Clays Auto Service

I came here because it was close since my window was stuck down after filling up with gas, what I didn’t know is that I would be totally taken advantage of by this place. Another words, I was screwed due to the rain and a window stuck in the down position, and I got really screwed with the price they charged me to repair the window switch. A $ 50 part, and what would have taken 15 minutes to replace, I was first quoted $ 314 (choke, choke, choke), then when they called to let me know it was done two and a half hours later the price was dropped to $ 277 (cough, cough) due to some «rebates I used for parts». Then 20 minutes later when I went in the price dropped once more to $ 267, still $ 100 more than I should have paid a professional garage to repair. They also did a reset on the computer because the check engine light was on for a transmission code. I inquired if the car could pass inspection with the light on, I was told no, they asked if there were any indications of problems with the transmission, I told them no, and they said they could do a reset but the light might come back on. Worth a try right? Well, now my car cannot even be tested because the computer after driving more than 200 miles over a period of 4 days, then they try to say there must be something wrong with it. I told them I was not willing to pay them another $ 300 to find out. Not impressed!

I heard about Clay’s Auto from a friend who was just raving at how lucky she was to have finally found a reliable auto shop.
From the moment I called to schedule an appointment, to the diagnosis test drive, to the repair and report on our company’s work van, we had consistently received great customer service. We needed the van back right away (next day) to complete a project and they worked quickly to get it back to us as soon as possible. They reported what parts were in bad condition, replaced it at a fair price, and let us know that if the check engine light turned back on, to bring it back again. The van sounds great and is driving much better.
Overall a great experience. The owner, Clay, was the one who conducted the test drive and he was knowledgable and very easy to talk to. I will always have respect for an owner who contributes this kind of time and dedication to his own company.

I recently went here because my check engine light came on. Prior, I took the car to Autozone to have the code read and realized the throttle body needed cleaning. I didn’t want to bother with cleaning it myself although there are plenty of YouTube videos on how to. On the recommendation of a friend, I brought my car here because I was told the prices were fair. They charged my $ 135 to diagnose my issue. (Please note, most dealerships only charge $ 75 to diagnose) Even worse, they reached the same conclusion… dirty throttle body. To clean the throttle body, once again something I could’ve done myself, they charged $ 129. I was okay with paying this amount for the convenience of not doing myself.
I needed a tire patch, and they charged a reasonable $ 20 for this. I also asked for my license plates to be mounted. Without my consent, they charged me $ 19. Once again another rip-​off. I could’ve done this myself or taken it to any dealership and had it done for free. On top of this, they tried to charge me $ 17 to replace the license plate bulb. I politely declined. The bulbs are $ 3 and I know how to use a screw driver.
The people are nice, and they offer free shuttle. But unfortunately it was way overpriced for the amount of work I had done. For this reason, I will never return here for service of a vehicle.

They are thieves. This people will charge you for doing nothing. So get anything done with them. In my car I did not need to replace anything it was just something minor fix and I got a quote for $ 700. I went another place and they did not even charge me to fix my car ‘s minor problem so they are really waiting to steal your money. There are many place to repair you car people don’t go here.
PS: just for a quote I was charged $ 75.

3 times more expensive than any other place — to the tune of ~ $ 300 more total.
Parts were $ 200 more by itself — they said they used OEM parts, and after they could not produce receipts — I looked all over the interwebs and could not find any OEM parts that were comparably priced (it was all ~$ 200 cheaper!). I suppose they use a extremely expensive supplier!
I was not paying attention because of a hectic schedule and so I was paid. It happens I suppose — their work is great though and they are nice folks but extremely expensive (at least for me).
They also had extra charges when I went to pay the bill and pick up the car, but then adjusted them when I pointed it out. I suppose it happens to the best of us!
Anyway, what could have been a $ 180 repair ended up being $ 532 … at least its fixed

I am not a knowledgeable «car person.» I need to be able to trust my mechanic because I don’t know any better about servicing on my own. I’ve taken my mid-‘90s Honda Civic into Clay’s a few times. The first, over a year ago, was for routine work, and they provided me with a helpful list of things I might want to consider looking at soon, including my brake pads, which were down to 5%, they said.
The second time, I went in because the window motors in both doors were failing, with the driver side being a bit worse than the passenger. I paid either $ 500 or $ 700 some weeks ago to get the driver’s side motor replaced, which allegedly entailed taking the door apart and a fair bit of labor. They also replaced my radiator hoses, which were cracked and leaking. This resulted in the car overheating, of course.
Most recently, I went in a couple weeks ago. Again, the car was overheating, and it was so soon since the last service that I wondered if they’d flubbed the job somehow. But no, they said. I’d developed a cracked head gasket — a significant repair that would total over $ 1,700 in parts and labor. I didn’t have $ 1,700, and, nervous as could be, I got the car home and parked it in front.
A few days ago, a friend of a friend looked at the Civic. He worked for a prominent Honda dealership for 17 years. He listened to my descriptions, had me turn the car on for a couple of minutes, read over Clay’s estimate, and scratched his head. «This doesn’t make any sense,» he said. «If you had a cracked head gasket, you’d be seeing white smoke come out the back. And the reason why you’re overheating is this.» He pointed to my radiator, from which he’d removed the cap. The radiator was dry as a bone.
He said that it’s common to need to «burp» cars after the last sort of service I’d done. Most likely, there had been an air bubble in the system. When the bubble popped, fluid drained down to fill the gap, emptying the radiator. We poured some water in, and I proceeded to drive the car around with ZERO PROBLEMS for the next two weeks. The temp gauge never even gets to half-​way.
«Oh,» he added. «And you don’t need a new window motor. See here how the old rubber seals are pinching the window when it goes up and down. I’ll spray a little silicone on that, and it’ll be just fine. No charge.» He was right.
And those brakes that were at 5% a year ago? I haven’t heard a so much as a squeak, and I’ve never touched them.
Now, I can’t verify that there wasn’t a bona fide problem in the driver’s side window motor, but given the coincidental timing and everything else, I am HIGHLY skeptical. It is impossible for me not to think that Clay’s is either grossly incompetent or engaging in some of the worst bilking I’ve ever seen from a local company. Either way, it goes without saying that I will never, ever take a car to them again.
Note: I added one star back because the place is clean, the staff has always been polite to me, and I really, really hate saying anything bad about a business that is dog-​friendly.

Instead of bilking me for thousands they just told me when it was time to let my car go. Their cash back program is awesome and while I wish it stacked with their other offers, it’s nice to get any off to begin with. The staff is super friendly and will work with you to get your car in and out asap.

These guys take the cake for my worst auto shop experience. They are quite talented at finding new ways to rack-​up a service bill. My bill was mostly replacing non-​OEM parts, a nice hefty $ 200 «tune-​up» charge, and a massive repair «coolant leak» recommendation that wasn’t even necessary after checking it out with two other area mechanics. Stay away.

I had a bad experience with Clays Auto Service, Hillsboro. I took my wife’s ’94 Nissan Altima couple of weeks ago. I picked this place because they have Intel discount. They charged me $ 200 just for diagnosis, even after that they weren’t sure what the problem was. I had to take to a different mechanic to get it fixed.

These guys should be ashamed of themselves. My check engine light was on. Took my car in and they wanted $ 450 to replace the mass air flow sensor. Most of that was for labor because they said it was in «a hard to reach location.» This was total bs. The sensor is right on top near the air filter and easily accessible and replaced by removing 2 screws. Went to the auto parts shop and bought the part for $ 100 and put it in myself. Took 10 minutes. It’s places like this which take advantage of people who might not know better that give mechanics a bad name.

Get Quotes before you let them fix your Car. They quoted us $ 448 to repair a power steering return hose. We ended up towing it from them 2.5 miles to the car dealership and had it fixed for $ 230.
Clay’s Auto Service not was almost doubling out cost but they were not going to have our car back until Monday evening or Tuesday. We dropped the car off on Thursday. They are closed on the weekends (the dealer service is open). After pulling our car from Clay’s. Our car was fixed and back in our hands less then 24 hours from dropping it off.
Clay’s IS THE WORST!!!

These guys charge for an estimate. The first time I went in they charged me $ 60 to diagnose a coolant leak. I was ok with it and ended up letting them fix my vehicle as they were nice enough to shuttle me to work. The next time I went in they wanted $ 120 for an estimate and this was for a ticking sound coming from one of my tires. This fee doesn’t apply towards the labor — it is separate. And was excessive. When I confronted them with the previous fee and asked why the difference, they had nothing to say. Both times I felt like I was getting screwed, but at least with the latter I was smart enough to walk away. Don’t take your car here — these guys are lame.