Absolute Shine Auto Body & Paint is owned and operated by Phinel and Debbie Garcia—a dream come true for a career auto body technician and his family. Phinel started working at an auto body shop as a teenager and loved fixing cars from the start. After honing his collision repair skills and starting to do his own work in the evenings and weekends, he decided to look for a facility to rent and open his own auto body and paint shop.
In 2002, Phinel established Absolute Shine with the goal of hiring the best auto body technicians in the Monte Vista area and providing the best quality and customer service. Honesty and fairness are guiding principles at Absolute Shine and that integrity extends to taking care of the planet by using eco-friendly products and paint. All the equipment at Absolute Shine is the latest technology in the collision repair industry, which contributes to a clean shop and “invisible” auto body work.
“My dad bought a 1967 Chevelle Malibu for me on my 16th birthday, and we worked on it in the garage for months. We did most everything except for auto body repairs and paint, so when we were done with the mechanical work, we drove over to the local body shop and left it there. After the car was finished and we went to pick it up, I fell in love with the way it turned out and said, ‘I want to learn how to do that!’ I asked the shop owner if he could use me, and he put me to work as a shop helper. Early on, all I did was clean the shop and throw out trash, but I never gave up or quit and, eventually, I was learning some body work, sanding, prepping, and priming. At the age of 18, I painted my first car and the rest is history!”
