TLDR: Joe and the team are awesome and I have no doubt they will take care of you. They have earned…read moremy very hard to obtain personal recommendation (I am very particular about pretty much everything).
My truck was involved in a fender bender around a year ago. Unfortunately, it was just serious enough to require panel repair and a bumper replacement, even though the speed was low. The truck was less than a year old, and I was devastated because I planned on eventually giving it to one of my kids.
I did a ton of research on Honda-certified repair centers and determined, based on multiple factors, that Kniesel's on X Street had the highest likelihood of doing a proper repair. I brought the truck in, got my loaner car, and left it there for about a week. When I came to pick it up, I was so excited to get my truck back that I ended up leaving without doing a thorough walkthrough. On top of that, they pressured me to come ASAP in heavy traffic right after work, even after I told them I would barely make it. I'm a nice guy, so I obliged and later regretted that decision.
The next day, I walked over to the tailgate and noticed the bumper didn't line up with the body panel, the tailgate didn't align with the tail light, a small body-colored plastic square was pushed out and would only temporarily snap back in, and the metal body panel had not been properly corrected where it had been pushed in at the corner. I then went to the passenger door and noticed there was a hole burned into the paint (likely from polishing) that had been clear-coated over.
I sent photos to Kniesel's customer service, and the manager promised that if I brought the truck back in, he would make it right. At the time, I had a lot of family issues going on, so I didn't have the availability to bring it back in and be without a truck for several more days, and I was also worried about the same team working on it again.
A little less than a year later, my schedule finally opened up, and I decided the issues still bothered me enough to bring it back in. I contacted the X Street location and discovered there was a new manager, Joe. He informed me that there was a completely different crew working there now, aside from the paint team, which he said was already very good. I agreed that the paint and clear-coat quality itself was actually exceptional, and that my issues were primarily with the body and panel repairs.
Joe promised me that the new team was excellent and that they would fix everything to the highest standard. He sounded very sincere on the phone, so I decided to trust him. When I brought the truck in, he listened carefully to my concerns and offered to order the necessary parts, have me bring the truck back later, and cover a rental car for me. In less than a week, the truck was ready for pickup.
Upon inspection, all of my concerns had been addressed. Joe was eager to make sure I was satisfied with the follow-up repair and seemed genuinely concerned about both my satisfaction and the quality of the shop's work. I spoke with a couple of guys in the shop, and they were all very kind, professional, and happy to hear that I was pleased with the finished product. When I got into the vehicle, I even noticed the glass had been cleaned and the interior surfaces had been wiped down. The truck had also been thoroughly washed.
It was a breath of fresh air getting my truck back and knowing that a passionate, customer-focused team like Kniesel's X Street had taken proper care of my new truck and restored it to its former glory. I was so happy with the work that I offered to buy the team donuts, but Joe said he would take care of that part himself.
Thank you to Joe and the team for doing the right thing. In a world where so many things seem to be getting worse, you guys serve as an example of excellence.
