Santa Barbara Auto Refinishing

Walter did a fantastic job restoring my 15 year old car to like-new condition. He runs a great shop, he's easy to work with and his rates are reasonable.
Jul 28th, 2021

It is really amazing how Walter read the situation of repairing my new car., and following up on all the details.. He continually pushed hard to get the job done, and refused to let any details slow the process down. Walter contacted the Insurance company numerous times when they were delayed in responding due to numerous reasons of communications to a large east Coast office. He was able to get the job done fast and efficiently. I am ever so grateful for my car really looks perfect and brand new.. Service: General repairs & maintenance
Jul 16th, 2021

We brought a very beat up and dirty 1995 Land Cruiser to Walter at Santa Barbara Auto Refinishing. It had dents everywhere, paint had deteriorated to rust, lights falling off, window trim and molding cracked, novelty trim lifted or gone, filthy engine, non-operative electric front seats and many more issues caused by age, neglect and various accidents. This took a lot of patience and expertise but Walter knew that there was sentimental value to this car.he gave it his all. Thank you Walter for bringing our Land Cruiser back to life! We fully expect little notes of inquiry and admiration on our windshield in the days to come!
Jul 2nd, 2021

Excellent service from Walter on my new convertible top for a 10 year old BMW! Thank you for getting it done so fast and getting my car and me looking good again!
Jan 14th, 2020

It saddens me to leave this review but I do this so this doesn't happen to anyone else who is a decent human being... After a car accident I brought my car to Walter, seemed like a good guy and has worked on cars for people we know prior, however, once actually having our car there it went downhill quickly, to each their own. Walter started tearing the car down without our approval, and without the adjuster being there first, and because he did so without insurance approval, I had to pay the cost later which was upwards of $750. Upon tearing the car down, he ordered parts he assumed were necessary, but when asked to provide necessary proof, he declined to transfer the car for a proper scan (which is a due process for the consumer). This was the way my insurance was making us go about it, and trust me, not only were they a terrifying experience, to make it worse, so was Walter. Due to the fact that Walter wouldn't get the proper scans, which are a normal process, I was not able to get the parts covered by insurance unless signing a release of liability from insurance if the parts were not in fact necessary, and pay a restocking fee. When he tore the front end of the car apart (without authorization to do so), he ripped the wiring harness ($9,000) out incorrectly, and due to this we almost didn't get approved for a new replacement. I had to endure 3 months of agonizing arguments, had to transfer the car out of his shop and pay fees for work he wasn't approved to do before towing it to Lexus and Precision Auto Body, where they completely treated me different. Lexus and Precision know how to take care of people in their community and not involve the customer with insurance BS. I ultimately had to have DCH Lexus of Santa Barbara go to bat for me, KNOWING that Walter damaged my car even more, and got me approved for full replacement of parts that were not even damaged from the accident. When Lexus tried calling Walter, he hung up the phone and wouldn't answer their sincere questions of malpractice. He avoided them like the plague.. why? Maybe GUILT. A 5 star rating is for people who are honest craftsmen in their profession (that is not you Walter). You get half of a star. I bet you will talk about this review and about me to all your future customers because that's what dishonest and jealous people do, just like you talked bad about everyone else besides yourself in dealing with the situation you exacerbated. Thanks for an extra 2 months of hell and no apology, no respect, and an amazing half an ounce of effort, which I PAID for. I paid Walter to destroy my car- Both thumbs down. I hope you sleep well at night :)
Feb 2nd, 2021