Well, if you're in San Jose, then damn are you ever in luck.

Back in April, I got into a minor fender-bender up in the city. It didn't do much more than scratch Reginald's paint and bang up the license plate frame, but I called my insurance company about it anyway, because the other driver -- who claimed she couldn't speak English, and phoned some guy who I assumed was her husband to come talk to me -- refused to give me any contact or insurance information. I smelled a rat, got tired of obstructing traffic, copied down their license plate number, and drove off. Well, a few weeks ago, I got a call from my insurance company; as I'd suspected, the other driver was uninsured, which meant my $3500 no-deductible uninsured motorist coverage kicked in, and since they'd decided the other driver was at fault, this meant my rates wouldn't go up. Cha-ching!

Enter the folks at Auto Tech Collision Center, the shop my insurance company recommended. First of all, they did an excellent job on the repair itself: the front end looks brand new. (Minus the crumpled quarter panel which they didn't repair because it was damaged years ago, and I wasn't of a mind to commit insurance fraud.) I had pointed them at a damaged reflector that had come loose in the accident; they went above and beyond the call of duty and also fixed the other reflector that had been damaged over a year before. They also completely detailed the car, inside and out, and stored it for free for the entire week that I was in Toronto, waiving the usual $40/day storage charge.

If I need bodywork done again, they will definitely be getting my business, and you should give them yours too.