Charlie's CARSTAR provides auto body repair services through two shops in Cahokia and Columbia, Illinois. The shops are locally owned and operated by Charlie Eilers, who started in the automotive industry in the 1970s and opened his first auto body shop in 1980. Charlie's CARSTAR is part of a large national network of collision repair facilities and offers lifetime warranties on repair work. Additional services include towing, storage, rental cars, and detailing to keep customers on the road.

1. About Us
Charlie’s Columbia CARSTAR
Charlie Eilers is the owner of both Charlie’s CARSTAR locations. He started Charlie’s Auto Body in
1980 on Lorraine Dr. in Cahokia. In 1997, we joined the CARSTAR franchise and shortly thereafter,
moved to our current location at 3940 Mississippi Ave in Cahokia.
Then in 2008, Charlie opened Charlie’s Columbia CARSTAR at 431 N. Main St.
Hours: Monday through Friday 8:00am to 5:00pm
Charlie Eilers also owns Metro Towing & Storage, located at the Cahokia shop. Local towing is
available 24-hours a day, 7 days a week at 618-520-9077.
Enterprise Rent-A-Car is also onsite at the Cahokia location.
Our Staff
Charlie is the owner of both of Charlie’s CARSTAR shops and Metro
Towing & Storage. He started in the automotive industry in the 70′s as
a Journeyman Painter. He opened Charlie’s Auto Body on Lorraine Dr.
in Cahokia in 1980 and was doing the body work and painting. In 1997,
when Charlie decided to join the CARSTAR franchise, Charlie moved
out of the body shop and into the office to run the business. He is
married to Dee and they have 4 adult kids.
Charlie is I-CAR and ASE certified and is considered a Journeyman
Painter and Auto Body Technician.
Dee Eilers – Part Owner & Customer Service Representative. In
addition to being a critical part of the front office team in Cahokia, Dee
is also the main point of contact for Metro Towing & Storage. Towing
service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days weeks. During office hours
(Monday through Friday, 8am to 5pm), call 618-337-3230. After hours,
call 618-520-9077. For Metro Storage, call 618-337-3230.
Dee is married to Charlie and they have 4 kids.

2. Kyle is the General Manager. Kyle handles everything a Shop
Manager, Production Manager, and Estimator would handle. He
started with Charlie’s CARSTAR in 2001 as an Estimator in the
Cahokia shop. Five years later, he was promoted to Production
Manager. Then in 2008, the shop in Columbia opened and Kyle came
here to run it. He is 1995 graduate from Columbia High School and
received management training at the Dale Carnegie leadership training
for managers.
He is also I-CAR Gold and ASE certified in estimating.
Kyle is married with two kids.
Kristen Palm serves as the Marketing Director for both locations, but
her office is at the Columbia shop. Kristen graduated from Southeast
Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau in 2003 with her
Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing. She started her career selling radio
advertising and then worked for the former Merger Auto Body (now
Andy’s Auto Body) in Maryville before spending six years as the
Marketing Coordinator for Associated Physicians Group of O’Fallon,
Swansea, and Edwardsville. Kristen is married with two kids.
She can be reached at 618-281-AUTO.
Duane Pfingsten is a Journeyman Auto Body Tech and Painter. Duane
graduated from Ranken Technical College in 1986. He started his auto
body career at Nick’s SOS in Belleville. After working at a few other
shops, Duane came to Charlie’s CARSTAR when this location opened in
2008. He is married with 3 kids.
He has four certifications:
• I-CAR
• ASE Master
• BASF: paint
• CCT: Chevrolet Certified Tech
Brian Schweppe is the Detailer. He graduated from Belleville West High
School and plans on attending SWIC for HVAC. Brian really enjoys
hands-on work and had originally thought about going in to construction
before deciding on HVAC. He has previously worked for Chuck E.
Cheese and installed bath tubs as a subcontractor with Premiere Care.
He is an avid softball player and competes in tournaments regularly.

3. About Carstar
Charlie’s CARSTAR® provides auto body repairs to drivers and insurers in the Metro-East area
through two full-service car body shops in Cahokia and Columbia, Illinois.
No job’s too big … and no dent’s too small. Locally owned and operated for over 30 years, Charlie’s is
part of CARSTAR – the largest collision repair network in North America and the only one to offer a
local LIFETIME warranty plus a 5-year NATIONWIDE warranty – the best in the business! This
means you can rely on Charlie’s CARSTAR for highly competitive auto body repair estimates and
expert service, whether you need a major repair, require auto painting, or want paintless dent repair for
parking lot dings
Need more? Charlie’s delivers more – 24/7. Through Metro Storage & Towing in Cahokia, Charlie’s
offers 24-hour car towing service and roadside assistance. Seasonal check-ups, glass work, headlight
repairs and car detailing are other ways Charlie’s keeps you moving.
If your emergency tow service or body repair leaves you in need of alternate transportation, you can
also rely on Charlie’s for a rental car. Enterprise Rent-A-Car is now located under the same roof as
Charlie’s CARSTAR in Cahokia. For your convenience, Enterprise will pick you up in Columbia if
your service work is being done there.
CARSTAR Auto Body Repair Experts is the largest group of branded collision repair facilities in North
America with more than 400 locally owned and operated locations in 30 states and 10 Canadian
provinces. CARSTAR is committed to providing consistent quality services to our customers and
insurance partners and has repaired more than 2.5 million vehicles since it was founded in 1989.
Giving Back To The Community
In 2009 participating St. Louis locations and other CARSTAR locations across the country made a
donation to the Make-A-Wish Foundation® for every car they repair and nationally,
CARSTAR auctioned off a specially recreated 1967 Super'Stang Mustang with net proceeds benefiting
the Make-A-Wish Foundation®!
The CARSTAR Super'Stang is a recreation of a unique 1967 Mustang created by the Ford Motor
Company, but never made available to the general public. The Super'Stang is in the midst of an 18-
month nationwide 'Muscle Tour' to highlight the minimum $150,000 commitment that CARSTAR has
made to the Make-A-Wish Foundation nationally and the $20,000+ commitment that the St. Louis
CARSTAR group has made locally.
The Metro St. Louis CARSTAR collision service group continues its support of the Make-A-Wish
Foundation by hosting a yearly fundraiser car wash, typically in June, called Soaps It Up. In 2011,
CARSTAR stores across the US broke the world record for the most cars washed in a single day at
multiple locations.
For information about the national Make-A-Wish Foundation, please visit www.wish.org.
Local Partners
Recognizing the importance of quality training in the auto body repair field, the Metro St. Louis
CARSTAR Group has formed a partnership with Ranken Technical College, donating $35,000 to the
school's automotive collision repair program. The majority of CARSTAR's donation will be allocated
to stocking and furnishing an auto collision repair classroom. The new CARSTAR classroom will be

4. equipped with smartboards and other essential 21st century learning tools, enhancing the traditional
learning aspects of the program.
For More information please visit our website at Charlie's Columbia CARSTAR.