Owner of International Collision Repair Center in West Kendall, Celso Corrales, is the first to admit that he meets most of his customers under unfortunate circumstances.
“People come to us because their car has been damaged, so we are a place that they really don’t want to visit,” Corrales said. “Because of this, we work very hard to make our customers’ experiences as pleasant as possible.”
Corrales, a certified master technician, has been in the auto body industry for more than 30 years and opened International Collision Repair, located near Kendall-Tamiami Executive Airport, in 1993. “Because I’ve been in in the auto body business all of my life, I know how to get it right,” he said. “Our customers can expect a high quality professional repair along with outstanding customer service — service that is unlike any other auto body shop.”
Corrales and shop manager Frank Martinez are the “face” of the business and are always onsite to ensure customer satisfaction. The center’s team includes seven certified technicians, each of whom specializes in a facet of auto body repair, such as paint, auto body or mechanical. International Collision services all vehicle makes and models, from Honda and Toyota to Mercedes-Benz and Bentley.
The technicians at International Collision Repair Center use state-of-the-art auto body repair equipment, including structural diagnostic equipment that detects frame and suspension damage. The European PPG computerized paint matching system — a system that Corrales calls the “best in the market” — ensures a perfect paint match. Proper welding is critical in order to ensure structural integrity and the technicians at International Collision Repair use a welding machine that fuses just like the factory.
Corrales and team restore vehicles to their pre-accident appearance and are confident that customers will be happy with their results. “We offer a lifetime warranty on all repairs that we make,” he said.
Repairs are scheduled so customers have the least amount of downtime and minor repairs may be completed in the same day.
“We keep our customers updated on the progress of their repair with a phone call, text or email — whichever way they prefer to be contacted,” Corrales said. “We are large enough to handle big jobs and a large capacity, but small enough to offer our customers personalized service.”
The bilingual and friendly staff assists customers with the daunting task of working with insurance companies to receive proper payment for repairs. They also will help arrange rental cars, if needed.
To further enhance the customer experience, all vehicles are washed and detailed prior to pickup and a customer feedback card is left on the rearview mirror. A percentage of clientele is contacted by a customer service company and asked to participate in a brief telephone customer service survey.
“It’s important to know how our customers feel about our service so we can maintain and improve our standards,” Corrales said.
International Collision Repair Center is located in a stand-alone building at 13470 SW 128 St., just off SW 137th Avenue and easily accessible from Florida’s Turnpike, Kendall Drive and SW 152nd Street. Shop hours are Monday-Friday, 7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m., and Saturday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., and the phone number is 305-233-4555.
