I'm lucky to have been towed to Lake Mac Auto Body & Paint when my car radiator got a gash from…read morehitting the largest raccoon I've seen in my life on I-80 in the wee hours on Memorial Day weekend. I'm a single female, traveling alone out of state en route to a biking vacation in Utah. I had never had an auto accident yet in my life, had no experience with insurance issues and a disabled car when out of state, and was distraught because I was traveling with a cat and couldn't rent a car and drive on. I had good reason to fear my car was ruined from overheating as well as the front end damage, because after hitting the raccoon, I thought the car was fine and I drove on at high speed on a hot night. My car went into disabled mode from overheating when the coolant drained out of the radiator. I saw the coolant needle go past the hottest mark on the gauge and there was no coolant at all.
Jenny in the front office was calming and led me through the estimate process where my insurance adjuster was supposed to contact the shop so they could get started with repairs. Kevin got me scheduled immediately when they opened to get started on mechanical and body repairs...but what I valued most at that time was the relaxed friendliness and complete lack of fear-mongering that I had experienced with auto shops in my life previously, and that I encountered at another shop I contacted in Ogallala before I got to talk to the people at Lake Mac, because at first, I wasn't sure if Lake Mac did mechanical repair as well as body repair. They do have mechanics onsite as well as body work.
The next great feature at this shop was the selection of late model loaner cars. Kevin mentioned I might enjoy using the pickup truck so I could just throw my bike in the back and bike the road around Lake Ogallala. That was a great idea and contributed to my enjoyment of my time in Ogallala.
I was impressed with the many large bays and the cleanliness of the repair bays, rivaling what you'd see at a dealership. That reminds me of another neat thing: Lake Mac Auto works seamlessly with the local dealership. My car needed a portion of its repair at the dealership, and I expected I'd have to pay them a couple hundred dollars and that it would create more delays, but that step was scheduled and done in just a few hours and back at Lake Mac Auto.
The quality of the repair is perfect. I drove home 620 miles with no issues, no wind sounds, no overheating, nothing suggesting the car was any different than before.
The parts are installed perfectly and the right color.
The speed of repair was awesome. I couldn't believe how quickly they got the right parts for my unusual model of a car, even after I forgot to warn them it was a "2009.5" model, something you don't expect to see.
Another thing I really enjoyed was the respect accorded me even though my car is 9 years old. Being female with an older car can evoke a bit of disdain from some auto repair establishments, in my experience. None of that attitude was anywhere in sight at Lake Mac Auto Body.
The motto at Lake Mac Auto says you can relax at Lake Mac Auto, and that's really true. I left Ogallala with a light heart because the repair cost, speed, service and quality was actually the best I've ever encountered in my life. It was so good I started this Yelp account to put in a good word for great people.
