Fairweather AutoIndependent since 1987Portland, Oregon
Independent repair & maintenance · Portland
Careful repairs, plainly explained.
Brakes, engines, electrical faults and every scheduled service, for every make — by ASE-certified technicians who show you what they found, with photographs and a written price, before any work begins.
Plate IBay two, a little after nine — the first look at a 2011 Volvo wagon that would not idle.
From the shop floor
Eleven people, five bays and one rule.
Fairweather has fixed cars on Southeast Marlowe Street since 1987, and the rule has not changed in that time: you see what we see. Every finding comes with a photograph, every repair with a written price, and nothing is done until you say yes. Most of our customers found us through a neighbour. Most of them are still coming back.
39years on Marlowe Street
5bays, and a lift in every one
4.9average from 640 reviews
36months of warranty on our work
A photo essay · Plates II–IX
A day at Fairweather
From the first key in the drop box to the last car home: one ordinary Tuesday, photographed from the shop floor. Drag the strip, or use the arrows.
01 / 08
7:30 amDoors openLights on, bays swept, coffee on. The key box by the office door already holds three envelopes from last night.
7:45 amKeys inEvery car is walked round with its owner and the mileage written down. Ten minutes now saves a phone call later.
8:20 amFirst lookCodes read, then the car tested properly. A code tells us where to look — never what to replace.
9:40 amOn the liftBrakes measured, suspension checked by hand, leaks traced to where they start — and every finding photographed.
11:15 amThe callYou get the photographs and a written price by text. You decide; we wait. Nothing is done without your yes.
1:30 pmThe workQuality parts, a torque wrench and the factory procedure. The old parts go in a box with your name on it.
3:50 pmRoad testEvery repair gets a drive on the roads you take — Belmont, the hill on 28th, a stretch of the Banfield.
5:45 pmLast car homeHands washed, wheel wiped, keys back in yours. The bays go dark; tomorrow there are nine cars booked.
Tomorrow at 7:30 we do it again. Nine cars are booked — yours could be the tenth.
Eight kinds of work, for every make and most models, with the starting price and the time it usually takes. Your written estimate always comes first.
Scheduled maintenance
From $89 · About an hour
Oil, filters, fluids and the inspections in your owner’s manual, at the mileage it asks for — not on a schedule we made up.
Brakes
From $219 an axle · About two hours
Pads and rotors measured and photographed before we recommend anything, then quality parts, bedded in and road-tested.
Check-engine & diagnostics
From $129 · Same day
We read the codes, then we test the car, so you pay for the fault and not for guesses. The test fee comes off the repair.
Suspension & steering
From $189 · Half a day
Clunks, wander and uneven tire wear traced to the part that is actually worn — struts, links, bushings or tie rods.
Engine & cooling
From $249 · One to two days
Timing belts, water pumps, leaks and overheating: the bigger jobs, quoted line by line before we start.
Electrical & batteries
From $149 · Same day
Batteries, alternators, starters and the slow drains that flatten a battery overnight, found with a meter, not a hunch.
Heating & air conditioning
From $159 · About two hours
Recharges and leak tests, heater cores and blend doors — cool in July, clear windows in January.
Pre-purchase inspections
$179 · About 90 minutes
Buying a used car? We put it on the lift and tell you, in writing, what it will really cost to own.
How a visit works
Four steps, and no surprises.
Book or call
Choose a time online or ring the desk, and tell us what the car is doing in your own words.
We look first
A technician inspects and tests the car, and photographs anything worth your attention.
You decide
The photographs and a written price arrive by text or email. Nothing is done without your yes.
Collect it
We road-test, wipe down what we touched and hand back your old parts if you would like them.
We would rather lose a repair than sell you one you do not need.
Ruth Fairweather, owner
Why Fairweather
Three promises, in writing.
You see what we see
Every finding comes with a photograph, a measurement where there is one, and a plain sentence about what it means.
Nothing without your yes
The written estimate is the price. If a job turns out bigger, we stop and call you before we go on.
Thirty-six months on our work
Parts and labour are covered for 36 months or 36,000 miles, nationwide, in writing on the invoice.
The rate card
Prices, in plain view.
$148Our labour rate, per hourPosted here, and on the wall by the desk
$129A diagnostic testCredited to the repair if you go ahead
$0For a second opinion on a quoteBring another shop’s estimate; we will read it
Synthetic oil service
Up to five quarts, filter, top-ups and inspection
$89
Brake pads, per axle
Quality pads, new hardware, road test
from $219
Pads and rotors, per axle
Measured, photographed and bedded in
from $429
Four-wheel alignment
With a before-and-after printout
$139
Battery, installed
Load test and terminal clean included
from $189
Coolant service
Drain, fill, bleed and pressure test
$169
A/C recharge and leak test
Most cars, refrigerant included
from $159
Timing belt and water pump
Most four-cylinder engines
from $899
Pre-purchase inspection
On the lift, with a written report
$179
Courtesy shuttle
Within four miles, weekdays
Free
Prices are for most cars and light trucks, before tax. Your written estimate is the price: if a job turns out to need more, we stop and call you before we go on.
Letters
What customers write to us.
4.9
★★★★★
out of five, from 640 reviews on Google
They sent me a photo of my brake pads with a ruler beside them. I have never trusted a shop faster.
Two shops wanted to replace the transmission. Kim found a sixty-dollar sensor, and the van has done twenty thousand miles since.
They told me the car I was about to buy was a bad idea, and they were right. The best $179 I have spent.
The estimate said $612 and the bill said $612. That ought to be normal. Here, it is.
Keys in the box at seven, photos of the problem by nine, car home by dinner.
The people
Who will look after your car.
Eleven of us in all. These three are the ones you will meet most: at the desk, on the phone, and under your car.
Ruth Fairweather
Owner · ASE Master Technician
Took over from her father in 2009. Ruth still writes every estimate herself and makes the calls when something changes.
Kim Arakawa
Lead technician · 31 years on the floor
The one the other shops send their mysteries to. Kim keeps a notebook of every strange fault found on this floor since 1995.
Ben Kowalski
Technician · Brakes, steering and suspension
Measures everything twice and photographs it once. Ben runs the alignment rack and the Saturday shift.
Drawn by the shop, not to scale. The bus stops on Belmont, two minutes’ walk away.
Find us
On Marlowe, between 26th and 28th.
418 SE Marlowe Street, Portland, OR 97214
Monday – Friday7:30 am – 5:45 pm
Saturday9:00 am – 2:00 pm
SundayClosed
Six customer spaces out front, more on SE 28th. Dropping off early or late? Put your key in an envelope with your name and number and leave it in the box by the office door — any hour.
For anything beyond a quick look, yes — it lets us give your car the time it needs. Call before ten and we can often see it the same day.
Can I drop the car off early or after hours?
Yes. Put the key in an envelope with your name, number and what the car is doing, and drop it in the box by the office door. We call when we have looked.
Will you call before doing any work?
Always. You get photographs and a written price first, and the estimate is the price. Saying no, or not yet, is completely fine.
Will servicing here affect my factory warranty?
No. You can have your car maintained at any qualified shop. We follow the manufacturer’s schedule and record every service with the mileage.
Do you work on hybrids and European cars?
Most of them, yes — hybrids, Subarus, Volvos, Volkswagens and Audis are a big part of our week. If yours needs a dealer tool we do not have, we will say so first.
What does your warranty cover?
Parts and labour on our repairs for 36 months or 36,000 miles, whichever comes first, honoured at partner shops nationwide.
Is there a shuttle or a loan car?
Our courtesy shuttle runs on weekdays within four miles. For longer repairs we can book a rental to be waiting when you drop off.
Book a visit
Tell us what the car is doing.
A few lines is plenty. We call back within a working hour to find a time — and we look before we quote, so the price you hear is the price you pay.
