Port Hope Auto Service

Port Hope Auto is our neighbourhood garage, and I have been using it since the current owner took over the business several years ago. We have older vehicles that are well beyond warranty, so I switched from using dealerships to save money. I have always felt that I have been treated fairly, and that the owner is careful to explain my options. For example, when the heating/AC to the rear seats of my vehicle failed, he presented me with the expensive option of fixing a part that would likely corrode and fail again due to a manufacturing design flaw, or capping the line for a very small fee, and seeing if I could live with no direct heat/AC going to the back of the vehicle. I am a very satisfied customer, and have friends who have been well served too. He is busy, but the estimates of completion time have been accurate and turnaround time is always reasonable (largely because he works very long hours to try to keep customers happy). I feel prices are very fair for work done, and that the owner is very knowledgeable.

HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE I would give no stars if I could. I bought an older car, with an understanding that they run into issues, but this Jetta would be reliable and get me to where I needed to go! Less than three months into owning the car I began to have major issues starting the car. I brought the car back to him as he said he would help if I ran into any problems. He told me the issue was the starter, and then proceeded to charge me $500 to replace it. When I went to pick up the car I was told there was slight fly wheel damage and that the car should be fine. Less than a week later the car was making the same noise, and when I brought it back I was told that the whole transmission had to be removed and a torque converter had to be replaced. I was quoted $1250 to replace not only the starter again, but another part that was misdiagnosed and looked over, which should have been replaced to begin with. When I brought it to a new shop with better service, I was told I had to replace the starter again (as I learned he had been starting the car and moving it around knowing that it had limited starts left and that something was wrong with the ignition) I called asking to use my warranty and get my money back (not even asking for the labour to be reimbursed) and was refused. I think his man should have to own up to his mistakes and refund me for the poor service I was provided. I would NOT recommend this man, as it seems to me he was just trying to get as much money out of a struggling university student as he could.

I was shocked the other day when I looked up the number for Port Hope Auto services and saw the number of negative reviews. We have been bringing our older vehicles to Hung and his family since they opened and we have had nothing but positive experiences. It is a comfort to have a local mechanic you can trust. We have recommended him to many friends who have also been very pleased with the service and work done on their vehicles. Hung has always been very thorough and has explained our options for repairs and the costs involved. He has been more than fair and honest with his charges for labour and parts.

I think the owner means well but just isn’t very capable. It’s probably difficult to know how various vehicles work. I had my Lexus in for service as it was over-heating on the highway and I had to stop here. He replaced the water pump and fan belt. But we soon noticed a strange noise later the next day. I then took my car to my regular mechanic in Toronto and found out that the shop owner in Port Hope had threaded the belt incorrectly! By now it was completely shredded and had to be replaced at a cost of nearly $200 for the belt and labour. I’m not looking for any compensation since a warranty would have required me to go back which I obviously couldn’t do. And I wouldn’t have trusted their workmanship anyway. Just be warned.

Hung is an amazing mechanic. If there's a cheaper way to fix something safely and with the same results, he'll tell you and be honest. Very professional and honestly priced. Highly recommend to anyone in the area. I service both my cars here!

Hung is a pro and knows his stuff. I had him do a scheduled A service on my 2016 MB CLA as well replacing my side mirror and could not be happier with both his professionalism and fair pricing. I plan to go back for my B7 service soon. I highly recommend him.

Summer 2020 update: Only two out of five stars. Here's the story (and first with the good): In the summer of 2017 the clutch went out in my 2001 PT Cruiser. The car was towed to his shop which is just down the street from me and he took it in for service within the day (and at the time Hung's shop wasn't as busy as it is today). Hung confirmed that the clutch needed to be replaced and he reported that there was another noise issue with the transmission - bad bearings. Hung recommended that the transmission be replaced with a good salvaged one from one of his trusted suppliers. I was well aware of the noise in the transmission and since I had it repaired elsewhere several times over the years, I was pleased to finally replace it once and for all. Hung also referenced a Chrysler TSB that required the factory transmission oil be replaced with the newer ATF+4 as the factory oil was not compatible with the bearings in the transmission. I very well knew that this was the issue with the bearings but the TSB confirmed my suspicion. This was all good service on Hung's part - kudos! Three days later, the car was running again and ready for pickup. The replacement transmission worked better than the original! Hung's shop also fixed a small leak in one of my tires, presumably at no extra charge. As of writing the PT is still on the road nearly 20 years old with 205,000 kms. Now the not so good: Hung's shop did not replace the two axle oil seals and I queried him about that. One was leaking. Since this is a relatively easy job, rather than raise an issue with the shop and tie up the car again so soon after this big repair bill, I replaced the seal myself since I was otherwise very happy with how the salvaged transmission performed. When replacing a transmission or clutch on older vehicles with high mileage, it is good practice to replace the rear main oil seal *even if it is not leaking*. Well, two months after I picked up the car, I noticed this new leak and confirmed that it was the rear main seal (and not from the axle seal). I think that as added service *value* Hung's shop should have replaced this part as it is only a $10 item requiring maybe 20 minutes of labour and is real easy to do when the engine is already separated from the transmission. He could have just asked and I would have totally concurred. I now have a small leak leaving stains on the garage floor like a tombstone reminder of what *should* have been done in this service event. Hoping that Hung will read this review and let it serve as a LESSONS LEARNED: customers appreciate added value in service! There's more to costs and timing. The saga continues: In the summer of 2020 I brought in a 2005 Honda Element to get a mechanical Safety Certificate. Standard cost for this is $120. Hung explained that the qualifications have changed over the years and the process is more comprehensive; many shops won't do this service. After completing the inspection, Hung recommended over $1000 in repairs and if I didn't get his shop to do the work, I would need to pay another $120 for a re-inspection. I asked for a quote for all this work and Hung said that I would have to wait a week for this. I decided I needed a second opinion so I went to another shop and all they recommended was to replace the two front calipers. I did the labour myself and the total cost was $200. The car is now fully licensed and certified. It appears that Hung took this as an opportunity for a "cash-grab". While it is up to the professional opinion of the licensed mechanic to decide on what needs to be done, the safety standards do not require the car to be "perfect" and this was an example of excessiveness. It is truly unfortunate that an independent shop in a small community such as Port Hope would wantonly perpetuate this negative business model. Sorry, it's on Social Media now and everyone else can read up on it and make their own decisions. I know that other reviewers have positive experiences, I just cant say the same.

1 star is too much for this place.. it should be minus 10 .. horrible experience and so unprofessional .. I took my bmw to fix rough idle problem.. he said that I need to change the 6 ignition coils and spark plugs and the cost for only the parts is about 1300 .. so I told him I will get you the parts.. which i got them for about 700$ .. and then he replaced them and said the car is so smooth and the problem solved.. but the moment I touched the wheel I told him nothing has changed and the rough idle still exists so he said it's normal .. I didn't argue and after 5 minutes the engine light comes on again .. so I took the car back to him .. and he seemed confused and said it need more diagnosis and i asked him am i paying again because i already paid 250 for diagnosis and 200 for labouring for installing the coils and the plugs so he said yes you are paying for my hours (even though he said before that the full diagnosis cost and detecting the problem is 250 and that he will find the problem.. which he did not) .. anyway, i detected the problem but It needed special tools that he claimed that he has them so I went to book an appointment ,and when we were talking I just wanted to make sure that he has the tools ( because other places said on the phone that they have the tools but when I went to their shops they said that they don't ) so I asked him if he has the tools so he started yelling and telling me that he has busy business and has too many costumers and he doesn't need any more costumers and to not come back... Never seen customer service like that charged too much , didn't do the job .. and unprofessional.. maybe people who do simple stuff like change oil wouldn't agree with me..but that unfortunately what happend