How to Find the Best Auto Mechanic

It would be easy to tell you to not bother looking around for an auto mechanic once you’ve found us. Because we really think that we are the best. But we want you to be happy and satisfied from the start, so here are some things to do when you need a new mechanic and a place to take your car.

• Ask around. Ask family, friends and neighbors for recommendations.
• Keep your search local. Unless you need a restoration for something like, oh, a 1925 Bugatti, you want a shop you can get to in a hurry. Or one that’s simply convenient.
• See if your local newspaper does a “best of” series. Many times auto shops are covered. 
• If you belong to a car club, all the better. The same recommendations will show up again and again.
• Check online. Take a look at Yelp and Angie’s List and Google. It’s good to see the negatives (should there be any) as well as the positives.
• Stop by the shops you’re interested in. Take a look at the cars on the lot - have they been sitting there forever? - and talk to some of the mechanics, or the owner. Is the place clean and orderly? It should be.
• You can check with the Better Business Bureau for complaints, and to see how they were resolved.
• Will they let you watch while they work? Are they patient with you if you have questions? Will they give you some options that might save you some money? If there aren’t any options, will they explain this to you? 
• Attitude matters. Auto shops are in a service industry. They aren’t doing you any favors by taking care of your car. Don’t let anyone make you feel stupid or ill-informed. You want to have a relationship that works for everyone. 
• If you still can’t decide, start with some small work. See how an oil change goes, for example. If you’re satisfied with the price and service, you’ll want to try a larger job next time.

We have been serving the Hollywood District and greater Portland-area for almost 30 years. We offer professional automotive service specializing in Honda, Toyota, Lexus, Acura, Volvo, Nissan, Volkswagen, and Audi, but we’re happy to take a look at whatever you’re driving.

We have the best mechanics in the business. Our goal is to fix the problem the first time, and we want to do it right. We’ll do our best to explain everything to you and keep the price down.

Come on in and say “hello” and let’s get started on building that relationship. We’ll always be here when you need us. Call Broadway Imports at 503.282.0817 if you want to schedule an appointment. Schedule an appointment today! Or just stop by.

Find us at 3001 NE Broadway St. in Portland, OR 97232.

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Get the Stains off your Garage Floor!

It doesn’t matter if your garage is clean and organized and beautiful enough to be featured in Architectural Digest or Better Homes and Gardens, or such a mess that you can’t stand to look at it. Either way, nothing will harm it more than grease stains on the floor. They’re both common and unattractive and we’re going to give you a few options to clean them up.

1. It’s best to clean the stains when they’re fresh. If that’s the case, try powdered laundry soap first. Professional race car associations such as NASCAR have been relying on this for years, and they must know something! First blot up as much of the oil as possible. Mix a large amount of laundry soap into a bucket of warm water, and get it nice and soapy. Pour it onto the stain. Next, pour extra detergent (right from the box) directly on the stain. Let it set for a few minutes. Scrub the stain using a nylon brush with stiff bristles. When you’re finished, hose everything off with a garden hose. The higher your water pressure, the better.
2. Do you have any oven cleaner? Use it to spray the stains, then let it sit there for 5-10 minutes. Use a stiff brush to scrub away, then rinse it with a hose at the highest pressure you have. If you don’t see a big difference, don’t give up. The stains may very well need a second application. 
3. A lot of people swear by WD-40. Spray it on heavily and then wash it away with the hose. Highest pressure.
4. Do you have any mineral spirits? Pour some on the stains and let it sit for about 3-minutes. Then scrub with the stiff brush. To dry it, put newspaper over the area. Once dry, wash the stain with one cup of bleach and one of laundry detergent, mixed into one gallon of warm water. Spray away with your hose to get it all clean.
5. Have you heard that cola can clean your toilet? Or take the paint off your car? It can also clean those oil spots. Here’s what you do: you’ll need cat litter, a few cans of cola, a bucket, a stiff broom, laundry detergent, bleach, eye protection and rubber gloves. (A lot of stuff. You might want to try this remedy last.) Cover the stain with a thin layer of cat litter and brush it in. Sweep up the litter and pour cola to cover the area. Work the cola in with a bristle broom, and leave the cola on for about twenty minutes. Mix 1/4 cup laundry detergent with 1/4 cup bleach in 1 gallon of warm water and use it to clean everything up.

If none of these works, you might have to call in a professional. But we have great confidence in you. Get your supplies and your elbow grease and good luck!

Call Broadway Imports at 503.282.0817 to schedule an oil change, tune-up, or whatever else your car needs. And if your car is leaking, you definitely need to see us! Schedule an appointment today!

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Come see us at 3001 NE Broadway St in Portland, OR 97232.

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Grandfatherly Advice on Brakes and Tires

My grandfather used to say to my dad, “Don’t play around with brakes and tires, they can get you killed.”

Now my grandfather wasn’t trying to dissuade my dad from working on his own car, rather he was trying to get my dad to understand that you don’t take unnecessary chances.

You see, when most things on your car wear out, are defective, or just plain break, there’s damage done, to varying degrees, to your car, but not to you.

For example, if your engine throws a rod, what happens? It can kill your engine. Run your car out of oil? You kill your engine. What about a timing belt? Transmission leak? Never tune up your car? Think about what happens, I mean the worst that can happen.

Now think about what happens if your brakes go out. I had that happen halfway home one day. What do you think is the worst that can happen? Rear-ending the car in front of you at high speeds? Careening through an intersection and hitting pedestrians? Not being able to slow down to make that sharp turn on a cliff? It does happen.

What about if a tire blows out on the freeway? 

Now think about the engine issues again. Not so bad by comparison, right?

Are your brakes getting soft? Are your tires wearing unevenly, or just plain worn down? You can put off doing a lot of things to your car, but not brakes and tires. Get them taken care of, immediately. 

Don’t take chances with your brakes or tires. Call Broadway Imports at 503.282.0817 to schedule an oil change, tune-up, or whatever else your car needs. Please contact us for any auto service or repair you might have. Schedule an appointment today!

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2016 Volkswagen Jetta Review

The good folks over at Autoweek have done a review on the new 2016 Volkswagen Jetta. Other than the seats being not quite to the reviewer's liking, something they did like was, "VW's latest touch screen radio system is also good looking and easy to use. It's also nice to find a whole infotainment suite -- Bluetooth, satellite radio, rearview camera, touchscreen interface and App-Connect..."

They were pretty honest with their thoughts, both the good and the bad.

Read the whole review here: 2016 Volkswagen Jetta review: Decent value for what folks want, but poor seats

Whether you have the latest and greatest import or not, you can keep your car running just fine, call Broadway Imports at 503.282.0817 to schedule an oil change, tune-up, or whatever else your car needs.

Please contact us for any auto service or repair you might have.

Schedule an appointment today!

Call us anytime at 503.282.0817

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How Are Your Emissions?

In case you haven't heard, Volkswagen is in big trouble. Apparently they released vehicles with emission software that wasn't quite... "up to par", so to speak. According to the article we found on the AutoNews website:

BERLIN (Bloomberg) -- About 11 million Volkswagen vehicles worldwide have diesel engines with software “irregularities,” as the scandal that started in the U.S. widens.

"Examinations have shown that the emission-control software built into U.S. models that were found to be violating U.S. clean air rules has also been used in other VW group diesel cars, VW said in a statement today."

The article goes on to say:

"Diesel cars with so-called Type EA 189 engines built into about 11 million VW models worldwide have shown a "noticeable deviation" in emission levels between testing and road use, the company said."?

You can read the full article here: VW says 11 million diesel vehicles worldwide have rigged emissions software

While we are on the subject of emissions, is it about time for your DEQ visit? We can help, just call Broadway Imports at 503.282.0817 to schedule an oil change, tune-up, or whatever else your import car needs.

Please contact us for any auto service or repair you might have.

Schedule an appointment today!

Call us anytime at 503.282.0817

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#volkswagenemissions
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#broadwayimportautoservice