My wife's 1983 Mercedes 380SL needed repair to pass California smog certification. The car was first taken to Bonita Valley Auto Care, Inc., at 3995 Bonita Road, Bonita, CA and she was told by the technician that he was "not competent" to repair the car.
She contacted the California Bureau of Automotive Repair and they suggested Bonita Point 76 as they advertise that they repair German cars. The car was locked up and stored in their unprotected storage lot (no fencing or cameras) where it was vandalized by having the cloth top destroyed while trying to steal the radio.
My wife filed a police report but Mr. Ballard (the owner) denied all responsibility, saying he met minumum security by locking the car. I noted at his service station that the Coke machine is in a steel cage and that youths are constantly in the area because of a high school and junior college. The damage was obviously done by inexperienced thieves since professionals would know that trying to steal a Mercedes radio will destroy it.
The car was once again stored and ignored while other cars that were easier to repair and smog were serviced.
After my wife made a telephone complaint to the B.A.R., the car was reported to be fixed and smogged and was picked up on 6/4, about 3 weeks after leaving it for repair. The car is still not repaired as it dies when the brake pedal is pushed.
I am going to take the car to a qualified Mercedes repair mechanic to have it fixed right. I just want others warned about Mr. Ballard's Bonita Point 76 smog repair station, his poor customer relations, poor repair service, and his lack of security beyond the minimum.
A registered letter was sent to Mr. Ballard on 6/22 explaining the reasons for our dissatisfaction, but we received no response. I later learned that Mr. Ballard also owns Bonita Valley Auto Care, Inc., where the car was first taken.
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