Dean's Car Care, INC.

Reviews

Reviews are sorted by relevance, with the most helpful and insightful feedback listed first for easy reference.

  Stacey K
a year ago
20 years in Portland and now I only trust Dean's. When other shops try to rack up the bill with unnecessary expensive repairs, Dean's will ask you your budget and try to work with you. Their website is adorable and funny, so is the guy who works the front desk (just don't park in front of the garage doors). I will no longer buy a car that Dean cannot fix. They are affordable, reasonable and quick.

  Ben de Moura
6 months ago
I ve taken 3 family cars to dean s car care over the last five years, I ve probably taken my own car to them about a half dozen times. Over the past few years there have been a few honest mistakes they ve made that cost me a bit but I was understanding. The last two times that I ve taken my car in they ve both made mistakes and lied to me. Most recently they told me the quality and level of fluid in a sealed gear box. There s no dipstick you could use to determine that. They put the wrong size oil filter on my car once. The friend who recommended dean s to me in the first place told me they ve overfilled his oil before, to the point where a light came on.I really feel embarrassed for having continued to trust this business after getting a bad feeling about them on different occasions. I really hope this review helps prevent others making the same mistake.

  JD Johnston
6 months ago
Don't use these people. Have taken my 95 hiace to them twice both times they gave it back running worse than when I brought it in. Thier techs have no pride in Thier work didn't even test drive it before giving it back probably because they knew that they were half-asked by habit. Three weeks they had it the second time after waiting three weeks for appointment and couldn't even get the oil changed. It was like they were holding my van hostage. The receptionist guy out front has serious personality issues. Never will they see a vehicle of mine again. Found other shops talked to four all were aware of deans and said they suck alot of unnecessary work. Want to update on review, got a call from Dean after my last review which I totally respect but he had no answers for giving my van back running even worse than the last time I got it back from them. UPDATE.......after Deans recommend I get a new engine spend 10 to 15 thousand and take 8 months to a year to complete instead i found a place whichI drove into without a appointment and got it back in ONE WEEK. Problem was the timing belt that Deans put in just over a year ago and that they already looked at 3 weeks earlier was screwed apparently they knew nothing about tensioning. I waisted 11 weeks with them just to to find out that they are their own best customer. Everything I've had to fix is a direct result of their previous work. Will not respond No Apologies no answers DO NOT TRUST THEM.

  Zachary Nizam-Aldine
10 months ago
Deans services my 1995 Toyota Previa LE SC RWD, 210k daily driver. I ve owned the van for 3-4 years and they have serviced it regularly. They also completed an engine out service to replace head gasket at 200k and other misc. stuff, which all went well. The services recommended have been accurate and their techs or owner have spent time researching issues specific to the Previa just to ensure they get to root cause. They have also worked with me to schedule an appointment(s) further out to ensure I can get the vehicle prioritized and back timely, which I appreciate since it s driven regularly.Services: General repairs & maintenance, Auto engine diagnostic, Computer diagnostics, A/C installation & repair, Vehicle safety inspection

  Logan Buttrell
9 months ago
Absolutely love this place. My 2000 subaru was stolen and had the ignition punched. The good people at Deans found the part and repaired it quickly and affordably. Thanks Deans! I ll be back!Service: Engine repairService: Engine repair

  Megan Deardorff
a year ago
I brought my friend's car in to receive a diagnosis if it was worth getting it running and repaired. My friend was having trouble finding a shop that would even LOOK at her 1996 Saturn Coupe. But Dean's Car Care did, and were able to get her (the car) street worthy again for a very reasonable price. They communicate well and can work within a budget if you have one. I'll take my car there in the future.Services: General repairs & maintenance, Auto engine diagnostic, Engine repair, Auto emissions testing, Vehicle safety inspection, Wiper blade installation, Auto maintenance, Vehicle maintenance, Battery, Oil change

  David Johnston
2 years ago
TLDR: They recommended unnecessary, expensive work.I took my Toyota Hiace to Dean's as a first-time customer due to rough idle at start. They correctly diagnosed and replaced the glow plugs at a reasonable cost.While they had it, I asked them to look into a clunking noise in the front suspension. They reached out via text and let me know that they checked it out and everything was nice and tight. The next day when I picked up the van, they told me their "best tech" had it up on the lift and had determined there was play in the upper/lower ball joints, and that they wouldn't recommend that I drive it long distances.I went ahead and ordered parts, some from Japan, and while waiting for them to arrive I heard of another shop much closer to me that works on these vans, and they quoted me a similar price to replace the ball joints, so I booked with them instead.When I dropped off the van at the other shop, I reiterated the story about the clunking sound. The tech, who worked for Toyota in the 90s, took it for a test drive and then put it on the lift for a shakedown test of the suspension. He found no play in the ball joints.I picked up the van, paying only for diagnosis, when he could have easily lied and taken me for $600+ in labor. His take on the clunk was lower control arm bushings and didn't think a repair was warranted at this time.I'm very disappointed with Dean's for recommending unnecessary work and will not be returning or recommending them.

  David Shanklin
a year ago
Highly recommended for JDM vehicles. They aren't the cheapest but they are Honest, competent, and fast! I brought in a Toyota Soarer with a Crank/No-start. Dean's got it diagnosed and fixed in 48 hours. A different shop in town spent 4 hours diagnosing and gave up.Service: Electrical system service & repairService: Electrical system service & repair

  Robert Raymond
a year ago
Top notch service, very experienced mechanic's. Attention to detail is what dean's car and truck care is all about. Wouldn't take my car's or truck's any where else. Highly recommend Dean and his mechanics to all. Bob Raymond

  Aja Nordgren
3 years ago
Dean's is our new go-to for service and general questions about our diesel van. Eric at the desk is incredibly helpful and friendly every time we stop in, call, or text. Already recommended Dean's to multiple friends. They do great work at reasonable prices. Two thumbs way up!

  Matt Meighan
a year ago
I had a perfect experience at Dean's -- fast, professional, reasonably priced. Couldn't have been better. A neighbor recommended Dean's and they are now the people I'll call first.Service: Brake service & repairService: Brake service & repair

  Carlisle Daniel
3 years ago
Good group of knowledgable people at Dean's. They listened to the issues with my van (both from me and the van) and were able to diagnose and fix the issues. Not inexpensive and had to wait a couple weeks for my appointment, but quality comes at a price and it was worth it. I'll go back and recommend their services.Services: Electrical repair, General repairs & maintenance, Electrical, Auto engine diagnostic, BatteryServices: Electrical repair, General repairs & maintenance, Electrical, Auto engine diagnostic, Battery

  Tuna Poanessa
2 years ago
TERRIBLE.TL;DR: Took my working van in for a basic inspection. They took two weeks to complete the work (some of which turned out to be unnecessary), didn't communicate with me for days at a time (kept saying should be done by tomorrow and then wouldn't call me for days), left my car with a roof leak in the rain when they said it would be kept inside, caused a major oil leak, told me to just keep driving with oil everywhere, and then I couldn't get the owner to give me a call.DON T TAKE YOUR FORD HERE.I waited a month for my appointment with my new van. I was willing to wait because I had heard really good things about the shop. I took it in for a 85pt inspection. It was running fine, but was about to take it on a long trip and wanted to be sure I would be safe as I would be in the deep forest out of service.When I dropped it off they told me they were a little behind and that they wouldn't get to it until the next day. I told them it was fine as long as they kept my van out of the rain, as I knew it had a leak in the roof. I was told this would not be a problem.They did an inspection and found some issues to address. Had my car for a total of 2 weeks. A chunk of that time was spent chasing a non existent issue. In that time I drove by and saw my car in the rain. When I got it back, there were water stains inside on the roof and the LED light I installed inside was water damaged.A few days later I took my trip. I made it about 20 miles before I saw smoke under the hood. Pulled over and opened the hood and it was covered in oil. It was dripping and pooling out the bottom of my car. I called Deans and told them there was a major leak and how much oil was everywhere. The guy said not to worry about it, and that they had noticed a bunch of oil on the engine earlier and it was likely just that oil burning off. He recommended we just keep going and ignore it.I was skeptical due to the amount of oil all over the bottom of my car, so I pulled into a local shop. The smell was terrible from under the hood. They confirmed that there was a major leak somewhere, but they were too busy to do any further investigation or repairs that day. They recommended we not continue with our trip and were shocked a shop would tell us to keep going knowing oil was pooling under the car.We had to come back to town. We brought it back to Deans when we could. I got two different stories. The guy in the office left me a voicemail saying that the tech had put the breather hose on the wrong port causing the system to pressurize and shoot oil everywhere. The technician called me and said it was an issue with my car, but was very vague as to whether he had done something incorrectly or not. He then explained that Ford diagrams are really bad and hard to read, so that s why this all happened. They fixed (and by fixed it I mean left the hose disconnected as it had been before I brought it to them) and threw in a free radiator cap (a $16.00 value!).I was pretty upset so I asked to speak to Dean. I was hoping to talk things over so I could feel a better about all of this. I was told he was too busy to take call from me which I found pretty disappointing since I had just spent over $1000 at his shop. I told them I would wait to speak to him directly but I never heard from him.The tech and the office manager told me they wanted me to come to see what they had done when I picked it up and explain how it went wrong. They said Dean might be there if I got lucky enough to catch him but at that point I was done. I m not a mechanic, I don t need to be shown anything. They had already been gaslighting me throughout the whole process, I didn t feel comfortable having 2 or 3 men telling me that my concerns weren t valid by throwing a bunch of technical information at me.I don't feel confident with the work that was done so I am taking it to get inspected again somewhere else. Fact is I paid them to make sure my van would be running well for my trip and they did the opposite.UPDATE:Just noticed my towing break system control is missing.

  Matthew Wilkins
2 years ago
Great people to work with! I brought them a swamp monster that didn't run and had pieces flaking off of it and they sent me home with a vehicle that now starts reliably. Still working on getting it to a point that is drivable but I will definitely continue to use them in the future. Very easy to work with. Great peeps and amazing puppets!

  John Thomas Park
3 years ago
I bought a 92 Toyota pickup at the end of last year. Of course it needed work. So after the transmission started to go, I took it to Dean's. They took care of everything, and when I say that, I mean even when the NEW transmission failed within the first week of it being installed. It turned out that the company they worked with to get it rebuilt had put the wrong seal on it. Dean, Harriet and Hannah helped to take of everything and almost daily gave me updates. I just took the truck in for a tune up and oil change, and I can't be happier with the vehicles performance, all thanks to Dean and his crews knowledge and experience. Thank you all very much

  Melissa Medeiros
2 years ago
What an incredibly positive experience. Super nice folks and very responsive to questions and concerns. After several misses at other auto shops we took our 2006 CRV here and they were able to diagnose the problem almost immediately. Had we followed the advice of the other shops, we would have paid 4 times as much, and not solved the basic problem. I'm now a lifer & don't plan on heading to any other shops anytime soon.Services: General repairs & maintenance, Vehicle maintenance

  Cynthia Killingsworth
5 years ago
After we bought an imported 1986 Mercedes van for a camper conversion, we had a sinking feeling when we tried to find a mechanic in the Portland area and were repeatedly turned away because of the unusual nature of the vehicle. That was until someone recommended Dean's. We had a few small, but quirky issues that needed to be addressed. Dean and his crew were fearless in finding solutions and getting our van back on the road. Thank you!

  Sarah Smith
4 years ago
I will gladly recommend Dean's to anyone. They are honest, friendly, and eager to put people back onto the road safely.I took my car to them with what I thought was just a control arm issue, but turns out I completely bent my entire frame.This being my first major body trouble, Harriet and Hannah were incredibly knowledgable and patient with the whole thing. Instead of turning me away or just throwing a new one on and wishing me luck, they helped me navigate the insurance maze and got a trusted auto body shop involved to be sure my car would be road-worthy after the fact.I will not hesitate to call them in the future.

  kristen zisk
3 years ago
First, I apologize for the length of this review, I just want to ensure I present a clear picture including all details, since I know they respond to negative reviews and will try to make it seem like I'm clueless.TLDR: Dean's sold us faulty used parts, didn't test them post-installation, and tried to charge us more to fix their own errors.I own a Ford E-350 former school bus, the same bus you can find conveniently pictured on their google listing (as of 1/3/21). Unfortunately when I was moving from my residence, the bus wouldn't start. My boyfriend works on cars himself but we decided to take the bus to Dean's because it was down the street from my old house (which avoided a towing charge) and because we were involved with moving and had no time to learn about this particular vehicle's inner workings.The first thing Dean's did to diagnose the no-start condition was to suggest an oil change. We thought that was odd, since neither of us ever heard of a car not starting because of dirty or old oil, but they did have an explanation about how the fuel injection is actuated by oil pressure. Looking back, this seemed like a way to collect money...After changing the oil, they THEN read the engine fault codes. They mentioned that the ignition switch was a bit messed up and that made it hard to read the codes, but as a repair shop, I figure they have ways of dealing with a problem like that (we ended up replacing the ignition switch later ourselves for $18 and 10 minutes of work). They then found out that the injector driver module had failed and ordered a used one for about $350 which we authorized after hearing new ones would be $800+. The bus still didn't start and we ended up having it towed to our new house after paying Dean's around $1300 in total.Fast forward about 6 months, the bus had been sitting, never started or attempted to start and both batteries were disconnected. My boyfriend finally had the time to do some investigation himself. He connected the batteries and tested the injector driver module that was installed by Dean's using the testing methods supplied by Ford themselves in a service bulletin. The module was faulty. The capacitors in this module were only storing about 3V when it takes upwards of 100V to fire the injectors on a powerstroke diesel engine. The case of the module was also covered in corrosion and, even to an untrained eye, looked like it was in rough shapeWe went back to Dean's demanding answers as to why they had sold us a defective IDM and not tested it post-install and they just kept saying that we would have to tow the bus back and pay another $80 diagnostic fee before they would MAYBE admit that they'd sold us faulty parts and try to fix it. We asked to speak with Dean himself and even though the counter guy went and told him and said he'd be out in a minute, he never came out in the 45 minutes we waited. It was almost as if he knew they'd done something wrong.We found yet another used injector driver module from a truck parts yard in Mollala, installed it, charged the batteries and without changing anything else the bus fired right up.It was evident that Dean's did not want to take responsibility for their errors, and that they didn't respond well to speaking with someone who knows how to fix cars and understands how they work. Their ideal customer is someone who knows nothing and believes that Dean's has their best interest at heart.Be warned, STAY AWAY!

  British Motor Care Office Person (Office Gal)
6 years ago
The people at Dean's are awesome! Great, fast service, know their stuff! Able to make an appointment and bring my Honda in easily and conveniently, and crazy cheap for a regular oil change. Highly recommend!

  K Johnson
2 years ago
Dean is great. Used to know him as a neighbor. Just got a VW and trust that when I need work done that he will be a great help -- though I may need to anticipate booking well in advance.

  Leila Bristow
7 years ago
Dean is the best damn mechanic in the world. I bring Old Blue here and he fixes her up every time. Ideal for consultations, pick n pull installations, some good time welding, etc etc. Bring donuts to share. Love the Dean team. :)

  Jonathan Czerwonka
4 years ago
Great communication throughout the process and quick work. They were willing to work with me on installing non-OEM upgraded suspension parts to eliminate an off center axle due to a previously installed lift kit on my Jeep. Will definitely be returning.

  Christopher Cox
6 years ago
Nice, Fast, and Reasonably Priced.I had previously taken my Westi to Precision Motor and while they seemed to do a good job they were slow and therefor very expensive. Dean is just as good, or better, and at least twice as fast. Highly recommended.

  Josh Strike
6 years ago
I was recommended here, made an appointment a week in advance, had a bunch of specific issues that I wanted to point out and get fixed. I said I wanted to be there when they put the car up. This car is a project of mine, I fix what I can at home. Getting it on a rack is difficult because there's a lot of soft metal. I want to see what's going on after driving it the last 1000 miles. They said come in the morning and I could wait until they put it up. I waited all morning, then when they pulled it into the bay the girl who works there said "I need you in the waiting room", and told me that for "insurance reasons" they couldn't let me in the bay. What did you think I was waiting around all day for? I want to look at my car with an expert and hear their opinion and see what the damage is. I said I'm not going to hover around while they're working on it, but I want to be there for the diagnosis and when they pressure test the radiator. I think I was super clear about what I wanted from the beginning. She said you can wait in the waiting room or take the car. I took the car.I want to be clear that the reason I want to watch a diagnosis isn't because I don't trust the mechanic, but because I want to know and see for myself what's going on and understand the issues with the vehicle.Seems like they have enough work, so I guess some people like them, but it's the wrong shop to go to if you have a hand in what's going on with your car or want to learn by watching. I've been to a dozen mechanics up and down the coast and I was never told I couldn't show them what I already know, or be there when they put it up. I suspect this shop maybe wanted me to pay for a flat rate general diagnosis in addition to the specific tests I was already asking for, which should have just run at an hourly rate. Most every other mechanic I've ever dealt with has just put the car up and checked it out with me, then we have a conversation about it, and then I pay for their time and parts. Or sometimes hand me a wrench and I'll work on it with them. If something needs to be done, I pay for that, and if it's something complicated I won't stand over their shoulder and distract them, but at least I want to see the problem and learn what's going on.

  Adam H
8 years ago
I came to Dean with an oil leak and misfiring issue. He diagnosed the problems (2 separate issues) and gave me a very reasonable estimate. Although the oil leak ended up being main seal related, he was honest and upfront about his evaluation and made amends when the initial repair did not correct the leak. Overall, I would highly recommend his shop.

  Ethan Maier
5 years ago
As much as I would like to rate this auto shop 5 starts, I can't. They charge hundreds of dollars for doing something that other shops do for free, or for a flat fee. So far, my partner and I have spent exactly $320 simply on diagnostics, and we are left without a single repair. In fact, after our last visit, the tech left electrical connections unplugged in our engine compartment and left the under-dash relay panel hanging by its wires. We will be taking our business to Wally's Halsey Auto down the street, which is a far more affordable, honest, and skilled shop. I don't mean to sound flippant, but Wally has more years experience working on Volkswagen diesels than the age of the tech we had a Dean's.The details of our story for anyone who wants them: We chose Dean's because they were close to our house and purported to specialize in Volkswagen diesels. So we brought in our '06 VW Jetta for a diagnostic of engine codes. This shop charges $80 for a diagnostic but we were told they needed to double the charge to $160 to diagnose our problem because we had "7 codes." We agreed to the diagnostic. When we came in to pick up the car, they said that actually there were only 2 codes but they still needed to charge us $165. We had been misled, and there was no way they were going to give us a fair price. Of course they had plenty of reasons but no responsibility was taken for why they had used the "7 codes" as the reason for charging us more. We left feeling played, as if we had gone to a dealership.Please save yourself heartache and a dealership-like experience, and bring your business to a more honest establishment like Wally's Halsey Automotive.Update 2/28/2019:I fixed the problem and got the car through DEQ. The underlying issue was not a short, as Dean's tech had told me for the price of $165. The actual issue was that the fuses in the under-hood fuse panel were installed incorrectly. Consulting the manual, I replaced and rearranged fuses to the correct amperages and this solved our problem. Error codes went away and the car is registered! We are now even more disappointed in the money we paid to Deans.

  Melissa Anderson
7 years ago
If you own a VW rabbit diesel this is the place to go. Dean the owner drives one. Very knowledgeable about other cars as well, reasonably prices, and won't try to sell you stuff you don't need. Trustworthy place to get your vehicle fixed at.

  David Brandt
4 years ago
Deans is a diamond in the rough. They always do their best to explain stuff. Staff is friendly and honest and they make sure you know what you're getting into BEFORE dropping a bomb during payment.

  Andrew Barney Barnick
3 years ago
I've been going to Dean's for almost a decade, theyve never done me wrong and always made time when I needed it most. You feel like family with this shop, which is why I send all my squad to get their work done at Dean's.