Car Detailing, Tint, Dent Repair & Car Audio in Beaverton

A good detail can make a tired car feel new again, and that door ding you can’t stop looking at is often a same-day fix. We’ve been working on cars in Beaverton since 1995, and people ask us all the time who we’d trust with the rest of the car: the paint, the interior, the windows, the dents. Here are the detailers, the tint shop and the dent repair shop we recommend, plus what’s worth knowing before you book.

No one pays to be listed on this page. Jeff has used both detailers himself, we’ve had good luck with the tint shop, and the dent repair shop is our neighbor on Canyon Road.

Which Car Detailers Do We Trust?

Why these two? In Jeff’s words: “I’ve used both of these detail shops, and they’re quality and affordable.”

• Attention 2 Detail: Mobile detailing. They come to your home or office in Beaverton and around the Portland area, or you can drop your car at their Beaverton or Hillsboro location. Interior and exterior detailing, machine polishing to take out light scratches and swirl marks, ceramic coating, overspray removal and headlight restoration. For mobile service they need room to open the doors, water and power within 75 feet, and the car off the street. Book online or call, Monday to Friday, 8 to 5. Phone: 503-515-6578 | Website
• Shiny Impressions Auto Detail: Lake Oswego, at 17717 Lower Boones Ferry Rd. A shop rather than a mobile service, by appointment: drop the car off at 8:30 in the morning and pick it up the same afternoon. Complete interior and exterior details, paint correction, ceramic coatings, headlight restoration, and pet hair and odor removal, with starting prices posted on their website. Open Monday to Friday, 8:30 to 4. Phone: 503-697-0894 | Website

Where Can You Get Dents and Scratches Fixed in Beaverton?

Right next door to us. Jeff: “They’re our neighbors, and they do great work.”

• Sameday Auto Scratch & Dent Repair: Right next door to our shop on Canyon Road. Paintless dent repair, bumper scuffs, paint scratches, curb-rashed alloy wheels and interior leather damage, usually finished the same day. Start by sending photos for an estimate. Open Monday to Friday, 8 to 5, with estimates from 9 to 4. Phone: 503-352-3881 | Website

What Can Paintless Dent Repair Fix?

Paintless dent repair, or PDR, works the dent out from behind the panel with long, specialized tools. There’s no filler and no new paint, so your factory finish stays original, which helps when it’s time to sell. Whether a dent qualifies depends less on its size than on a few other things:

• The paint. If the paint is cracked, the spot needs paint repair too, not PDR alone.
• The metal. A dent can be several inches across, sometimes much larger, as long as the metal isn’t badly stretched.
• Depth, location and sharpness. These matter more than the overall size. A sharp crease is harder than a round, shallow ding.

Steel and aluminum panels can both be repaired this way. When the paint is damaged as well, Sameday pairs the dent work with a small, color-matched paint repair. The fastest way to find out what your dent needs is to send photos: a close-up, a wider shot and a couple of different angles. If the car was in a real collision, our collision repair guide covers body shops, insurance and estimates. If it isn’t safe to drive, start with our towing and roadside guide.

What Is Ceramic Coating, and What Can’t It Do?

A ceramic coating is a liquid polymer a detailer applies to the paint, and often to the wheels, trim and glass. It cures into a hard, slick layer that makes water bead up and roll off, keeps dirt from sticking, and helps protect the paint from oxidation. Both detailers on this page offer it, and they quote lifespans of a few years with proper care. Before you pay for one:

• Expect the paint to be looked at first. Swirls and light scratches get polished out before the coating goes on, so the price depends on the paint’s condition, the color and the size of the vehicle.
• It isn’t armor. A coating helps against minor scuffs. It won’t stop a door ding or a deep scratch.
• It still needs washing. Use a proper car shampoo and a wash mitt. Dish soap isn’t made for paint.
• Just had paint work done? Wait at least 30 days before a ceramic coating or paint protection film goes on fresh paint, and 24 hours before the first wash.

How Do You Choose a Detailer?

• Mobile or shop? Mobile is the easy choice if you have a driveway with water and power. In an apartment or condo, a drop-off location or a shop works better.
• Ask what’s included. Packages vary. Headliners, engine bays, pet hair and odor removal are often extras, or not offered at all.
• Get the quote after they see the car. Size and condition drive the price, so a phone estimate is only a starting point.
• Empty the car first. Take out personal items, car seats and pet crates before you drop it off.
• How often? Shiny Impressions suggests two or three times a year for most cars, with gentle hand washes in between.
• Selling your car? A detail before you list it helps it show at its best.

Buying a used car that was just detailed? A fresh shine tells you nothing about the brakes, the clutch or the engine. That’s what a pre-purchase inspection is for.

How Do You Deal With Tree Sap, Bird Droppings and Washing at Home?

• Tree sap. Wash it with car soap and water as soon as you can. If it won’t budge, dampen a microfiber towel with isopropyl alcohol (don’t pour it on the paint), rub gently until the sap softens and lifts, then rinse.
• Bird droppings. Spray on a foaming glass cleaner, let it sit about a minute to soften, then wipe softly with a microfiber towel. Don’t scrub.
• Washing in the driveway. In Washington County, storm drains carry water straight to local streams and the Tualatin River without treatment, so the soap, oil and brake dust that come off a car go with it. Clean Water Services suggests cold water, a spray nozzle, phosphate- and ammonia-free soap (and only as much as you need), washing only the outside of the car, and parking on grass or gravel so the water soaks in. Commercial car washes capture and treat their wash water.
• Skip the engine bay. At home, wash only the outside of the car. Shiny Impressions avoids engine cleaning on new vehicles altogether to protect the electronics.

Which Window Tint Shop Do We Trust?

Why this one? Jeff: “We’ve had good luck with Alexia’s.”

• Alexia’s Window Tinting: Beaverton, at 7869 SW Cirrus Dr, Building 25, Suite G. A tint shop, not a mobile service. Automotive window tint in a range of shades, including ceramic film for more heat rejection and a charcoal shade that matches factory privacy glass. They also tint homes and businesses. Free estimates. Open Monday to Friday, 10 to 5. Phone: 503-671-9615 | Website

What Window Tint Is Legal in Oregon?

Oregon’s rules are in ORS 815.221 and 815.222. In plain English:

• Side and rear windows. The film itself has to let through at least 50% of the light and reflect no more than 13%, and the window and film together have to let through at least 35%. On a regular car, that applies to the front side windows, the rear side windows and the back window alike.
• The windshield. Darker tint is allowed only on the top six inches. No film anywhere else on the windshield.
• SUVs, vans and trucks. On a vehicle the law treats as a “multipurpose passenger vehicle” (built on a truck chassis or with off-road features, seating 10 or fewer) and that has mirrors on both sides, the windows behind the driver can be darker. Ask your tint shop whether yours qualifies.
• Factory privacy glass. Windows rated AS-3, like the darker privacy glass many SUVs come with from the factory, have no light limit of their own.
• Colors and finishes that aren’t allowed. Mirror-finish film; red, gold, yellow, amber or black film; and tint that’s brushed or sprayed on.
• Keep the certificate. The installer has to give you a certificate listing the film’s light transmittance and reflectance and stating that each window lets through at least 35%. Keep it in the car.
• Medical exemption. If a licensed physician or optometrist signs an affidavit, a prescription or a letter on their letterhead saying you or someone in your household has a condition that needs darker tint, the side and rear windows can go darker. Keep that document in the car too.
• The ticket. Illegal tint is a Class B traffic violation, with a presumptive fine of $265 under ORS 153.019. A court can dismiss or reduce it if you have the tint fixed afterward and bring proof, like a receipt.

Buying a used car with dark tint? Check it before you buy. The driver of an Oregon-registered car can be ticketed for illegal tint, even if a previous owner put it on.

Cracked windshield or a rock chip? See our windshield and auto glass guide.

Where Can You Get a Stereo, Remote Start or Accessories Installed?

Why this one? Jeff: “Stereo King is our go-to stereo and accessory shop.”

• Stereo King: West side store in Aloha, at 19299 SW Tualatin Valley Hwy. Car stereos and radio replacement, including Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto; speakers, subwoofers and amplifiers; remote start and security systems; dash cams and backup cameras. They warranty the installation labor they do for life. Open Tuesday to Saturday, 9 to 6. Phone: 503-356-1977 | Website

Driving an older car you like? You don’t need a new one to get phone integration, a backup camera or a dash cam. A professional install ties them into the car’s wiring the right way, and a remote start makes cold Beaverton mornings a lot easier.

What If Something Sounds, Feels or Smells Different?

Bring it to MotorCar Doctors. Keeping a car running right is our side of things. Our digital vehicle inspection sends you photos and notes, so you see exactly what we see before you approve anything. More local answers are in our Beaverton Car Owner’s Guide.

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

Frequently Asked Questions