Sterling Autobody in Tampa

accordmaniac · 09-09-08, 03:25

Does anybody have any experience with Sterling autobody on Busch Blvd in Tampa? My car needs repair done to the right rear corner including the quarter panel due to a hit and run. They're an Allstate premier shop so there's a lifetime guarantee, but I want to be sure they do decent work before making an appointment. But I'm open to suggestions of other shops as long as they're in the Temple Terrace area. Thanks.

BoostedMopar · 09-09-08, 03:53

I know they are a pretty big company. I used to do biz with them when I worked in south florida. Sorry I cant really remember much about them though.

Pats300zx · 09-09-08, 04:17

They are up here in the Northeast. I had the hood of my 300ZX painted by them years ago. They did a very nice job. My insurance company (Allstate) actually has a claim rep that works right out of their shop. I had to take my car to Sterling to have an estimate for some recent hail damage.

David Fermani · 09-09-08, 04:57

I'm not trying to offend anyone's opinion at all with my view on Sterling/Allstate, but out of the 5 shops I've been to, they all do terrible work. 1st and foremost, they are owned by Allstate, which has the absolute worst reputation out of any Insurance company in regards to paying claims. The words Allstate and Sterling are synonomous for cutting corners and not doing what's right in auto body repair. When you mix an insurance company that partially pays claims with a body shop, it's a recipe for disaster. They're attitude is based on the principal of our shop (Sterling) could repair your car for $400 so that's all we'll pay. So, if you have a shop that wants to do it for more, you'll have to pay the difference. They've been sued so many times, but it's nothing to them because they're so huge. Fortunately, their market share is shrinking yearly.

Here's an interesting read on the whole Sterling/Allstate relationship:

Allstate Insurance Buys Sterling Body Shop Chain. . . Some Troubling Observations !

accordmaniac · 09-09-08, 06:20

Yeah, one of my concerns is that they're a huge franchise as compared to a individual shop. When I was there to have the adjuster look at my car I also got a CSR to show me a couple cars that they finished. Overall the cars didn't look too bad, except the truck that he showed me was a bit orange peeled where they painted. But of course it was a Nissan Titan so maybe they were trying to match the factory paint job, lol.

I'm also considering taking it back home to get fixed. My family has had experience with 3 body shops and only one did borderline acceptable work. My car was keyed once and I brought it to a shop that is Allstate preferred and where they resprayed didn't completely (my car is white, wouldn't imagine it to be as hard as a metallic or some other color) and the door where they blended was really orange peeled, to the point where you run your fingers over it and it feels like a porous surface. I think they might have had a newbie do my car and he screwed up. I'm thinking of taking my car there and speaking to someone to take them up on the lifetime guarantee and also get the new damage fixed. I'll make it clear to them that if I'm not satisfied that I will make sure Allstate knows about it. If they do screw up though I figure that I'll just make them fix it. Going this route I can trade cars with my mom. If I get it fixed in Tampa, I'll be without a car for at least a week. But if there is a really good body shop in Tampa I don't mind the inconvenience. So any good suggestions in either Tampa or Port Charlotte would be great.

Pats300zx · 09-10-08, 02:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by David Fermani

I'm not trying to offend anyone's opinion at all with my view on Sterling/Allstate, but out of the 5 shops I've been to, they all do terrible work. 1st and foremost, they are owned by Allstate, which has the absolute worst reputation out of any Insurance company in regards to paying claims. The words Allstate and Sterling are synonomous for cutting corners and not doing what's right in auto body repair. When you mix an insurance company that partially pays claims with a body shop, it's a recipe for disaster. They're attitude is based on the principal of our shop (Sterling) could repair your car for $400 so that's all we'll pay. So, if you have a shop that wants to do it for more, you'll have to pay the difference. They've been sued so many times, but it's nothing to them because they're so huge. Fortunately, their market share is shrinking yearly.

Here's an interesting read on the whole Sterling/Allstate relationship:

Allstate Insurance Buys Sterling Body Shop Chain. . . Some Troubling Observations !

Great info David. Thankfully I only took my car there for an estimate and am having someone else do my dent repair...