With an older car (assuming it is in good mechanical condition) and no collusion insurance, one moderately inexpensive way to fix that car after an accident, is to remove parts (especially body parts and certain mechanical parts, e.g., the radiator) and use them instead of new parts. However, it takes a good auto body shop with skilled personnel to provide that expertise and service. Central Illinois did an excellent job on my car; they even found a Kia sportage (blown engine) of the same color to use for parts for my car, to eliminate the cost of a new paint job. FYI, with insurance, the insurance company will often pressure you to select a repair shop that will use cheaper new parts to save the insurance company money. YOU MAKE the FINAL SELECTION for the repair shop, so work that has an insurance company behind it would ALSO be best done at a reputable and highly competent body shop, like Central Illinois. read more

Great mechanics. Great communication. Great experience. Helped figure out the most economical way to take care of my repair. Even dropped me home. read more

Had my drivers door crushed in on my Pontiac vibe and insurance wanted to total the car. I opted for the purchase option. I brought it in for an estimate and they took pictures and contacted me the next day and would be able to find a used door same color as my car with a mirror! No other body shop offered that as a solution. Turned out great. Perfect match and fit. Door operated just like the original. Thanks guys for getting me back on the road. read more

My 15 year old son peeled the front end off my car. Central Illinois not only did excellent work (you can't tell the difference) and completed things in a timely manner they also finished the work for four hundred dollars LESS than the original estimate. And they cleaned the inside of the car! Friendly, professional and honest. I can't recommend them enough. read more

Nothing but good things to say. (And no, I'm not a relative!) Charlie's shop was the second one I took my Mazda to for an estimate after I discovered I wasn't covered by collision insurance (long story) when an uninsured motorist ran into my passenger side front light and bumper. So, I was looking to save, since no deep pockets were going to pay full price on my body work. I have to hand it to Charlie. He listened to my situation and found all the corners he could cut: pound the bent bumper back into reasonable shape (rather than ordering a new one) and get a second-hand replacement headlight assembly. He even gave me the number to call to get the secondary part from a dealer in Peoria directly rather than him ordering it himself for a couple $100's more. He saved me nearly $1,000 off a full-price job (a dent in his own profit). Afterwards, I could barely tell there had ever been any damage when I got the Mazda back. In fact, it made the other headlight look a bit shoddy in comparison! Charlie may seem a bit gruff in person or on the phone, but he's as honest as they come. And he knows the body work business after many decades in C-U. In the end, what else does anyone want with a body shop but honesty and expertise? read more

Great place. Great work. Experienced and reliable people that work on your car. Would not go anywhere else. read more

Great shop excellent experienced body shop. They also provide full service mechanical repair by some of the best mechanics in town. This shop has been around 30 years and the repair techs have seen it all, they are the real old school guys. They told me no job too big or too small. I'm a townie and have taken my cars there often, always well pleased First choice for body work among Townies read more

Thank you fellow Yelpers for your auto body shop reviews that led me to Central Illinois Auto Body. In my recent quest to fix the hood of my car after my newly minted teen driver experienced a misfortunate event involving a shelf full of heavy objects while pulling into my garage and leaving his foot on the accelerator, I picked the 3 highest rated auto body shops on Yelp for quotes. Charlie and his crew at Central Illinois not only came in with the lowest bid by far, they did outstanding work as well. The location and shop may not be all rainbows and unicorns, but don't let that scare you off-they know their stuff and I will trust them with future work if my teen forgets where the brake is again. read more

I called with some reasonable questions and was made to feel like they were stupid questions. I'm not an auto body expert, and I don't need to be laughed. The Yelp reviews seem relatively positive, but if you consult other reviewing platforms, you'll find a history of derisive customer service. It's the twenty-first century. This sort of thing is unacceptable. read more

These guys are awesome. I had a strong recommendation from a friend to check them out vs going to my usual overestimated tatmans. And they delivered. When going in for my estimate they were very thorough with showing me what I was going to be paying for and what the options were. I made an appointment, dropped it off and then the same day the car was as good as new. They may come off a bit gruff but these guys are honest, know what they are doing and know what it means to put in the work and get results. I highly recommend them. read more

What an asshole! Called and asked to talk with manager and guy says hold on. Click! Was disconnected so I call back and say "I'm sorry, I just called and was disconnected" and guy says "I know, I just hung up on you"! read more

The best! Straight to the point of what is expected of service. My car look absolutely amazing

One of the best shops to take your vehicle too. My husband and I had some nasty damage on our Dodge Caliber from an accident and we got a fair priced estimate for repairs. Charlie is just wonderful to work with, such a good person. The work he did was amazing! The car looks brand new, you can't tell the door was pretty much crushed in. Hands down the best customer service and work. If we ever have anything else we need done, Charlie will be the man we see. I will be referring friends and family to this shop.. read more

Charlie at Central IL Auto Body was very courteous and thorough during my estimate. He was much more hands-on with my bumper than any of the other 4 places I went to get estimates. He explained every last detail of my repair on a computer that showed all the repairs they were going to make. The price on the estimate itself was competitive with other shops in the area but not the lowest. However, the initial interactions I had with Charlie made me feel comfortable with going to this shop despite not spending the absolute lowest price possible. However, once I had put my car in for repairs, I found the customer service of this office to be incredibly lacking. I turned my car in on a Monday morning and was told that it would be done on Tuesday near the end of the day. After receiving no calls from them, I called their office late Tuesday afternoon and was told it would take another day. The same thing happened on Wednesday, and my car was finally done on Thursday afternoon. At no point did I ever receive a call with an update on my car's progress. I had to call at every step of the way and extract the information from them myself. I will take them at their word and assume that these delays were legitimate. But the fact that they were not forthcoming with these delays does leave some shadow of a doubt as to whether or not they were due to circumstances beyond the shop's control. As for the repairs themselves, the bumper looks good as new and the paint job matched perfectly. Overall, a 3-day repair is not too far outside the normal time window for service from other shops in the area. A big plus was that my car was washed and vacuumed on the inside when it was returned to me. This was a much welcomed amenity given that my car had been excessively dirtied thanks to the winter weather. It is currently one month after the repairs have been completed and I have no complaints about the work done on my car whatsoever. However, I emphasize again that I find it incredibly unprofessional and discourteous that I was not informed of the changes in the schedule of my car repair. I feel that repair shops should be incredibly forthcoming with this information given that people who have their car in a shop have to make alternative transportation arrangements and oftentimes have to rearrange their daily routines such as work. Overall, great work, competitive pricing, but on the back end be prepared to be a little more proactive in getting the needed information. To be quite frank it seems like this is a top notch shop, but I would rate my particular interaction with them as slightly less reflective of that rating. read more

I had a minor collision which resulted in some deep scratches on the rear bumper of my new car. Central IL Auto Body shop did a great job buffing and polishing the scratches out. Thought I would have to get a new paint coat, but it looks just fine - also got it done within an hour! Amazing service and would recommend to anyone. read more

Great service! They repaired the right side of my car which sustained multiple dents. A couple of weeks after the service, we noticed that the passenger window didn't go down. They not only took the car back (as expected), but they took me to work and then brought my car to me when they were done! read more

Attentive, warm, and personal service from Charlie, the owner, from the initial estimate to the final payment. I was in this city temporarily without a ride, so he offered me one after I dropped off the car even though public transportation is pretty good. The estimate he gave was lower than two other shops, and he was informative about the insurance process, parts, and options. The ordering and delivery of parts was fast, and the service was completed before expected. Definitely recommended! read more

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I would definitely recommend CIA to everyone. And I have. Charlie and his staff take extreme care of you the customer and all my repairs have restored my vehicles to original condition. Use CIA, you will not be disappointed. read more

Great service, explained everything and provided excellent rapair to my vehicle. Quick turn arond time! read more

I took my car in to Central Illinois Autobody to get repaired.The service was very good and fast! Only thing is if you plan to pay with a check from an insurance company, pay with the check itself. Not a credit card. Although they take credit cards, if you pay with the check there will be no additional credit charge. read more

They fixed a broken door handle on my car. The shop is your standard rough and tumble garage, but they were friendly and quick. I was also able to get a better price than at another area body shop. read more

Central IL Auto Body did a wonderful job fixing my car. I had extensive damage to the roof of my new Toyota. They replaced and repaired everything to perfect condition! Kept me informed through the entire process which was an added benefit. Great people and excellent service! read more

Brought my mom's car in. I expected to pick it up the next day. They had it ready to go in just over an hour. The shock was that the bill was half of what I had thought it would be. Thanks Charlie. read more

My daughter hit our house 8 days after getting her license. It required a new r fender light assembly and bumper. Charlie and his guys fixed my Tahoe in the estimated time and was 300.00 less that original estimate. My truck looks like new. Love these guys! read more