Auto Creative — an innovative approach in the field of body shops

Photo courtesy of Auto Creative

Opinions expressed by Digital Journal contributors are their own.

For many Angelinos, a car is like a second home. Taking care of it is a form of self-care, ensuring safety and comfort. Auto Creative Mobile Cosmetic Auto Repair service has been committed to this mission for eight years, saving you the inconvenience of using a temporary car while yours is being repaired.

Auto Creative prioritizes three key elements: quality, speed, and fair prices. Meet Yuliya Marchenko and Nikita Sevostyanov, the owners of Auto Creative Mobile Cosmetic Body Shop. They’ll share how they seamlessly bring it all together. Discover a car service that prioritizes your comfort, and satisfaction. Join them in making your car care experience hassle-free.

Hello! You’ve specialized in cosmetic car repairs for eight years. Can you shed light on the common issues people encounter when they come to you? How do you address and resolve them?

Nikita: Time is a significant concern for Angelenos, and leaving your car at a body shop can be inconvenient due to the uncertain time frame for work execution. Some cases make sense if insurance is involved, but often the cost of damage aligns with the insurance deductible or slightly exceeds it, contributing to the already high insurance costs in LA.

That’s where our business steps in to help. We don’t keep your car for an unspecified period; we handle everything on the spot in hours, not days. We don’t involve insurance or report damages, our business is direct to the customer, aiming to swiftly resolve issues with quality and convenience.

How did your business kick off? Why specifically an auto service?

Yuliya: Our journey began from the necessity of fixing our own car before selling it. Later, my husband Nikita developed an interest in this field and underwent training in wheel repair and bodywork. For five years, he independently worked, providing a range of services from detailing to vinyl car wrapping. However, the diversity in services posed challenges to our growth. That’s why we decided to focus on two core areas — wheel repairs and minor auto body repair & painting. Since then, our business has flourished as we perfected these processes.

Subsequently, we started hiring and training employees. I left my job to immerse myself in the company’s internal processes, taking charge of human resources, marketing, and business development. Meanwhile, Nikita oversees all technical aspects, manages current clients, supervises specialists, and handles all technical matters.

Is it accurate to say that your main focus is on wheel and auto body repairs and painting? What makes your service stand out?

Nikita: Yes, these are the most popular services in our mobile shop. We not only professionally repair damages but also paint, matching the color of the panel using modern color-matching systems. Accurate color matching in painting is a time-consuming and, therefore, costly process. This often leads most businesses to resort to pre-mixed paint formulas from a paint store like Sherwin-Williams. In our service, we take color matching very seriously, employing a meticulous process that involves several stages: mixing the color according to the producer’s formula, creating a test card with this color, and gradually adjusting the color on the card to match the actual panel before painting, in case the factory formula differs from the real color of the car panel.

LA is a city exposed to strong sunlight and UV rays. The original color of the car starts changing over time due to fading, making the factory formula not always a perfect match. Additionally, it can happen that the panel has already been repainted, and the color of the previous paint job differs from the factory one.

We are among the few specialists in the city who follow this color-matching process. It’s also worth mentioning that we are Sherwin-Williams certified. We adhere to the philosophy of “satisfaction guaranteed.”

Since your business is mobile, is it accurate to say that all work is conducted outdoors? Can cars be painted outdoors?

Yuliya: Yes, we come to our clients and perform repairs right on their driveway or on the street. We use high-quality, fast-drying materials suitable for outdoor use. Nowadays, paint and coating technology has significantly advanced, making it easy to find fast-drying materials that solidify in just five to 10 minutes. With these materials, there’s simply no time for dust to settle on the painted area. We don’t just match the quality of paintwork done in a paint booth; we often do even better.

Our mobility allows us to avoid keeping the client’s car for an extended period, undoubtedly saving time and reducing stress for the car owner. Time is the most precious resource for our clients, and we highly prioritize it.

Do you have regular, loyal customers for your service? Additionally, do you specialize in specific car models?

Nikita: We work with all car brands, from Lexus and Toyota to BMW, Mercedes, Tesla, Lamborghini, and more. Over these eight years in the market, we’ve gained significant trust from clients and a substantial base of loyal customers. For nearly a year now, we’ve been exclusive partners for wheel repairs at Mercedes Benz Beverly Hills.

Also a significant portion of our client base consists of Tesla owners. In just the past year, we’ve repaired around 4,000 wheels. I firmly believe our employees could perfectly mix paints for a Tesla and its wheels even with their eyes closed if they were awakened in the middle of the night.

Regarding our loyal customers, some have been with us for the entire eight years. I believe we’ve achieved this by consistently providing top-quality service, always attentive to the requests and preferences of our clients.

Yuliya, in case of any issues or customer dissatisfaction with the quality, do you provide fixes, and is there a charge for that?

Yuliya: In any service-oriented business, hiccups can occur; they’re inevitable. What matters most is how you handle them. We follow the philosophy of ‘satisfaction guaranteed.’ At the point of job delivery, if something isn’t to the client’s liking, they are entitled to inform us, and we’ll promptly address the issue. Such cases are extremely rare.

As our company grows, we pay even closer attention to the quality of services provided — this includes regular employee training, education, and certifications from paint manufacturers. We are so confident in the quality of our work that we offer customers a Lifetime Warranty on our paint coating. Our reputation means a lot to us.

In conclusion, Yuliya, what are you aiming for in your business with your husband?

Yuliya: Of course, we aim to continue growing, ensuring even more people can access high-quality services without stress or hassle. In the near future, our plans include entering the Miami market in Florida, followed by expanding our services to Texas in the not-too-distant future. 

We believe people will appreciate the numerous benefits our business offers to them.