Full-service ‘boutique’ pampers LA-area drivers with luxury, quality repairs

Marquez instantly grasped both the answer and the solution: “I made the capital investment in the best equipment and educated myself and my team in everything the industry had to offer – and with this new image it set us aside from all the others in our market,” he recounts. “The shop was completely transformed to be not only a high-quality repair facility, but also a boutique of sorts.”

“It’s like walking into a boutique,” confirms consultant Anthony Guinn of Elite Body Shop Solutions, who has been advising Marquez on how to further enhance its operational details.

Located in the heart of the Culver City Art District, accompanied by a second Los Angeles-area site, the full-service collision, paintless dent removal and mechanical repair business attracts a discerning clientele from communities throughout the region such as Beverly Hills, Santa Monica and Huntington Beach.

“Most shops outsource anything outside of paint and body – we don’t. We’re equipped to take care of your car right here, in one place,” Marquez points out.

“Our main goal is to beautify your vehicle using the best automotive products and parts in the industry while providing the utmost best service, quality and value,” he elaborates.

“We’ve had complete families coming to our shop. For years we have established valued relationships with our customers, and the satisfaction and look on our customers’ faces after receiving their vehicle from our facility is what drives us to exceed all expectations from what is considered a typical auto body shop.”

The operation is “one of the most friendly, hands-on and contemporary auto body shops in Los Angeles,” according to Marquez. “All my life I’ve been working on high-end cars, but we cater to everyone.” About 10 percent of the customers are Spanish-speakers, graciously accommodated by a bilingual staff.

Marquez gives much credit to Netty, an accomplished executive with no involvement in the auto industry, for crucial coaching. “He saw something in me I couldn’t see in myself at the time. Asking for nothing in return, he began mentoring me in ways I would have never dreamed of.”

“He saw a diamond in the rough,” says Guinn. Marquez is appreciative also of the ongoing mentoring from Guinn and David Luehr of Elite Body Shop Solutions. “We wanted to maximize the shop to the fullest. They (Guinn and Luehr) manage the best shops out there, and we wanted to open the doors for that; we’re open to all the ideas we can get.”

Elite’s five-point path to “unlimited potential” involves reviewing a shop’s financial health, cultural health, customer sustainability, process stability and risk assessment pertaining to California’s strict pollution abatement standards and rigorous auto repair regulations.

“He’s been a hard-working entrepreneur since high school,” says Guinn of Marquez. “He’s a good negotiator, he’s a bulldog and he’s tenacious.” The thriving business has been built without assistance from outside investors. “Nobody put any money in his pocket. He did it all on his own.”

A smaller footprint

As a family business, Marquez’s wife Zulema adeptly handles the accounting, payroll and other administrative tasks. “We’ve been doing this together for a long time. I love having her here,” he says.

“We’re still working on our shop,” he notes. With input from Guinn and Luehr “we’re working on making our cycle time a faster pace.”

That said, Marquez emphasizes the importance of eschewing excessive speed in favor of concentrating on delivering standout service. The shop maintains only one direct repair program (DRP) affiliation – and that is with Western General Insurance. “It’s a smaller company, and they send us about five cars a month.”

Other DRP prospects fall outside of Marquez’s parameters for the business. “Our shop has a small footprint compared to what they want, and they want a faster turnaround. We take our time. We work for the customer. If you work for the insurance company you do it fast and use aftermarket parts.” Although aftermarket components are applied in certain situations, “We try to put on OEM for the customers to get them the best repair as possible.”

Along with a waiting room well-stocked with refreshments and refinements that include the finest teas and coffees, the overall boutique-like décor and other perks, a Tesla 3 shuttle delivers free customer transportation to augment the shop’s luxurious setting, which has been patronized by a host of influential business leaders and Hollywood-type notables such as actor Dennis Quaid.

When dealing with insurance carriers, “We show them, not tell them how the vehicle should be repaired. After we move the vehicle through the discover phase we have a complete and thorough repair plan. The appraisers appreciate the attention to detail, which in the long run makes their jobs much easier. We think this information also gives them good information to support the claim and their supervisors,” according to Marquez.

“Our customers are educated to their individual needs and involved in the repair planning, which we find develops trust. We first triage the type of repair then look to the OEM for the correct procedures. And because we do such a good job with the repair planning, parts issues with vendors are very seldom a concern. We think that when you give respect you get respect,” he says.

“A body shop is like a hospital,” Marquez observes. “A tech and/or mechanic is like a surgeon, and our estimators are your personal care practitioners.” With an I-CAR Gold designation, “we offer state of the art technology made for your high-end vehicles with a highly trained team set to the brim with certifications.”

The staff is salaried and new hires are typically recruited through recommendations from the existing employees who appreciate a desirable atmosphere. “Our shop over the years is known for a solid reputation of fairness, pride of workmanship and family orientation. We provide the highest quality tools, leadership and education,” he says.

‘More than different’

“During high school I was bit with the car bug,” Marquez recalls, and after opening Ronald’s Auto Detail he pursued an interest in broadening the operation’s scope with the enthusiastic encouragement of numerous regular customers.

As several years went by, persevering with “a little luck and as many mistakes,” he came upon a structure available for lease that had housed a less-than-stellar mechanical repair shop.

“The building was in very poor shape with old motors and transmissions lying around. The good news was the previous owners before the mechanical shop had ran it as a body shop, so I inherited a working spray booth as well as two frame racks and compressors. The landlord was more than willing to give me a half-month free rent just to clean up the place.”

Marquez is more-than-pleased to report that “we’re not your average auto body and paint shop. Aesthetically and internally, we strive to be more than different. We strive to be the premier auto body and paint solution in the greater Los Angeles area.”