down on a cheeseburger. Finally I had to say, "How long do I have to wait before you put down your burger and help me?" The service was shit, the work was shit, I'll never go back. After that I found Contemporary Coachworks and I'll never go anywhere else besides them. Probably been there 10 times already.

[InRich]

U know what works for them.... their fucking cars... ingenious really, they take write offs, repair them, paint em, and then vinyl em up with their logo. thats why ppl still go there... they see that shit all over town, makes you think oh, another A-1 autobody car, they must do good work. ppl assume that anyways.

I wouldnt a shit box car there, let alone sometime i love and drive... STAY AWAY!

[Graham_A_M]

Originally posted by InRich
U know what works for them.... their fucking cars... ingenious really, they take write offs, repair them, paint em, and then vinyl em up with their logo. thats why ppl still go there... they see that shit all over town, makes you think oh, another A-1 autobody car, they must do good work. ppl assume that anyways.

I wouldnt a shit box car there, let alone sometime i love and drive... STAY AWAY!

Lol, thats exactly what I used to think everytime I'd see one, which was often enough. I've heard of a bunch of bad reviews well before my time on Beyond, so I always knew to stay clear. Glad to see this just re-affirms that decision.

[ddduke]

Are they still around? I don't see those cars any more and I remember they used to be everywhere.

I went there twice, first time I heard they were the best so I decided to use them. It was impossible to get an appointment, but I just assumed they were that busy. When the car was done it came out good and no issues.

Second time, I had a lady back in to me and fucked up a bumper, light and foglight. Went to A1 again. When I got the car back it looked good BUT there was a fucking crack in the rad and it was pissing coolant. They tried to tell me their hands were tied and that insurance didn't approve it to get fixed. The car drove fine before I brought it in, drove it for a week before they got it and it was fine. Took days of bitching before they decided to fix their fuck up and when I got the car back it was filthy.

I'll never go back, sucks I had to learn the hard way, but it was 2006 and back then I didn't reasearch companies before using them.

[CanmoreOrLess]

Originally posted by InRich
U know what works for them.... their fucking cars... ingenious really, they take write offs, repair them, paint em, and then vinyl em up with their logo. thats why ppl still go there... they see that shit all over town, makes you think oh, another A-1 autobody car, they must do good work. ppl assume that anyways.

I wouldnt a shit box car there, let alone sometime i love and drive... STAY AWAY!

He nailed it !!

I took my car there twice for a bumper replacement (rear ended in the winter), easy fix as it was just the bumper and I had no experience with body shops. I liked the fact I can get a loaner right away, no charge, no trouble. The first time, drive 60 minutes round trip to pick up the car, we go out to look at it and I notice a bulge in the rear wheel area as the bumper is not secured at all. They tell me to come back in the morning as they need to have the car body warm to do the adjustment. Second time, same shit they overspray somehow and get paint on my rear light. How do they overspray onto my tail light when the bumper is a replacement and has to be off the car for painting?

They might have the worst waiting room area I have ever been in.

On the upside, they did clean the interior and exterior of my car really well and I got to drive a very horrible Acura with iffy steering for a few days. I'll never go back.

[Mitsu3000gt]

If insurance or the other party is paying, the only place I would even consider going, regardless of vehicle, is Maranello. The work that comes out of there blows my mind. I assume they do hail claims too?

[Languidturtle]

I do NOT recommend taking your vehicle to A1 Auto Body. Their mechanics know nothing more than checking and topping your oil. Literally!
The front of my car got torn off from an accident which caused a hose to rip off from the radiator. After 3-4 weeks with it being in the shop they tell me it's fixed and I can pick it up. On my way home after 5kms I notice problems with my vehicle. I pull over, inspect under the hood and noticed they hadn't touched anything to do with the radiator. I was driving with no coolant/antifreeze that could pump into the engine. I had to tow my car back to their shop and next I get told they need to tow it to a different body shop.... Ya they made the outside of my car look good but they forgot to fix the major problem! For all I know I could have done more damage to my engine..

[Danny Meehan]

there used to be an amazing guy that did work some time ago with his brother if i recall

da an at screaming paint works, if I recall from about 6 years ago not far from McKnight and 19st ?