Hookset Automotive & Tires

"Great repair shop. We recently started going there after switching from another diesel mechanic and we feel that we are treated much more fairly and honestly here. Highly recommended."

"BEWARE: Predatory scammer! This mechanic is dishonest and aggressive. I brought several trucks to him for pre-sale inspections (paying $150 each time) and he assured me a '99 Dodge RAM2500 was a good buy with "no red flags." He quoted me $3400 to get it in good shape for a long trip I had coming up, with some of those items seeming unnecessary, that I didn't end up requesting (Interior detailing, error codes most likely due to an old battery). The major work needed according to Hookset was the power steering pump and gearbox, and the front knuckle U-joints, which should have come out to around $2000. I bought the truck for $8500 from a used car dealership and brought it to his shop. The first red flag was when Hookset changed their quote for the suspension work after I had brought them the truck, revising it upwards by more than $2000. They charged me $4200 for the work they did. I still figured that sometimes happens with unexpected issues during repairs. When I got the truck back, however, it became clear that something was seriously off. The truck went in without any dash lights or noticeable fluid leaks, and they gave it back to me with the ABS and Brake lights on, the Check Engine light on, and a bad leak in the front. Second red flag. At this point I started feeling suspicious and took the truck to another mechanic for a second opinion. He immediately assured me that it was power steering fluid leaking from the recently replaced power steering components. Trying to get my warranty honored, I brought the truck back to Hookset, where they did another inspection and called me, insisting this leak was motor oil from the vacuum pump (never mentioned as an issue before), and told me they would now need to replace the vacuum pump to fix it (and wanted a bunch more money for that). I told J.C. at Hookset that it seemed the power steering was leaking after having just been replaced, hoping this would be covered by his warranty. He immediately became enraged, telling me that I was accusing him of dishonesty, that I should pick up my truck and take it to the other mechanic, and hanging up the phone. So, I went and picked up my truck and brought it to a third mechanic, Rob's Automotive in Clackamas, who are a larger, very professional shop. I was worried about the fluid leak being misdiagnosed, but when they looked at the truck, they told me that it needed critical suspension work and was unsafe to drive. They quoted me $10,000 for the work it needed just to be safe, confirmed that the fluid leak was indeed coming from the power steering gear box (that Hookset had just installed), and mentioned that Hookset had badly installed suspension brackets. Additionally, and most damningly in my opinion, they assured me that no mechanic could have missed the badly installed lift kit (the source of the critical suspension issues- bolts missing, parts installed wrong, unsafe to drive) in a pre-sale inspection. They recommended I sell the truck as it wasn't worth it. So to sum up: -Hookset did a pre-sale inspection and told me to buy a truck that had $10k worth of critical suspension issues, and failed to identify or mention them -When they did work on the truck, they messed up front brackets, doubled their quote halfway through the work, set off several dash lights without explanation, and installed a faulty part (power steering gearbox) that started leaking -They misidentified the leak as motor oil, and refused to reconsider despite several other mechanics disagreeing with their diagnosis. They also cut off dialog in an aggressive manner DO NOT GO HERE."

"Had new front brakes installed on my 1996 Volvo 850, plus some engine work totalling $2400. I returned within 2 weeks per their Brake Warranty policy for inspection to lock-in said warranty, plus do some other work on the car. Everything felt great; car was running smoothly and the new brakes are stopping perfectly, so I'm feeling very good about my second interaction and highest financial interaction with Hookset, to date. Five months later the front brakes start making a metal friction noise, their squeaking, so I call, explain what I'm hearing and then hear her voice telling me that - and I quote, "because I hadn't specifically asked that they check my brakes for the warranty inspection, the warranty was void". I'd been introduced to the husband & wife owners of Hookset as friends of, and good people, by people that I loved and trusted, so I was stunned by this owners response. And how had she had this response so ready to go, like it was locked and loaded, just waiting to roll off her tongue. I've been recovering from a car accident with a brain injury that had happened before I met Hookset, and chose to trust them with the car that saved my life, so it’s taken me several months to decide how I was going to handle this situation. My husband and I bought our home here in Parkrose 23 years ago. I lost him to cancer, but I'm not going anywhere. They would have had a customer for life. Jane Leach Has anyone else had a "Far less than Hoped" or "Unsatisfactory" interaction with Hookset that they'd like to include in the complaint I'm filing with the Attorney General for the State of Oregon as part of their Fair Business Practices in Oregon department ? You can DM me at Jane Leach on Nextdoor."

"I've been with Hookset for over 15 years now. They are as good as it gets. I try to keep my vehicles in top condition since I do a lot in the back country and don't want to get stranded (which hasn't happened yet). I know they have completely redone 3 vehicles, at around the 70,000 to 100,000 mile mark on each. I like to get at least 150,000 out of my cars, and have some that I plan to keep for at least 250,000 miles. Additionally, they've helped with the basic maintenance items many times (whenever I don't do that myself). If it's a maintenance part on a car, such as brakes, hoses, gaskets, alignment, cv boots, tie rods, u joints, suspension / shocks / struts, tires, timing belt, check engine lights, they can repair and maintain it. I'm confident in their honest service, and that they will do a good job on your vehicle too."

"Avoid this garage like the plague. They destroyed my wheel lock key, then said "they just wear out sometimes". I posted pictures of what they did to it. Funny, they got my front wheels off just fine, then it broke. And the lock on my right rear wheel was destroyed. Then, they wouldn't stop with the fear mongering. Telling me I would die, and whomever I hit would die as well. I heard the same spiel given to other customers as well. When I asked them to simply do the work I requested, they refused. The guy said "I won't do a subpar job and let you kill someone". Stay away. Go somewhere reputable."