Clays Auto Service

1929 NE Cornell Rd, Hillsboro, OR 97124, USA

Address:	1929 NE Cornell Rd, Hillsboro, OR 97124, USA
Phone:	+1 503-693-8600
Site:	claysautoservice.com
Rating:	4.3
Working:	8AM–5:30PM 8AM–5:30PM 8AM–5:30PM 8AM–5:30PM 8AM–5:30PM Closed Closed

Location

Photos 14

Reviews 5

William Van Winkle

I am not a knowledgeable "car person." I need to be able to trust my mechanic because I dont know any better about servicing on my own. Ive taken my mid-90s Honda Civic into Clays a few times. The first, over a year ago, was for routine work, and they provided me with a helpful list of things I might want to consider looking at soon, including my brake pads, which were down to 5%, they said. The second time, I went in because the window motors in both doors were failing, with the driver side being a bit worse than the passenger. I paid either $500 or $700 some weeks ago to get the drivers side motor replaced, which allegedly entailed taking the door apart and a fair bit of labor. They also replaced my radiator hoses, which were cracked and leaking. This resulted in the car overheating, of course. Most recently, I went in a couple weeks ago. Again, the car was overheating, and it was so soon since the last service that I wondered if theyd flubbed the job somehow. But no, they said. Id developed a cracked head gasket -- a significant repair that would total over $1700 in parts and labor. I didnt have $1700, and, nervous as could be, I got the car home and parked it in front. A few days ago, a friend of a friend looked at the Civic. He worked for a prominent Honda dealership for 17 years. He listened to my descriptions, had me turn the car on for a couple of minutes, read over Clays estimate, and scratched his head. "This doesnt make any sense," he said. "If you had a cracked head gasket, youd be seeing white smoke come out the back. And the reason why youre overheating is this." He pointed to my radiator, from which hed removed the cap. The radiator was dry as a bone. He said that its common to need to "burp" cars after the last sort of service Id done. Most likely, there had been an air bubble in the system. When the bubble popped, fluid drained down to fill the gap, emptying the radiator. We poured some water in, and I proceeded to drive the car around with ZERO PROBLEMS for the next two weeks. The temp gauge never even gets to half-way. "Oh," he added. "And you dont need a new window motor. See here how the old rubber seals are pinching the window when it goes up and down. Ill spray a little silicone on that, and itll be just fine. No charge." He was right. And those brakes that were at 5% a year ago? I havent heard a so much as a squeak, and Ive never touched them. Now, I cant verify that there wasnt a bona fide problem in the drivers side window motor, but given the coincidental timing and everything else, I am HIGHLY skeptical. It is impossible for me not to think that Clays is either grossly incompetent or engaging in some of the worst bilking Ive ever seen from a local company. Either way, it goes without saying that I will never, ever take a car to them again. Note: I added one star back because the place is clean, the staff has always been polite to me, and I really, really hate saying anything bad about a business that is dog-friendly.

Joanne McKinnon

I came here because it was close since my window was stuck down after filling up with gas, what I didnt know is that I would be totally taken advantage of by this place. Another words, I was screwed due to the rain and a window stuck in the down position, and I got really screwed with the price they charged me to repair the window switch. A $50 part, and what would have taken 15 minutes to replace, I was first quoted $314 (choke, choke, choke), then when they called to let me know it was done two and a half hours later the price was dropped to $277 (cough, cough) due to some "rebates I used for parts". Then 20 minutes later when I went in the price dropped once more to $267, still $100 more than I should have paid a professional garage to repair. They also did a reset on the computer because the check engine light was on for a transmission code. I inquired if the car could pass inspection with the light on, I was told no, they asked if there were any indications of problems with the transmission, I told them no, and they said they could do a reset but the light might come back on. Worth a try right? Well, now my car cannot even be tested because the computer after driving more than 200 miles over a period of 4 days, then they try to say there must be something wrong with it. I told them I was not willing to pay them another $300 to find out. Not impressed!

Aaron Leatherwood

While not the cheapest in town, so far they have provided a level of service that I have not seen in years. They are upfront, honest, and are happy to discuss options and the pros and cons of each. Our Toyota Sienna had severe brake pulsing, shaking, and binding issues not too long after getting a "premium" brake job at another shop in town which went out of business before I could bring it back in for them to re-fix. Clay did a thorough test drive and inspection of the brake components and was happy to discuss all of his findings. He also stated that they have a specific manufacturer of pads and rotors that they use since their customers have not experienced any of the issues frequently associated with cheaper rotors and pads. So far the brakes operate smoothly and have given me back confidence that I can actually stop the heavy van quickly when necessary. Both of the mechanics and the lady at the front desk at the shop were very polite and helpful and were happy to shuttle me to work after dropping off the van for the day. If the brakes hold up as well as they said they would with my heavy-footed driving style, I will be using Clays for all my auto repair needs.

Laura Adams

My check engine light turned on so I called to see if they had time to check it out. When I dropped off my car, they told me they would call me if any of the charges would be over $150. When they did call me, they said that there was nothing wrong with my engine that the check engine light was only probably from when I had recently gotten my oil change. Then they said that they found a loose wire on my battery. They said I had to pay $300 for the diagnosis and replacement. Nowhere did they list their hourly rate so I dont know if they spent twenty minutes or two hours on it. They also wanted to keep the car overnight. I feel like they basically found a small thing in my car in order to charge me so much money, but really, there was nothing wrong with my car. I feel like they should not charge me anything if they knew that the check engine light was basically from the recent oil change. I plan to go to a different auto body shop next time, because I feel like they didnt treat me fairly and they were just looking to charge me a lot of money for not much service.

Maria Sandoval

Went to get one of the headlamps fixed since it wouldnt turn on. Paid 120 just so they could diagnose it once they were done they said it was a module that had stopped working (mind you they spent an hour or so "diagnosing" the problem). They said they didnt have the module since it was discontinued and we would have to bring it back when they find one... A few days later they found one, long story short it didnt work. After that, they said it was something with the wiring that someone had messed with it(most likely them) and it would take HOURS rewiring the cables and the whole labor would cost about 300 or 400 dollars. We ended up taking it to a mechanic in Cornelius, they checked in like 2-5 minutes and said it was a cable that is not giving power to the lightbulb. Fixed it within 10 minutes and all it costed was $30!!! I didnt believe other reviews until now, Clays is a total rip-off. Spend your money somewhere else.