Short version:
Over…read morea seven year period, Martin missed one issue, the motor and transmission mounts.That was the only thing he missed in 7 years. He caught the rest, and he didn't break my car. He likes to repair cars. I can't say the rest for the Portland area. I hope the next one can finally finish the oil pan. Still have my Honda though. 125 K and not going anywhere.
I've meant to leave this review since I met Martin when he opened his shop outside of his home. He is now on Johnson Creek Blvd. I liked him, because he was polite, to the point, and didn't waste my money. Other mechanics shamed me for use of aftermarket, and he told me that was bs and to save for real repair, of which there are plenty. He was correct.
Over the years, I had many things done on my Honda. Beats buying a new car. I love my 1999 Honda Accord DX. He always fixed my car, and he never caused damage. I can't say that for other mechanics in Portland.
Unfortunately, the pandemic caused issues for me and for Martin. In October of 2020, I heard this odd noise in the car. He looked it over and did an oil change. Nothing was wrong. He looked again upon request and the lower ball joints were done along with the drive belts. Maintenance stuff. The noise persisted, and he really doesn't like replacing parts, and he's right about not replacing btw. After we talked, and I was sick and very panicked from the virus, he agreed that it could be the shocks/struts and would do that, and the timing belt, which was 11 years old. We sort of lost sight of that, but he did examine it regularly. I never had an issue.
I left but didn't want to have the work done there, because I felt like he didn't think it was the issue. I regret that moment of taking it to another place. They didn't hear it either and they damaged my car in a few ways when they did the timing belt, shocks, and struts. Martin ended up fixing their mess. The noise persisted, and he couldn't hear it.
I took it to another place, and they found the issue. It was the engine mounts and the transition mount. They installed high-quality, aftermarket, but also, damaged the car. It vibrated like mad, leaked coolant, and accelerator pedal was stuck. I went back to Martin, and he said there was no noise. He had the car a few times for days to try to hear it. He never did. The last time, I came in and he said he would do an inspection. I hadn't realized that meant full paid inspection. Had I known, I wouldn't have done it that day. He found a leak but didn't hear or feel the vibration, which was obvious to me. It was $50 to fix the leak. I said "no." I had been allowed to decide on repairs. I was at a point where I had spent over $3K and it was still shaking. My 22-year-old was not comfortable in the car she had loved. Then, Martin told me I'd have to pay him about $150 (not sure) for the check. I told him that I wasn't going to pay him, and he told me that was fine, that I could pick up the car, and not return. I actually am not judging. I wish I had allowed him to fix the leak and just waited. He would have heard the noise eventually. I think we both had issues at this time. A perfect storm situaion. Perhaps, Hondas of this age sound noisy a lot. I couldn't drive it due to my inner ear issues though. I took it to another place and it has been fixed. OEM Honda mounts and that was the issue from the beginning. I won't add to the story. There is more.
I will say that I wish I could go back and just wait until the noise became a little louder. I heard sliding of the engine and the thunk on start up, but I just needed to wait or record it. Hard to do. Martin is a very good mechanic, who doesn't waste your money. I don't know why he missed it this once, but I have known him since about 2013, and he's the only one I can recommend in Portland. That's true even if I am not able to be a client any longer. I don't blame myself, but I wish we could have worked it out. I would have loved to have him fix the car. He has a lot of talent. Just try to communicate clearly and keep track of your maintenance schedule (there are a lot of car types). If he says no, make sure to explain before you go elsewhere and be patient if you aren't scared. I was afraid in my car. The pandemic made it worse. A
As far as his work, it is typically 5-star. I wanted to explain why I rated the way I did even when I had issues the last time.
