Barker Muffler & Brake Service

Honest mechanics with great prices.
I initially went in for a muffler repair, choosing them because after calling around they had the best price and fastest turn around time.
While I was there, I witnessed them contact another customer whose car was there to get the catalytic converter replaced. They explained that his cat was fine and whoever had recommended that repair (a local dealership) was trying to get him to fix things on his car that weren’t broken, and most surprising of all they said they wouldn’t charge him anything, even for the inspection they did!
That is the kind of honesty that is so hard to find now days. They could have easily just done the job the customer requested and gotten money out of him and he would have been none the wiser. Instead they were honest, didn’t get his money, but they earned me as a customer for life.

These guys are the real deal. My 2000 Subaru Legacy with 185,000 miles had an exhaust leak and the brakes felt strange to me. They put it up on the rack, and showed me where there were two flanges in the exhaust system that had disintegrated. They re-​welded them BOTH for $ 80! (Subaru assembled these with short sections of exhaust pipe to make assembly easier, instead of using long pieces. These flanges (joints, really) fail ALL the time, giving your Subaru a PFF PFF sound.) This repair wouldn’t have even been ATTEMPTED by the Subaru dealer!
Next, they took my car out for a drive, made a little adjustment to the brakes and explained why they felt that way. Didn’t charge me anything for it, said the pads and fluid were OK, and to watch and see if the pedal ever went to the floor. How refreshing!
It’s hard to find a good shop that isn’t out to charge you at least $ 500 for SOMEthing.
Oh, they also showed me why my car «Clunks» when putting it in reverse, the rear differential mount bushings are shot. It’s a pretty big job and they didn’t try to get me to fix it there! They know when to do something and when to refer it out. Another rarity.

I am so beyond happy with the service that I received from this place. I had made a few calls prior to calling Jerry at Barker Muffler & Brake Service and was grateful for how respectful Jerry was. Other placed treated me less than as soon as they answered the phone and heard that I was of the female gender. Not Jerry, he was straight to the point and treated me kindly without demeaning me. I was able to drop my car off in the morning and they had it done by 2pm that same day. I highly recommend this place.

I needed a master cylinder replaced on my Honda and they charged $ 100-​$ 200 less than I was quoted at 2 other places. Done the same day, right by my house, very satisfied!

Can’t believe how nice and quick they were!
Called me for any updates and gave me the exact price with no surprises when I went to pick up my car. So happy I used them!

Great People. These gentlemen are polite, honest, and to the point. The work required changed after further evaluation of exhaust system. Even though more work was required to fix the car they honored the original quote. Job was completed in less than 30 minutes. I have a high level of respect for Jerry and crew. Highly recommended.

Brought in my 95 Probe for a complete exhaust system. I provided the system, but there was still some modifications and fabricating to be done to make it work perfect. Jerry had my car done in less than 5 hours. Price was very reasonable and the work done was of the highest quality. I will be returning with my other vehicles in the future. It is nice to be treated like a person, instead of a job.

Was looking for a shop to fix a minor exhaust leak, caused by a cracked weld, on my Subaru Forester.
Found Barker’s ad on Craigslist, which included an example of them saving a Subaru owner a couple thou$and by fixing an exhaust leak for small money as opposed to the Dealer’s solution which was to replace the entire dual-​catalytic exhaust system for ~$ 2200 (!).
I phoned and Jerry said to stop by for an estimate. They put the car on the lift. In my mind I was thinking over the details and hassle of having to make an appointment and then arranging transportation to and from.
But Jerry shocks me by saying — «Why don’t we fix it now; it’ll be $ 30»
I asked — «how much time do you need», to which he replies «Ten minutes».
I think it actually took half that time for them to re-​do the weld, fixing the leak, and replacing a muffler hanger. Start to finish, I probably wasn’t there 15 minutes. When does that ever happen???
GREAT SERVICE — Thank you!
I will definitely be going back for brake service.

In and out in 45 minutes. Basic work, just had had a new muffler installed! Sounds great now! If none the less stop by for your rig to get lifted and quoted.

In all my 113 reviews, I have only done one other review that is not a restaurant. But the experience warrants it. After putting up with a overly noisy exhaust for a couple of weeks, I decided to take action and based on the reviews I picked Barker’s on MLK.
I pulled in and walked into the shop and met Jerry (Owner) he said go ahead on pull up on this rack and I’ll take a look at no charge. Once it was on the rack he promptly found the culprit (cracked mid pipe).
He told me he would do $ 60.00 for the one side and I thought it is probably only a matter of time before the other side goes away too, so I had him do both for $ 120.00.
His professionalism and attitude will insure I will return with any future exhaust needs.
If you want a no hassle experience and a fair price look him up and you won’t be sorry.

I had such high hopes for this place. The owner seemed very nice when I brought my partner’s car in. It had been thumping around tight turns and maneuvers for a couple of months and we needed it fixed for an upcoming trip out of state. I dropped the car off and described the problem. He called me a couple of hours later and said he couldn’t replicate the problem. I told him that sometimes it only «acted up» when the car was warm, so we made a plan for me to come over, drive it around the neighborhood to warm it up and come back. After about five miles worth of donuts around my neighborhood, the problem appeared. I drove it quickly back to him and told him what I’d done to replicate the problem. He jumped in the car and I did a couple of donuts in his parking lot. Voila! He seemed to know EXACTLY what the problem was. He put the car up on the lift and showed us where there was some play in front carrier bearing.
We picked up the car up a couple of days before our trip, but about halfway to our destination, the thumping started again, this time accompanied with a smell I was not familiar with. We delayed our trip in Walla Walla to learn (from two different mechanics) that it was not at all the carrier b, but a center differential problem. And now, the work that DID get done apparently wasn’t sealed/​machined properly so was leaking transmission fluid when the car got warm.
We phoned the owner of Barker’s and explained the problem. He said «well, I fixed the problem of the car knocking at high speeds.» COME AGAIN? I thought maybe he had me confused with someone else, so I reminded him that I’d done donuts in the neighborhood and then in his parking lot. He replied, deadpan, «I fixed the problem that you told me about… of a knocking at high speeds. I took it out on the freeway and there was no knocking after the repairs.» I said «there was NEVER knocking at high speeds, so I don’t know why you would have to fix it. The repair was for a thumping at low speed in tight turns.» His reply: «What can I do to help you? I fixed the problem you asked me to fix… a knocking at high speeds.» Whoa! Am I losing my mind? Because this was never a problem and there was never ANY mention of high speeds or freeway problems AND my partner was my witness, I think not.
He refused to admit any responsibility or misunderstanding or misfiring of synapses. When my partner took the car back to at least get the seal leak fixed, he said he’d have to charge her for that too. Um, no. I’m not sure what’s going on here, but buyer beware. This guy may be losing his memory and, therefore, his ability to fix things properly. My biggest regret is not having asked for a written estimate that included a narrative of the problem. NEVER AGAIN.

Wonderful informative customer service and didn’t try to up sell. $ 30 and 10 minutes later I was good to go.

Went in the other day and got my catalytic converter replaced, they did a great job at a great price. The owner is honest, and more than fair. This shop CANNOT be beat in my opinion. Best shop in Portland!

Nothing better than a shop that’s been in business a long time, knows exactly what they’re doing, and charges a fair price. Replaced a tailpipe, and all the exhaust hangers on my ’90 Landcruiser in under two hours, for about half what I would have paid at Meineke or Midas, with better than factory parts. Stay away from the chains, shop local. These guys are old-​school craftsmen. They won’t try and sell you anything you don’t need, and they’ll do the job right. I recommend them highly.

These folks were great, friendly and fast. I called in and they said they could fix my muffler and exhaust that afternoon. I brought my car in at 3:30 and it was fixed and ready by 4:10. Good price too.

These guys were great – they replaced my muffler, tailpipe, a large section of pipe for my exhaust system, and replaced a tail light all for $ 180. I had my car shipped from the Midwest to Portland and my old rusty exhaust system suffered some damage during transport: my tailpipe fell off and a section of the exhaust pipe disconnected from a small muffler in the middle of the system. They put the car up on a riser with me there and we all looked at the damage which included a few places with obvious severe rust. They could have found all sorts of unnecessary work like replacing the unnecessary middle muffler, but instead did an inexpensive but quality repair for my cheap car. They’re my first choice for brake and muffler repair in Portland and I can’t recommend them highly enough.

FANTASTIC. I was given an estimate by another place that said I needed new rotors ($ 300) and a new muffler ($ 300). I brought my vehicle by Barker after seeing the great reviews on this site. I spoke to Jerry who was super helpful and nice. Jerry looked at my car (1999 CRV) for 5 min once it was on the lift and told me my rotors are fine but I do need a muffler. An hour later my car was fixed and the new muffler was only $ 120 total. Great local shop! Support them!

Just brought in my 2000 Toyota LandCruiser to have a cracked exhaust manifold repaired. Jerry diagnosed it, quoted me a fair price and completed the work on time and just as promised. Price quoted was very reasonable. Good honest, hard working shop that deserves our local support. Strongly recommend them and am spreading the good word!

This place won me over instantly. Fair prices, quick work, and honest service. I went in for a full brake job and not only were they cheaper, but just completely no-b.s. Other shops wanted to charge me more for just two wheels than Barker charged for four and were trying to sell me new rotors. The guys here said my rotors were fine, and while they mentioned a premium job that included machining the rotors, there was NO hard sell.
This is what local business is all about. Nice, honest people who know their craft. I will most definitely patronize this business again.

I took in a broken exhaust manifold from a 1960 AMC Rambler with a 196 OHV engine. I didn’t expect him to be able to fix it due to two other exhaust shops telling me it wasn’t repairable. Luckily the owner of this shop is an old timer, and laughed at the fact other people wouldn’t touch it. He almost immediately got to work on it, and I had it back in less than 2 hours.
This place is amazing compared to other exhaust shops. Fast service, and the ability to do jobs other shops just turn down. The piece works like new now, and I wont be going to any other exhaust shop in Portland after this.