Yuma's Best 2012: Smitty's Auto Body Shop

Once you've had an auto accident, your day can't get much worse.

But once the damage is done, Smitty's Body Shop can begin to make things easier on you. The Yuma business will restore your vehicle to its prior condition.

And, if you need transportation in the meantime, Smitty's will set you up with a rental car.

Smitty's, located at 2685 E. 24th St., finished in first place in the category of Auto Body/Custom Shop in voting in the 2012 Yuma's Best, the Yuma Sun's annual poll of readers' favorite businesses.

Smitty's performs mainly auto collision repair, says Debbie Schmidgall, who with her husband Rob own and operate the third-generation family business.

Debbie Schmidgall says Smitty's emphasis on good customer service has a lot to do with its strong showing in the poll. And someone who's been in an accident — even if it's just a fender-bender — needs attention.

After all, they've lost use of their vehicle for as long as it takes to restore it. But given that Enterprise Rent-A-Car occupies the same building, motorists can rent a car at the same time they leave their autos for repair, Debbie said.

“It just makes it a lot easier for the customer,” she said. “A lot of people who get in an accident don't know what to do, because they've never been in an accident before. We just walk them through the process.

“We take time to listen to the customer and do what we can do to accommodate them.”

Smitty's auto body technicians, preppers, painters and detailers — all of whom attend periodic classes to keep up with industry standards and practices — complete repairs as promptly as possible. But at the same time, she said, they restore the vehicle to factory specifications.

Once the vehicle is finished, it undergoes a quality control inspection before being handed over to the owner, she said.

“We have to keep high standards,” Debbie said. “We do a lot of insurance work, so our standards are set high.”

Customers can follow the progress of their vehicles' repairs by logging onto Smitty's website and clicking onto the Auto Watch link, where they can view photos of the various stages of restoration.

“People really like that,” she said. “It makes them involved in their repair.”

Smitty's has been in business in Yuma for more than 60 years, having been established by Rob's grandfather Ulys in 1952. Today it employs 18.

Debbie credits employees and their sense of teamwork with Smitty's success. “We have an excellent staff. They're the ones who do the work. They're a big part of it.

Smitty's is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. No appointments are needed for estimates.

Its phone number is 782-9847 and its website is www.smittysbodyshop.com.