Pacific NW Transmission & Auto Repair

Reviews 3

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Delen Kitchen

Ive waited two months to write this review, just to make sure nothing was going to unexpectedly fall off my car. Next time, Ill know not to wait - the team at Pacific Northwest Transmissions is awesome! Since moving back to Oregon, I had failed to change my cars oil for over a year, but continued to drive it until it literally stopped running, right underneath me, on my way to work - which happens to be an hour from where I live in Portland. AAA towed me to their nearest approved shop which, as luck would have it, was Pacific Northwest Transmissions in Hubbard. After a quick assessment, owner and mechanic Mike told me that the engine was trashed, indeed due to my failure to perform even the most basic maintenance on my poor car. He drew up a quote that included a few options, including a new or refurbished engine. The cheaper quote was about $3000 for the labor, engine and a few other items. My aunt works for an auto body shop and she was able to quote me about the same price, so I was confident Mike was giving me a fair estimate. While I waited for Mike to assess the car, his daughter, Tiffany, was super helpful, friendly and let me use the offices phone to make a few phone calls since mine had died. She even offered to drive me to a nearby restaurant to get some food. These folks are really from an older era of quality customer service. Before I left, I asked Mike to give the car their standard 30 point inspection as well as to look at the brakes and transmission, which had been giving me trouble. The next day, Mike called to tell me that the brake pads definitely needed replacing, but that all signs pointed to the transmission being in good shape. In the meantime, my aunt had found me a different engine for the same price with half the miles - Mike was happy to receive the engine and install it in place of the one that he had sourced. He gave me a lot of good advice about what to look for in a warranty regardless of who I used. It turned out that the replacement engine was a drive-by-wire and my car had been drive-by-cable. Mike admitted he wasnt familiar with what was involved in the changeover and asked me to put him in touch with the mechanic at the scrapyard that supplied the engine. After that he was able to figure it out no problem. Over all, it took about two weeks to get the car back, but when I did, wow! After everything that had happened I had doubts that she would run the same, but my 2003 Pontiac Vibe runs better than ever. I drive 120 miles round trip to work three or four times a week, and I have already taken her on a trip to Astoria with no trouble whatsoever. My hope was to get another year out of this car, but I wouldnt be surprised if I end up driving her longer. I cant say enough good things about Mike and his team. If for any reason I ever have car trouble again I wouldnt hesitate making the drive down to Hubbard just for their A+ service. Edit: Id also like to say that I showed up to the shop by myself, a young woman with no auto knowledge and was worried about being ripped off, what with all the horror stories you hear about the cost of auto repair. Through the entire process Mike was very clear about what everything would cost, and he called me to get approval before he did any additional work on the car. As mentioned above, I had a family member run a comparison quote which was in the same ballpark. Additionally, a shady mechanic could have pushed for me to go with their engine and mark it up, but Mike agreed to use the engine I had found with no problems. In the end, I was surprised that the estimate hadnt changed much since it was initially given to me, since Mike no doubt had to do a lot of extra work to change over the throttle control of the engine.

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Esbon Griffin

I took my Ford minivan to Pacific NW Transmission because I noticed the transmission began to slip occasionally. Upon inspection, it was discovered that the cooling tank inside the transmission had ruptured dispersing antifreeze into the transmission. This caused a component connected with the torque converter to deteriorate and cause slippage. I learned that this was a manufacturer design defect (component made in China) with two options for repair. (1) The transmission could be overhauled and brought back to the original factory specifications with a new cooling tank installed or (2) an external cooling baffle installed with the overhaul to avoid a potential repeat of the problem. Both options were clearly explained verbally and a written detailed estimate provided. I went with the second option (which was several hundred dollars less) to avoid the same issue in the future. It was also recommended to replace the rear main seal (about $60) to avoid having to pay the labor again in the future to remove the transmission (not cheap!). The vehicle has about 155,000 miles on it, so I went ahead with this, too. As a courtesy, they also installed new spark plugs I provided since they were lifting the engine up from the engine bay with easy access to the spark plugs facing the firewall. That is so appreciated (its no fun getting to those plugs with the engine in place)! Ive done it several times, and it takes considerable time and patience. Since I had to wait (several weeks) until funds were available to move forward. I was unaware rust was forming inside the transmission. Mike (the owner and a super guy!) hand sanded all of the rust away from the affected components (took most of a day and raw hands) to insure everything would be perfectly operational. He took a personal interest in the vehicle and guaranteed - in writing - the overhaul for two years. I received regular phone calls from him with detailed progress reports. I cant say Ive ever experienced this high level of service from an auto repair shop! At the completion of the overhaul, I was shown the old parts that were replaced and had an opportunity to see the work bays. Very impressive team and facility, indeed! Mike even took the time to give my son, who is considering a career in automotive engineering, some valuable insights into the automotive repair industry. I had a totally positive experience with Pacific NW Transmission and would not hesitate to recommend them to anyone. These guys are tops!

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Tiffany Kuenzi

Dear Mr. Rios, My names Tiffany and I am the manager here at the shop. Im sorry to hear you had an unfortunate experience at our facility. Ive gone through all of our records and could not find any estimates for a coolant flush on any Audis. Would you mind letting me know what series you have? Then I will verify and reevaluate the quote for you. My service writer is not a commissioned employee, and gains nothing from your loss. So I assure you, in no way was he trying to rip you off. After 24 years in business weve continued to stay busy by being completely honest and upfront with all of our customers. Sadly, we are not always the cheapest and we know that, as a AAA Approved Auto Repair Facility we provide only OEM approved parts, and certified technicians. With this might come with a little higher of a bill, but we hope no one ever leaves our shop under the impression the repair was less, and ends up spending more. I once again apologize for your experience. Wed love the opportunity to try & serve you again someday. All my best- Tiffany Meuret Pacific NW Transmission Inc

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