Beaverton Car Owner’s Guide

We’ve been fixing cars in Beaverton since 1995, and a lot of what people ask us isn’t about repairs at all. Who do you call when you break down on 217? How do you find a mechanic you can trust? What should be in your phone before you need it? This guide is where we put our answers.

For more plain-English car advice, read our blog.

No one pays to be listed in this guide. When we name a local business, it’s one we’ve worked with and trust with our own customers’ cars.

What Do Our Local Guides Cover?

They cover towing and roadside help, registering an out-of-state car, DEQ testing, detailing and tint, auto glass, collision repair, winter driving, and finding a mechanic you can trust.

• Towing & Roadside Help in Beaverton: what to do when you break down, the tow companies we trust, when to ask for a flatbed, and how to avoid getting burned.
• How to Register an Out-of-State Car in Oregon: one DEQ stop in Sherwood or Hillsboro for the emissions test and VIN inspection, then DMV.
• DEQ Emissions Testing Near Beaverton: the stations closest to Beaverton, how to check the line before you go, and what to do if your car doesn’t pass.
• Car Detailing, Tint, Dent Repair & Car Audio in Beaverton: the detailers, tint shop, dent repair shop and car stereo shop we trust, plus Oregon’s window tint limits.
• Windshield & Auto Glass in Beaverton: the glass shop we trust, when a rock chip can be repaired, and why a new windshield may need a camera recalibration.
• Collision Repair in Beaverton: the body shop we trust, what Oregon requires after a crash, when to file a DMV report, and your right to choose your repair shop.
• Winter Driving in Beaverton: Oregon’s studded-tire dates, when chains are required, icy spots on 26 and 217, TripCheck, and a winter car checklist.
• Buying a Used Car in Beaverton: Oregon title and DEQ steps, a VIN recall check, how to test-drive and check a used clutch, red flags, and when to get an inspection.
• The Most Common Car Repairs in Beaverton: what a year of our repair orders shows, with warning signs for each.
• How to Find a Trustworthy Mechanic in Beaverton: what to look for, what to ask, and the red flags to walk away from.

We add new guides as questions come up. If there’s something you’d like us to cover, give us a call.

Which Numbers and Links Should You Keep in Your Phone?

Save these before you need them: emergency and roadside numbers, road conditions, DMV, DEQ and recall links, and city and county contacts. The government links below go straight to the official sites.

Numbers to call

• 911 if you’re blocking a lane or anyone is hurt.
• Our roadside assistance line. Any MotorCar Doctors service of $25 or more covers your vehicle for a full year of roadside assistance, up to two incidents at up to $75 each. Call 866-588-0728, 24/7. How our roadside assistance works.
• Our shop: 503-626-4810. For a new noise, a warning light, or a question about whether something can wait.

Road conditions

• ODOT TripCheck for live road cameras, closures, and conditions. Worth a look before any winter drive over the West Hills or out to the coast.
• 511. Dial 511 to hear the same Oregon road and travel conditions by phone. If your carrier doesn’t support 511, call 800-977-6368. More on TripCheck 511.

DMV, DEQ and recalls

• Oregon DMV offices. Find hours and locations with the DMV office finder, or go straight to the Beaverton office.
• DMV2U. DMV’s online service for renewing your registration, making an appointment, changing your address and more. How to use DMV2U.
• DEQ Clean Air Stations. Where to get your emissions test, with station locations and hours and DEQ’s live wait-line cameras so you can check the line before you go.
• NHTSA recall lookup. Check your car for open safety recalls with your VIN or license plate. If there is one, a dealership fixes it for free.

City and county

• City of Beaverton for city services, news, meetings and events.
• Washington County for county services, including road service requests and permits.

Who Writes This Guide, and How Are Businesses Chosen?

Who’s behind it. Jeff Nootenboom, owner of MotorCar Doctors, has worked in auto repair since 1989. He decides what goes into these guides, picks every business we recommend, and reviews each page before it’s published. His name is on every guide as its reviewer.

How a business gets listed. Jeff recommends it himself, as a business he’d send his own family to. We then check the name, address, phone number and website on the business’s own site. No one pays to be listed, and no one has to link back to us or return the favor.

How often we check. We review each guide about every three months: are the businesses still open, do the phone numbers and websites still work, have any fees, hours or rules changed? The “Last updated” date at the top of each guide tells you when that review last happened, and we only change it when we’ve actually reviewed the page. If a business closes or we stop recommending it, we take it off.

Suggestions and corrections. Know a business we should look at, or spot something that’s out of date or wrong? Call us at 503-626-4810. We’ll take a look at every one.

A plain disclosure. MotorCar Doctors is an auto repair shop. Whenever a guide mentions one of our own services, it says so plainly, so you can always tell our advice from our services.

Who Is MotorCar Doctors?

We’re an independent auto repair shop on Canyon Road, trusted by Beaverton drivers since 1995. Our digital vehicle inspection comes with photos and notes, so you see exactly what we see before you approve anything.

MotorCar Doctors Auto Repair, 13203 SW Canyon Rd, Ste C, Beaverton, Oregon 97005 · 503-626-4810