Nick's Auto Care — Local services in Milwaukie

I want to begin by expressing my appreciation for Chaz, the general manager, whose dedication has made a significant difference during my visits. Chaz has typically gone above and beyond to address issues and ensure that my concerns were alleviated.

However, I have faced several challenges with my vehicle during my experiences at Nicks. Several major repairs were performed on my car, and while I was satisfied with the transmission work, other repairs did not meet my expectations. For example, on one occasion, a mechanic broke a bolt in the exhaust manifold and released the vehicle to me without addressing the problem. This led to recurring issues that required multiple return visits and complaints about a persistent noise while driving. It was Chaz who ultimately discovered the cause and ensured the mechanic fixed it.

On another visit, I sought assistance with a loose bumper and a stuck headlight. Unfortunately, the mechanic did not properly secure either part.  The entire unit could have detached.  When I raised these concerns, the shop suggested it was my fault for not approving headlamp replacement and then charged me for the bolt they had removed during said repair. Although they attempted to secure the bumper, when the vehicle was returned to me, I was informed that the car had supposedly been in an accident (which it never has) and that the shop had done the best they could. Subsequently, the bumper fell off, and an auto body shop confirmed that the front of my vehicle had previously been taken apart and not reinstalled correctly, leading to the damage. Nicks are the only ones who have held my vehicle for any amount of time, or worked on it since it was purchased. Documents confirm the vehicle was not damaged when I bought it.

Throughout these experiences, I felt that my concerns were not always valued beyond the transaction, except in cases where Chaz intervened.  However, the last incident with the bumper was not resolved to satisfaction as I now have to pay an autobody mechanic to fix the issue, that if nothing else, they made worse.

I cannot in good conscience recommend this shop for anyone's needs.  Save yourself the headache and seek another place of...

I requested a quote for a head gasket, timing belt, and torque converter replacement on my Subaru along with a couple other miscellaneous items from this shop. We did not ultimately go with them, so this review covers their pricing/quotation process only. This would have been a very big job (several thousand dollars). The quote process did include some red flags that we thought were worth sharing here.

Pros: They included a detailed courtesy vehicle inspection as part of the quote.

They have a very nice web-based service portal that texts you links to itemized service overviews (including photos of your vehicle) and pricing quotes.

Cons: The quote they provided broke the request down into several individual jobs that seemed to assume that they were being performed in isolation. As a result there did not appear to be a clear concept of shared labor between the three main related, very labour intensive work items (timing belt, head gasket, torque converter). This was an outlier compared to the other quotes that I received.

Detailed parts pricing was quoted separately from labour. This pricing appeared extremely inflated / erratic. One line item called for $900 (6x dealer cost) of transmission fluid, another for $150 of engine coolant (3x dealer cost.) Essentially every part you looked at appeared to be hundreds of dollars over, or multiple times the dealer or retail price. I know some level of parts markup is fairly standard practice for mechanics, but this was again an outlier in the quotes I received.

There were several missing or mislabeled parts in the quote. The torque converter part was missing from the torque converter replacement job, and the wrong type of engine oil was listed as examples.

The shop did mention that they had just started using a new software system, and that they were still in training. Maybe they ought to be cut some slack for this. In any case, I can't imagine how someone with less familiarity with the work at hand would have reasonably navigated this process - and was left very unimpressed with the shop overall. This is not a shop that I would consider...

I am very frustrated with the lack of organization, how long it took to get my car back (1 whole wk) with no clear communication and how I was charged $200 more than the original quote when I picked up my car.

I took my car in at 12:00 on Friday for an oil change, to fix my window that was stuck down, to read/diagnose my check engine lights and check out my squealing brakes. I didn't get a call about the status of my car. Rather I had to call in multiple times a day to get any updates. I called Friday evening and was told they would have to hold it through the weekend and work on it on Monday. (That's OK. I understand.) I called noon on Monday for an update and was directed to call later in the day and they would know more information. (Got it. Totally fine.) I called Monday evening and was told it wouldn't be ready for another day. (Something about diagnostics or ordering parts.) The SAME RUN AROUND happened on Tuesday and AGAIN on Wednesday. Then, Thursday around noon, I call in to find out the status. They reported they still do not have the part for the window. (Something about ordering the wrong part in the first place.) But, as soon as they get it they'll put it in. I get a call at 5:10 PM saying my car is ready for pick up. (They close at 5:30.) Since I had been without my car for almost a week, I ran in (literally) to pick it up.

I was surprised when my bill came out to over $1100. I had talked to the owner and gone over the work order on Monday. When I looked at my budget, I couldn't afford to get everything fixed at once. I declined to fix a couple things and I was quoted a price with parts and labor of $980, which I could manage. I was NOT informed of any changes that would have jacked up the price. When I saw the final figure was high than I thought, I was caught off guard, but I was so sick of the back and forth, that I just...