Western Autobody: About Us

Quality Collision Repair Since 1980

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About Us

MIKE (Owner)		TIFFANY (Office Manager)
	Mike has owned and operated Western Autobody since 1999 when he bought it from Edward (Doc) Livingston, who established it in 1980. Mike was born in the San Fernando Valley and moved to Sonoma County in 1972. He was raised in Monte Rio, graduated from El Molino High School, and continued his education in the autobody trade at Wyoming Technical Institute, where he graduated with Honors. He started his career as a Paint Technician, and worked his way up to Journeyman. He started working at Western Autobody in 1992. Mike is married to Heather and they have a son Gavin.		Tiffany has been our Office Manager since February 2000. She handles all the behind the scenes paperwork, insurance, and writes estimates. She is in charge of the shop payroll and taxes, and manages all of the office work. Born and raised in Sonoma County, she graduated from El Molino High School in 2001 and earned her Associate Degree at the Santa Rosa Junior College. She enjoys reading, shopping, and playing softball.
ED (Technician)		JOHN (Technician/Estimator)
	Ed has worked at Western Autobody since September 2003. Before Western, he worked at Sebastopol Autobody. Ed decided to work at Western because he wanted to expand his knowledge of cars and autobody repairs. Ed is into 4 wheeling, wakeboarding, and pretty much all outdoor activities. Ed has lived in Sonoma County his whole life and graduated from El Molino High School. Ed’s life goals are to be successful and possibly open up his own shop someday.		John has been working at Western Autobody since September 1999. He moved to Sonoma County in 1976 and graduated from Montgomery High School. John took auto shop in high school and has been in the trade ever since. He worked at Miracle Auto Painting for 5 years, then at Maaco Auto Painting for 14 years, as a painter/manager. Our office wall is filled with his ICAR and ASE certificates. Since he has worked at Western Autobody, he has fulfilled many tasks including painting, body work, and writing estimates.
BERNIE (Technician)		TONY (Prepper/Painter)
	Bernie has been working as a bodyman since 2002, and has been in the trade since 2000. He has worked at Western Autobody February 2003. Bernie strives for quality and perfection and is a great addition to our shop. He previously worked at Lou Saare Autobody in Santa Rosa. He graduated from Elsie Allen High School in 2002. Bernie likes cars and sees potential for himself in this industry, as well as a good job opportunity. He likes to go camping in his spare time, and his hobbies include 4 wheeling and 4 wheel fabrication. He has lived in Sonoma County since 1988. His goals are to someday start a 4 wheel drive fabrication shop and to live a full and happy life.		Tony has been with Western since September 2005. He started out prepping cars for painting and now is responsible for painting. He graduated from Analy High School and is John's son. He enjoys hanging out with friends and racing cars with his dad on the week ends.
DUSTIN (Prepper/Detailer)		MATT (Prepper/Painter)
	Dustin has worked at Western since 2004. Dustin is Tiffany's brother. He graduated from El Molino High School. He started his career as a shop maintenance technician and detailer. He is now responsible for tear downs and prepping cars for paint. One of his goals is to be a head body technician or painter.		Matt has been with Western since 2005. He previously worked at a custom shop as a body man and painter. He grew up working on cars because his dad, Doc, was the original owner.

What do Autobody Technicians do?

Autobody Technicians are the artists who turn dented, battered and rusted wrecks into a celebration of style, form and color. They repair, refinish, and customize car and truck bodies, repairing everything from minor dents and nicks to badly damaged frames and body sections.
If you’ve ever been in a collision requiring the repair of your car’s body, you’ve likely witnessed firsthand the amazing feats performed by these artists. A typical day finds an Autobody Technician (also referred to as a Collision Repair Specialist) estimating damage, straightening bent bodies, removing dents, replacing crumpled parts that are beyond repair, mixing and matching paint colors, and spray-painting and refinishing cars to a lustrous sheen.
Although they can repair all types of vehicles, Autobody Technicians usually work on cars, small trucks and sport utility vehicles. Every car presents a new challenge, and although each damaged vehicle is likely to have its own peculiarities, all must be repaired to factory specifications. In addition, many cars today are made of high-strength steel, aluminum and plastic. It’s the responsibility of Autobody Technicians to decide the most appropriate repair methods for each job, using their broad knowledge of automotive construction and repair techniques.
An Autobody Technician's job is becoming increasingly high-tech. Most Technicians now use computers and other high-tech equipment as a regular part of the job. With advances in technology and higher repair standards, Autobody Technicians have become much more than artists - they are highly-skilled professionals.