No 1 Japanese Auto Service

I’ve been bringing my old 1997 Jeep Wrangler here for years, and I’ve never been disappointed. A glowing review is long overdue!
As you can imagine, with an old car I’ve have many issues that have probably summed to about 15 – 20 visits to No 1 Japanese Auto, and counting. All of those visits have been quality work at a very reasonable price.
But what really sold me was their willingness to work on an old car. Mechanics in the past have commented on how old my car is and how it perhaps isn’t worth putting the money in to. I don’t like hearing this because I plan to keep my beloved Jeep as long as I possibly can. This was never the attitude at No. 1 Japanese Auto. They often compliment me on how well cared for my Jeep is, and what good condition she’s in. This REALLY means a lot.
I love this place, and will continue to give them business.

If anyone is looking for a super honest mechanic, the dudes at No.1 Japanese automotive are awesome. My car was diagnosed with a blown head gasket by a place a AAA tow truck driver referred me to. I decided to take it to No.1 Japanese automotive because they quoted me $ 500 dollars less for the work. However, upon inspection of my car he found that I did not have a blown head gasket, it was just a broken thermostat. There are good people out there, you just have to find them!

My 1989 Honda Civic was experiencing stalling problems since March 2015. Every mechanic I spoke to had a different lead or opinion, which to a certain extent was not surprising given how old the car was. Many shops wanted to have me spend a lot of money to replace broken parts, delivered very surface level diagnoses.
No 1 Japanese Auto Service was a huge improvement: They checked the car over as per the specifications and found a less obvious problem (broken rotor and distributor cap) beneath older parts that only appeared to be broken but were in working condition. That problem was inexpensive to fix. While my car was there, I also had them replace my leaking fuel injectors, a completely separate but very serious problem. This work was not cheap per se, but it was barely more costly than what another shop had offered. As a result, my vehicle’s acceleration and overall performance is much better than it has been for awhile.
All the shops and mechanics I spoke to had their own reasoning which can be pretty tough to gauge when you’re ignorant of automobile mechanics. However, Bill, the head man at No 1 Japanese Auto, was able to communicate what was going on in a way I could understand better, especially since it had to do with physics. I still don’t pretend to fully understand everything going on, but I am confident that I was really speaking with someone who knew what they were talking about.
Combined with the fact I saved a lot of money by not replacing parts that did not need replacement and that the shop went out of its way to make more time to do additional work, I am happy that I have not been dealing with vehicle stalling for the past three weeks. I have been driving my car about six days a week and am gradually becoming more confident that I won’t have a sudden breakdown in an inconvenient place and time. For good value, immensely thorough work, and great service, I recommend No 1 Japanese Auto Service for anyone with a Japanese car.

I came here for a second opinion on my car that was deemed unsafe to drive. Little did I know that the auto place I last went to was trying to scam me into buying things I didn’t need. The people that work here are honest, efficient, and real people. I found my mechanic. This place is the place to go in Portland.

Bill is great to deal with and an overall honest man. That’s all I want in a mechanic. I took the car in with the car knowledge of a teenage school girl and still they found the correct problem, charged me a fair price for it and didn’t add on any unnecessary charges. Beyond that I gave them hell with a locked wheel bolt and they helped me with it and did the job quickly and efficiently. I’ll forever take my car here.

I would give these guys more stars if I could. The owner is an honest guy with a ton of experience. So are all the employees I met. These guys know their stuff and are big time car lovers. The fact the owner is honest sadly is rare for a mechanic.
I should have towed my car here from the coast instead of getting my car fixed in Seaside after my vehicle broke down. Portland No. 1 Auto would have saved me literally over two thousand dollars. I had my cars transmission fixed in Seaside. If I would have taken my car here first instead they could have easily pointed out other crippling problems in my car. Such as the blatantly obvious loose timing belt that was destroying my engine inside out and my car was totaled again a week later.
I explained my problem to the owner here and he ran a full diagnostic on my vehicle. He also allowed me to keep my car in the shop for over a week while I was trying to make the best decision to either scrap the car or get it fixed. Once it became plainly clear to me that I had to scrap the car he helped me sell the vehicle to a wrecking yard.
Amazingly he didn’t even charge me for all his time and effort !!

Had a broken air conditioner in my Toyota Tundra, with an $ 860 estimate from local dealer. Bill and his crew diagnosed the problem (an O ring), fixed it and recharged the system in an hour for $ 125. How often does that happen! Now I’m a customer for life.

I’ve taken a couple different vehicles here over the years. I picked the place at random based on proximity to where I lived at the time — and I feel like I won the lottery! This place is incredible and I’ll now drive out of my way if I have to whenever I need anything done on my vehicles. Every mechanic I’ve talked to there really knows their profession — like, beyond my expectation for a normal professional. Their knowledge is quite incredible, their skill is second to none, and most importantly, their honesty is on the level of a best friend! On multiple occasions they’ve talked me out of doing work on my car because it wasn’t needed. No other mechanic has ever done that, in my experience. I won’t go anywhere else.

I had taken my Toyota Corolla to the dealership three times reporting a loud squealing/​screeching sound. Twice they told me there was nothing wrong, and once they took hundreds of dollars to not fix the problem. When I called No. 1 Japanese Auto Service I was looking for someone who could just fix the problem and put my mind at rest, and they had the best reviews. I can definitely see they had the best reviews for a reason! They listened to me, they fixed my problem in just a few hours, and they charged me a super affordable price! My car has been silent for the last few days since I took it in (I waited to write my review until I knew for sure!), and I am so grateful. Will be using their services again.

I’ve taken my cars to Bill for years and my dad took them here before that. They may be a bit pricer but this is the only shop that I trust. He will only fix it if it’s broken and they don’t take advantage of people.
Now I’m in Georgia and I’m hoping that I’ll be able to find a mechanic that’s in the same caliber.

Iv’e used them a few times so far on my 2001 CRV. Very knowledgeable and very friendly staff. They even discovered and fixed a mistake they found when I brought my car in for something completely unrelated. The only place I’ll take my Honda.

Bill is one of the most trustworthy people I have ever come across. He is not in it to nickle and dime you he will tell you exactly what is going on with your car and offer you an extremely fair price. I went in for my first time after friends told me to take my car there after a strange rattle had occurred and he got me in right away. Then he called to tell me the heat shield had rusted so he took it off and ends up that he didnt charge me anything! It absolutely made my day and I’m thankful for great people like Bill.

This shop is super honest.
Recently, I was told by a place that changes my oil that I need new struts. When I took my car to No 1 Japanese Auto Service to get the struts changed, they told me that I do not need new struts!
On a separate occasion I had noticed that my gas mileage was getting terrible. Where my corolla had been getting 35 mpg, it was now getting 24 mpg. I took it in and after they examined it, they told me to get gas at Chevron or Shell, where there are more detergents in the gas. It totally worked! I’m now back to 35 – 40 mpg. And there was not charge for the evaluation!
I won’t take my car anywhere else to get work done.

This is the best car shop in Portland. I have taken my cars to this place for 10 years. They’re honest, stick to their estimates, and know what they do.
Vitali, the main mechanic, knows japanese cars up and down, and over the years has fixed my cars’ suspensions, sun roof, cruise control, clutch, alternator, sensors, replaced a radiator, etc…
I have nothing to say but good words about these honest guys.

Had an oil change done here. They were fast and cheap. Don’t expect well known brands of oil here. Forget about a waiting lounge, much less wifi; their facility is basically a garage and a little office.
I asked them to check out a rattling sound coming from underneath my car. I even told them about the circumstances under which it’s exhibited. An hour later, they said the car was fine and could find no problems. Are you kidding? It was still there and I highly doubt the mechanic test drove the car. I’m guessing he found that it was too much work to do.

I love this place! Bill and his team know what they’re doing, they do quality work and do not rip you off. They are highly competent, quick and honest… traits not necessarily associated with car repair places.
They were closed the week between Christmas and the New Year, so I took my car to the dealership in Beaverton and boy was that a mistake! Never again. If I can’t get into No 1 Japanese Auto when I need repairs, I will spend money to rent a car until I can get my Mazda fixed. From here on out, no one else will fix my cars!

I have been working with these guys for several years (3 different cars– Isuzus & Hondas) and Bill has always been very upfront about what we are getting into and saved us $ 1000’s in the process. He has a dry sense of humor and if you can work with that you’ll get along great! There is no unnecessary repairs and often you’ll get terrific advice even if he doesn’t make any money on the deal.
Recently, we had a transmission issue and an unrelated fuel sensor problem. He checked out the entire vehicle for possible causes and didn’t charge us a dime. He referred us to AATCO Transmissions and they solved the problem for $ 100.
Great stuff!

I came in to get some wobbling and general alignment trouble checked out. I originally thought it might be the axle, and Bill’s first guess was a loose bearing. A few hours later I got a call, everything checked out fine mechanically — turned out the front tires were wearing unevenly, there were weights on one side and none on the other, and there was a mysterious dent on the right front wheel hub that might account for the wobbling. In the end Bill said I should get some new tires and replace the wheel hub if necessary. He recommended Les Schwab down on NW 19^th & Northrup.
All this advice came with no charge, and the lead mechanic even fixed my brake warning light for free by filling up the brake fluid and gave me some advice on keeping the brake fluid clean.
These guys are good people and know their stuff in and out. I’m definitely coming back next time I have car trouble.

So can I just say these guys are eff’n great.
I took my little bucket in right after I moved here and BAM, It was fixed in about an hour.(Thought it was a more serious issue)
They dont put in unnecessary work or parts in your car, just work on whats needed to be fixed.
I took my car in twice (for two different problems, two different times) and both have been a wonderful experience. s
Note: Call ahead of time, schedule service and ask questions. Dont be rude or you will get rude service back.
No bullshit. Honest, clean work here that you wouldnt get at your dealership or best auto repair from some crappy online ad.
Price: my car is an 82, so it was pretty cheap to fix it.
Older=cheaper
Newer=$$ or $$$$$$$ :O!
Service rates: CHEAP! mo fo, CHEAP!
THANK YOU! :)

They specialize in Japanese vehicles, but it’s not a must.
This place has saved my husband and I hundreds of dollars in car repairs. We’ve had trouble at other places. Lots of trouble. My husband had to take his car into a different auto repair shop on four separate occasions for the same problem because they A) Never fixed the problem and B) Created new problems by while attempting to fix the original problem.
It was a much different, happier story at No 1 Japanese Auto Service. They’re knowledgeable and have affordable pricing. They are honest and will tell you when another place can do it for cheaper. WHO DOES THAT? Well, No 1 Japanese Auto service, that’s who.