Clemens Automotive

Excellent, excellent, excellent service! I’ve been dealing with car repair shops for 30 years and let me say I have never had a shop fix an issue just because they knew they could and then not charge me for the work but they did! It was such a small item, the interior lights and radio had not worked forever in my 23 year old Ford Escort so I had gotten used to it. When I had them work on another issue, they graciously fixed the lights and radio as a courtesy and the other work was on time and done with great expertise. And they treat women like anyone else, which is so refreshing. I don’t know how many times I’ve had men treat me like I know nothing about cars when I take a vehicle in for repair but these guys did not; they were respectful and listened to what I had to say. I would highly recommend this shop to anyone.

Took my jeep here. They replaced the water pump. Cost $ 700. A week later I take it on a road trip to the coast and it starts overheating after being parked at idle even though it was fine for 2 hrs on the highway. I call them, talk to a mechanic who tells me he has no idea why it would be getting hot while parked and tells me to try just getting back on the road. Turns out they left the engine fan power source unplugged. My biggest problem is that they treated me like an idiot when I called but they were really just afraid to tell me they screwed up.

I brought my old Nissan pickup in to have it worked on. They did the little things I asked — oil change, etc — then called back and said that they didn’t feel right working on the bigger ticket items. In order for the truck to run longer than a few months more, I would have had to spend at least $ 1,000. They would have been happy for the work, I’m sure, but instead gave me an honest prognosis of what it would have taken to keep an old truck on the road for just a bit longer. I haven’t purchased my new beater truck yet, but when I do, they’ll be the folks who get my business.

John was very pleasant and helpful and was able to replace my dead alternator within hour of me bringing in my car. Thank!

After my last service shop closed, I’ve been looking around for a new one in N PDX. I found Clemens, tucked off Lombard, through AAA as a preferred repair company. The services are well priced, can be scheduled in a timely manner, and the customer service is great. I highly recommend this locally owned and operated business.

I’ll be honest, I don’t know diddlysquat about cars, but I know when I’ve been screwed. I went in due to all the reviews of this being the place to get your car fixed. My check engine light is on and the code is P0597– something within the thermostat cooling system. So I came to find out what exactly was going on. The diagnosis John came up with was that there was too much oil in the engine, which I noticed a couple days ago, creating pressure within. He did an oil change and when I came to get my car it wasn’t making a nasty noise anymore and the light was off, obviously. Seemed fine. But when I went to drive it later that night, the engine light was back on. Long story short, I paid a whopping $ 125 for an oil change and they didn’t address the issue.

I’m from the San Francisco Bay Area and needed someone to change the oil, look at the brakes, and change the windshield wipers on my daughter’s Toyota Corolla.
Since I’m not from the area I looked at Unilocal first, saw Clemens reviews, (only a few at the time) and decided to have my daughter ask around campus. She came back with a positive nod for Clemens. I called, set the appointment and all went great when the car was dropped off.
After they inspected the vehicle they called me, said brakes were good, however, might need to be changed soon. They gave me the price and I said go ahead with the work on the brakes, as this was back in January so I didn’t want bad breaks during rainy season.
When the job was done I got the phone call and they explained everything in detail, all work was done as discussed. I gave them my credit card information over the phone and all was taken care of.
As a dad living a distance away, I am very happy that there is a business i can trust in Portland for my daughter’s vehicle maintenance. Thank you for the great work. I really appreciate it.

I have used them before; they are courteous and prompt.
Today takes the cake. We had our family van towed to their place. Two hours later, the van was fixed (the problem was very simply) with no charge. Who could ask for more?!?
They have earned our undying gratitude.

Friendly, knowledgable and honest. What more could you ask for? Brought my truck in, they could have told me anything but instead they saved me money, did the job fast and looked at other stuff for free and threw in grease and other sundries without charge.
I will def come back here again

While in Portland for work my Chevy Trailblazer started sputtering and even stalled once. When I called I let them know I’m working on a tight schedule with only a bit of spare time they were able to fit me in quickly to run an analysis and figure out what was going on. The part was in the next day and it took about an hour to get everything done. Even though the job was more labor-​intensive due to rusting, they kept in line with the quoted price and were very straightforward through the whole process. Recommend these guys for sure.

I have brought my car in here twice. They were recommended by several of my friends who live in the area.
I got an oil change, and it cost about $ 35, which is right around market price if you’re not going to Jiffy Lube. Which you shouldn’t. I also had diagnostics done.
The guy who runs the place was honest and helpful. He didn’t push me into having a costly fix done that wasn’t strictly necessary for safe driving. He explained everything in terms I could understand (I know very little about cars), without being condescending. He didn’t charge me for diagnostics.
The other employees were friendly, though I didn’t interact with them a great deal. Generally, a really trustworthy establishment. Highly recommended.

I have brought my car here every time I’ve had an issue and I feel lucky to have found this place. The mechanics are always very honest and straight forward, it means a lot to have a mechanic I can trust.

I’ve only been here once and the mechanics were very helpful and not pushy at all. While I ended up spending a lot of money I think it was a fair amount considering the work I got done. I will probably be a returning customer.

Me: «I have a 97 jetta.»
Them: «I don’t work on Volkswagens.»
Nothing else to say.

Took my Buick Rendezous here because I feared I had a blown head gasket. I dropped and then later that afternoon received the phone call I was dreading. John confirmed that I did indeed have a blown head gasket. What was amazing is that based on the value of the car and the severity of the blown gasket, he suggested I NOT pay to have it fixed, «It wasn’t worth hit». I was floored that he was so honest. Then, when I asked how much I owed him for looking at my car, he said «I don’t charge for bad news». He charged me nothing!
Incredible! I will be going here from now on, FOR SURE.

Take your car here! They won’t overcharge you or try and get you to pay for unnecessary work done on your car. Genuinely nice people who do quality work.

I had to be towed to a AAA approved mechanic and Clemens was the closest. Being female, I’m always a little weary of auto shops and anything having to do with cars, but the employees at Clemens are the best! They treated me with honesty and respect every time. I went in for a new alternator and belts the first time and when it came time for a new AC compressor, knowing that they were going to have to charge me a higher price (due to the type of car I have) they referred me to the dealership. Jacob was amazing the whole way through. I will gladly take my car back to them.

They did a great job on a basic tune-​up and engine check, but were unable to do some more complex electrical work (kindly referred me to another local mechanic). Small place, locally owned, with good service.

I had a great experience with this shop today. My driver’s side windshield wiper stopped working after I had accidentally turned them on while they were still frozen. oops! I called several shops including the small North Portland shop we have used before. Every one of them told me that they would need to keep the car several days, and in some cases said they could not even look at it for several days. They also said it would be at least $ 60-​$ 80 to disassemble to wiper assembly to accurately determine the problem.
Jake at Clemens called me right back. He said it was probably a pretty quick fix and said I could bring it in that afternoon. When I brought it in he came right out, looked at it, saw the problem and fixed it. It took him less than 10 minutes and they didn’t even charge us. I was so impressed with their honesty and willingness to help.
This is the kind of service I thought only existed in small towns. They may not have made any money today, but I guarantee that I will be calling them the next time we need service. They have gained a future customer today.

ALL MECHANICS ARE LYING CHEATS is what I thought before I went to Clemens, but now I can’t say that anymore. Clemens is the most honest, friendly and trustworthy mechanic I have ever been to.
I also love the fact that the owner takes great pride in being an independent, local business owner in the neighborhood. He was both personable and kind.
Never did I feel uncomfortable or like I was being swindled, as opposed to my other experience (see other review for that story). These people take great pride in their work and it definitely shows.
I will never take my car anywhere else now that I have found this gem.
Thank you so much, kind people of Clemens.