Todd’s Automotive

Todd and his team are fantastic! They were so friendly and helpful during my temporary car crisis. They fixed my car super fast and gave me a loaner car while I waited. I would recommend them to anyone who is looking for an honest, hard working mechanic.

This is the best auto repair shop in Oregon. The owner’s service alone deserves 6 stars up against any general business reviewed on Unilocal.Here’s why:
I have been at the shop a few time over the last few years and dealt with Todd (the Owner) many many times. Here are just a couple of my experiences;
The first time I went the owner did a large amount of work on my Toyota for less than half of what I was quoted at the dealership. I was so impressed by his honesty and also that he was kind to the point that he didn’t take my bait to insult the other mechanic who had quoted me higher. He just simply did the work and gave me great advice. He also explained (correctly) what I did not need to fix yet, saving me more cash.
My second visit I was urgently trying to help my son who had week long interviews and a broken car. I brought his Subaru in with over heating that were beyond my a basic knowledge to fix. I don’t know what he did but he quickly fixed the issues for no charge in the parking lot. My son was so relieved and able to make it to his interviews on time. The problem did not reoccur at all. AND he got a job! ;)
My third visit today was due to a squealing belt and power steering failure. I had been putting this off for months due to fear of the cost and just dealing with the annoying noise and difficult steering. Well he just looked at it for about five minutes. He noticed it was just loose after all and tightened in on the spot. My car is now running great! Who does this? No B. S. Todd and his Mechanics are top notch, reliable, friendly and the price is beyond fair, and just the kind of service this world needs. He acknowledged that he was really busy with appointments about a week out. But instead of just turning me away he took the time to look and saved me money and time yet again. Who does this? I would be happy to pay double what they charge (please don’t tell them!) as the quality of customer service and expertise is extremely rare these days. Todd’s honesty, professionalism and skill is beyond what anyone expects walking into to a mechanic for the first time.
The real deal here! My wife and I couldn’t be happier. THANKS GUYS

So I had to spend a few days figuring out what I was going to write here because 1) I am sure Todd and his team are good people that got into this business to do some good and 2) I too am a business owner so I know how impactful a bad rating can be. However, I have to say I was supremely disappointed with the service I got from this place.
We were in a bit of a bind. Our starter went out and we needed to get it fixed fast. I’m sure Todd picked up on this. When I called initially we spoke about the symptoms that the car was experiencing. I let him know that I thought it was either the alternator or the starter. When I asked for a quote he wasn’t sure but said it could be a couple of hundred to 5 or 6 hundred but that he’d know more when he got the car. Fair enough.
Since the car wasn’t running I had to have it towed to Todd’s which thankfully wasn’t too far. Once Todd got a hold of the car I got a call nearly an hour later where he informed me the car needed a new starter. And because the stupid thing is behind the intake manifold the cost would be $ 680.
Now I’m going to give you some backstory to put all this into context. We just moved here from the SF Bay Area. We moved because it was over priced and over crowded. However, we had a great shop we took our car to. In fact, it was so amazing we ONLY bought Honda and Acura because it was what they specialized in. When you find a Mechanic you trust, you’ll do everything you can to keep them.
I called my old shop to ask them what they would typically charge me. Low and behold it was less than $ 500. So I decided to call around Lake Oswego to see what other shops would charge me. The lowest I got was $ 530.
I then called Todd back and asked if there was anything he could do about the cost. His response? A very condescending statement, «Oh so they diagnosed it for you too?»
This is where a relationship is defined. If you want to build trust, you do not do it by being a condescending prick. THIS is why I will never recommend this shop, nor will I ever do business with this shop ever again.
Sure the part wasn’t expensive. Todd felt the part should cost me over $ 200. While I found the same part for half that.
Todd, hopefully you are reading through these posts and trying to figure out what you can do to build a meaningful relationship with your customers. Because the ones that know how to do it, have customers for life. The ones that don’t will be replaced with people that do. I TRUELY hope you take this advice to heart. While I completely empathize that you are trying to run a business, there are better ways to do it than to gouge your customers with unnecessary costs. You may have gotten $ 600 out of me, but it’s the only amount you will ever get out of me. My money will go to a local shop that knows how to take care of people. Not just figure out how to make more money from them. BE GENUINE!

Edit and Update…
I went to Todd’s ONLY because of the sign on the ‘former’ location of Lake Oswego Transmission, referring us there. We had received EXPERT work in a timely manner that included custom heavy duty parts in a vintage Jeep, and all at a very favorable price at Lake Oswego Transmission, and wanted the same guys to work on our Corvette as had worked in our Jeep.
I was very disappointed that NO ONE COULD OR WOULD explain the history of what happened to Lake Oswego Transmissions when I specifically asked about how Todd’s was related to LO Trans.
The facts… Todd purchased Lake Oswego Transmissions from Ken in mid 2013… then later closed the location. Ken moved to new business location, Tigard Transmissions on Hwy 99. No one at Todd’s would tell me these simple facts, then they refused to work on my Corvette. because it had a leak, and they couldn’t get it on their lift!!! Imagine any professional mechanic not being able to get a road legal car on a standard lift! …Well gosh darn golly gee wiz… it was because of a small ATF leak, and the need for a scheduled filter service, that I was seeking professional mechanical help in the first place! …and my car has been up on standard lifts for many years! At that time, not knowing that Ken was now at Tigard Transmissions, I went to yet another specialist shop that I have done business with before, always happy, and they promptly repaired the ATF leak where the line enters the radiator, and did the filter and fluid service needed. …and they had no problem figuring out how to put a Corvette onto a lift.

Do not, I repeat do not for any reason take your vehicle to these scammer mechanics. They make their living over charging for shoddy service that folks who have more money than sense don’t mind paying.
They basically ruined my Subaru WRX when I had them replace the transmission. After they got done with it the car started leaking oil and they managed to damage the seal for the motor mount after I had just put a brand new engine in no less then 6 months prior. So not only did I waste 1700 $ on the parts and labor for the transmission (which by the way ended up having exactly the same issues as the one that they replaced) But also ended up having to sell the car basically for parts because I was looking at having to drop another 6000 $ in to the car for a new engine and to replace the transmission that started to slip gears and wouldn’t even go in to 3^rd gear after a few months. But when I tried to bring this up to Todd he basically stone walled me and refused to admit that they had anything to do with the fact that I brought them a car with some minor transmission problems and was returned a car which was leaking oil so bad I had to put a quart in once a week and within a few months the transmission was just as screwed up as the one they broke my ride trying unsuccessfully to replace. If you’re looking for a place to do your brakes and change your oil go for it. Anything else and you’re risking your car at the worse, and paying double what you should at other reputable mechanics at the very least. Todd’s sucks and I hope people wise up to the fact.

Unfortunately, I have to knock down my rating of Todd’s Import Automotive. I still say they are a quality, clean, and accurate shop, but my rating gets dropped because of a recent experience. Now I’ve recommended Todd’s to friends and family in the past, and recently my mom went in to have an oxygen sensor replaced. Normally, I do all the regular automotive maintenance/​repair work in our family, and I’m not professional, but I know my way around a vehicle. My mom had a check engine light pop on the dash of her Honda CR-​V, so I used my code reader, pulled the code, and it showed it was one of the oxygen sensors — an easy fix — I can get the part (Denso Air-​Fuel sensor part #234−9005) off Amazon right now for ~$ 115, and then it’s just a simple remove-​n-​replace, screw out and screw back in the new one type of fix, but I didn’t have the time at the moment to help my mom, so I sent her to Todd’s. She brought her car in (and this is a vehicle they’ve seen and worked on times before), and she walked out with the repair being done, but it was at a whopping $ 423 price (and that’s after a 10% coupon). Holy cow! that’s WAAAAY too much for that repair. When I looked at the invoice, they had charged a normal/​expected amount for labor ($ 67), but the part was foolishly expensive ($ 263. Seriously? I can buy the part right now at full retail anywhere from $ 115 to $ 175… but they charged $ 263?). On top of that they charged my mom nearly $ 110 to scan and assess the issue. Really? To pull a code? On a car that’s familiar that they’ve maintained before? Autozone will pull the code for free. I had already pulled the code… they just needed to do the repair.
In short, when I send my mom into a shop with a clear diagnosis and instructions to «replace the primary O2 sensor», a job that should be no more than $ 200, I don’t want to hear her tell me she walked out paying over double that because of extra unnecessary diagnostics or part pricing bloat. Not cool, and reason enough to find another shop.
I still say if you have a major problem with your vehicle, Todd’s is great about diagnostics and repair, and it is pricey, but you’ll get a quality job done. But I now have to say Todd’s isn’t a place for regular maintenance. There are way too many good shops out there doing excellent maintenance work to pay exorbitant prices for the same work.
Disappointed I have to downgrade their rating, but it is what it is.

I’m a repeat customer with my Toyota Sienna and Infiniti autos. Always friendly and great results. Really love how I can trust Todd and his team for sound advice, to keep my cars in top shape while keeping the cost to me as little as possible. Great quality — good price. Todd’s the place I go when I need a mechanic and will continue.

I was turned off by this business the last time I tried to take my Honda CRV in for service. We had previously gone in for an oil change and tire rotation and were pleased with the experience. However, this time around, the odometer was just over 30,000 miles.
For those who do not know, Hondas have a Maintenance Minder which lets the owner know when a certain service needs to be performed on the vehicle. Whatever opinion you may have on the Maintenance Minder, there is no doubt that it is a legitimate system, as advocated by the Honda company, Honda dealers, and many satisfied Honda owners across the globe.
What this means is that if you follow the Maintenance Minder, you generally do not need to do your typical 30K, 60K, etc. routine maintenance procedures. If you do, you will be duplicating services, or getting confused as to when you last had a service done.
Now, of course Todd tried to sell me the 30K maintenance package which he quoted at $ 450-​$ 500. OK, I get it. He has a difference in opinion in how my car should be maintained, and as a business owner, he certainly wants to make money. I have no problems with that.
The problem arose when I called him back to indicate I only wanted the scheduled maintenance per the Maintenance Minder which would have been just an oil change. You see, I had already replaced the rear differential fluid about six months back and expected at least another 10k miles before needing to change it again. I also had another eight months or so before I needed to change the brake fluid. At that time, I was also expecting to need to change the air filters. All of these things had been or will be scheduled accurately and adequately by the Maintenance Minder.
When I told this to Todd, he responded defensively, saying that the Honda company had done an amazing job at confusing their customers. He also told me that unless I was willing to go get all my fluids tested at a lab, I cannot be sure my vehicle will run well, if I only get the oil change at this time at his repair shop.
Sorry to say, but us Honda owners are not confused, and quite frankly, Todd was the first person who tried to confuse me regarding how to maintain my vehicle. I canceled my appointment with Todd, and took it to another independent mechanic, who respects my decision to go with the Maintenance Minder.
My biggest gripe with my interaction with Todd is that he made me feel very uncomfortable leaving my vehicle with him. The mechanic should not make their customers feel like their vehicle will not run well after leaving their shop, and that I would still need to take my fluids to labs, etc. The other mechanics that I trust all hear me out as to how I have been maintaining the vehicle, all agree and respect the way I do it, and make me feel very assured that they will look over what they feel needs to be looked at every time I take my vehicle in. That is good service. I did not feel like I got that from Todd and will not be going back nor recommending them to others.

Revived my Odyssey in 24 short hours.
Fixed ignition problem, changed all fluids, serviced rear brakes, and more. No delays, no excuses. Called several times to explain what needed to be done, why, and what my cost options were. This was the fastest, pain free experience I’ve ever had with any mechanic.
No I did shop this job around and cannot comment on Todd’s pricing. But I’ve found the low bid to be the slowww bid in the past, and would rather pay more to get my car back sooner

DO NOT go to Todd’s! He just puts on a smiley face to fake it and his price is 3 times more than everywhere else!!! They will rip you off every change they get.
example 1:
I just called Phil’s auto in Lake Oswego and Phil’s price is way better. Todd wants $ 586 to change my spark plugs which he said will cost $ 26 per plug! I called Phils and Phil quoted me $ 247 for the same job, and the plugs are $ 12 each like how much a sane person would charge you!
example 2:
They told me it would cost $ 100 to fix a problem of my car and then when I come to pick up my car I got charged $ 200 and the problem wasn’t even fixed! Then they said it was $ 100 to diagnose and then the other $ 100 is for a part they have to buy and they have to wait for the part to come to see if that will fix my problem. they never told me any of this when I dropped off my car so they just came up with different ways to get more money out of you by LYING!!!
example3:
They said it took them HOURS to diagnose my key fob not working, and then they couldn’t even find the problem but still charged me for labor? Guess what I did next? I went on a car forum and then found out the solution to reprogram key fob in no time, and the procedure requires only a few steps of locking/​unlocking doors, turning keys on and off, etc and within 20 SECONDS I reprogrammed my own key fob!!! for free!!! they are full of SHIT.
Do NOT go to Todd’s they are complete BS. Go to Phils auto next door.
I have quotes from both places to back up my review.
If you are reading this Todd Import, I have lived in Lake Oswego all my life and know most people in town. I will tell everyone not to go to fall for your scam. Everyone else reading please make sure to call Phil’s Auto in lake oswego. DO NOT GO TO TODD’s