I am extremly pleased with Rene at Hillside Imports! I had some issues with my VW Golf. I took it in for a diagnosis at an eastside repair shop. They said I needed a new clutch and flywheel, and quoted $3,600, and wanted me to purchase the parts before schudling the service. Luckily I spent time asking other shops around town for quotes on this type of repair. Rene came back with the lowest quote by far. When I scheduled the repair, he did not ever request for me to prepurchase anything. I braced myself when Rene called me on the day of the repair. But to my surpise he said "we don't see anything wrong with this clutch". He test drove it, had another team member test drive it, and determined that any repair was unnecessary. I offered to pay him for the time and effort, but he would not charge me! In summary, Rene has earned my trust and will get all of my future repair business. read more

They were very helpful in conducting a pre-purchase inspection, helped me avoid a car that needed lots of work!

After taking my Audi to 3 different mechanics including an Audi dealership to diagnose the issues with my A6, I found Hillside Imports and Rene and his team diagnosed and solved my cars issues. This is now my go to for all my Audi repairs. read more

After my last review, the owner contacted me and reviewed my service record. They decided to refund me the price of the service. Although my previous experience had room for improvement, I believe everyone has off days and I would imagine that's what happened to me. Seems like a good business and I'll try them again. read more

Rene at Hillside Imports has been wonderful to work with. They have been taking care of my 1999 Audi for the last 2yrs. Always quick to respond when things come up and take great pride of their craft. Love that it's a family owned business here in the SW. read more

i've been taking my 2013 VW Beetle to Hillside Imports for 4 years. Rene and his team have done a great job keeping this car running smoothly, always a good value, especially when compared to the dealership pricing. Also, just an overall friendly team. i'm more than happy to support this family owned business! read more

A million thank-yous!! Family-owned business is alive and well at Hillside. After being frustrated with Herzog-Meir's poor customer service I started looking for a reputable VW repair shop. I stumbled upon Hillside and read mostly great reviews with the occasional one-off unique issue with a disgruntled customer - nothing overly alarming. I had a check engine light that was coming on intermittently and called Hillside to see if they could diagnose the issue. Because a tech was on paternity leave their booking times were a few weeks out. My check engine light had gone off so I decided to forgo the issue until the light came back on. The next day my sunroof would not close! I immediately drove to Hillside. They took me on a walk-in basis, did an emergency close FREE OF CHARGE?! Since they don't do sunroof repairs (I don't blame them, it's probably a pain!!) they referred me to Armstrong VW. After speaking to the owner about the technicians, she shared that their shortest-tenured tech has been their 4 years and the longest 20 years. This is a sign of a small business that takes care of their employees. I will absolutely be back for anything that's not sunroof related. I was so stressed about my sunroof and this family-owned business came through in a clutch. A million thank-you's to Rene! read more

Hillside Imports came through for me again! 20 miles after an oil top-off at the dealer, the vehicle shook badly and seemed unsafe to drive. We had it towed to Hillside in mid-afternoon. They called at 4:00 to say the dealer had failed to reinsert the plug for the oil dipstick causing it to lose vacuum. Easy fix - no charge. Awesome service for a confirmed loyal customer. read more

I went on Facebook Tigard Oregon group to get a recommendation and the name of this company popped up several times. People said that you can trust the owner it's family run and they will give you a great service. What would it cost about $2000 at the dealership was about $1000 at their shop. And not only that but when I told Rene that we only had one car he pushed the job out and got it done in a couple days whereas other places couldn't get me in for three weeks. If you're looking for quality service with amazing customer service. This is the place to go! My Volkswagen Tiguan is running very well thanks to them and now I don't have to rent a car just to get to work. Thank you guys for all you did! read more

We've been coming to Hillside Imports for maintenance and repairs for several years. Rene is professional, responsive and communicates very clearly. The work done by Hillside has never failed us. We started coming to Hillside in 2012 when we purchased a VW Eurovan. We needed to make sure the vehicle was ready for a 2 month, 10,000 mile cross country journey. Rene told us what could be done, what needed to be done and worked with us to prioritize for our budget and safety. I'm pleased to report we had no problems on our trip the following year. When we had a problem several years later while traveling 300 miles from home, Rene took our call and advised us over the phone and then got our vehicle in right away upon our return. After that, we started getting our VW Golf maintenance with Hillside and have been similarly pleased. I recommend them whole-heartedly. read more

Thank you so much to Rene and all of Hillside team past and present. This business has always gotten me in when I needed and always taken great care of my car and then some. I have been a repeat customer for the last 17 years and I rest easy knowing that whatever my car needs, it'll be done right! Hands down better than any experience I've ever had at any local VW dealer. read more

Well, to be fair, they do seem to know how to fix VWs properly. HI has kept our old Passat running for many years. True enough. But I'm not going back again, as in never, because, last time, paying $750 for an oil change plus diagnosing the "check engine" light and replacing the O2 sensor didn't make me feel good. And I'd like to feel good ... like a customer should ... to paraphrase an old song. read more

I have to say I just love this place. They really know my car, their service is efficient and their prices are fair. They also fixed little things that the car needed--like replacing batteries in my key fob that I thought was just broken, and putting in a few screws that hold the engine cover on that the dealership forgot/neglected to put back after I had it serviced by them last. Hillside also vacuumed out my car! Love this. I will be going back. Thanks, Hillside Imports. :) read more

The owners don't take criticism seriously - I've spoken with them at length in person, and they fully do not see the criticisms I have with them. After posting a poor review of my experiences, the owners called me directly to say they would no longer work on my car. It has over $10k of their work under warranty! I looked through some other poor reviews, and their inspections are clearly lacking! They said my car was good to go, I drove it for over a year and finally took it somewhere else - turns out the airbox was FILLED WITH DIRT!!! Is that really good to go?? Other people have had similar experiences, which makes me feel a lot better. Instead of trying to remedy the problem, they denied any responsibility and told me not to make 'false accusations' about them - my experience was terrible and I wrote about that, I'm not sure what false accusations I could me making. Additionally, the car had been in an accident and they claimed all the service was 'professionally done' to get me to put more money into it. When I got under the hood to do the timing belt, I found many places with unprofessional fixes, some of which Hillside had done themselves (turbo oil lines are zip-tied together, several missing bolts and nuts, parts of bumper are held on with zip ties, service cover is not held on correctly) I'm extremely disappointed with how everything turned out here, especially the customer service aspect. If you have a problem they'll simply stop doing work for you, and try to convince themselves YOU were the problem. read more

Rene is an amazing miracle worker I bought a lemon, wanted to save some money by having a friend fix my car and that friend ended up not knowing what he was doing and ripped me off Rene was very professional and called me within a half an hour after I drop my car off to give me a diagnosis He let me know that my car was going to take some work and will most likely take a couple of days, always kept me informed with what was going on and how much the cost was going to be When he told me the final cost I was shocked because it was a couple hundred dollars less than I was anticipating I recommend Rene and his crew to all my friends and family that have a Volkswagen or Audi He came highly recommended and is definitely the best in the industry It was a breath of fresh air to deal with someone that was so knowledgeable honest and professional read more

Rene and team are great. We have always had a great experience with Hillside Imports. The service is always beyond expectations and at a good cost. And they're very knowledgeable. We had an issue with a mysterious noise our 2003 Eurovan was making. We had taken it to several shops and no once could solve it. They figured it out right away and got it fixed- it was an inexpensive fix, but could have been potentially really dangerous if it hadn't been caught. We'd definitely recommend them if you're looking for a shop you can trust. read more

Up before I moved here from Eugene, all the mechanics I dealt with were shadetree mechanics. I tended to buy a car outright, and drive it until it shudders to pieces like the crown vic in The Blues Brothers. I had space to work on a car, and could do just about anything. Then I got my first volkswagen, and it was a really faded mid 90s passat; the kind with no front grill. Around 2010 I was up here working on a contract, and while stuck in traffic between canyon and beaverton-hillsdale at peak rush hour in upper 90 degree weather, when my main coolant pipe burst. This shop is where I wound up, and I gotta say that there was never a moment of asking myself whether or not I was paying too much for service. They were very patient in explaining what happened to my car, and what my options were for such an old vehicle. When the passat passed away in 2012, I went again towards getting a volkswagen. This time, it was a Jetta, the same tired black, only this time it was 2 years younger. This time, things would be different! Anyways, a lot of things didnt work well in the car from day 1, and I ended up coming here often. Their prices are reasonable, they have fantastic communication, and they are never ones to include frills for their service outside of some candy in the sandwich hole above my CD player. In the end I gave up on the car as a lemon and got a Hyundai instead, but these folks are magical and if you have a VW this is a great shop to work with. read more

Rene has been working on my car for a number of years now and has knocked it out of the park every single time. Regular maintenance, repairs, anything, with these folks you are getting great parts great service and best of all great advice. Hillside keeps my jetta purring even at over 120k miles. This week I had a sensor failure and they had my car in and out on a super quick turnaround. If you are looking for a local shop to support, look no further. read more

We bought a used Passat for our son. Rene checked the car over for us, told us how it was and what work needed to be done, could be done, what to keep an eye on etc. We bought the car and Rene has taken it upon himself to help educate my kid about how to look after his car (who'd listen to a mere dad?) Great local mechanic. Trustworthy and friendly. Thanks Rene. read more

This was by far the best experience I've had with any auto shop ever. They told me how long it would take and what cost and didn't let me down. The car runs great and even better mileage. They definitely have my business from now on. Thanks, Rene and crew read more

I found Hillside after searching for an alternative to VW dealerships for repair/service work on my 2012 VW GTI. I 've been there multiple times for issues and they have been fair and reasonable with pricing and provided guidance on what was absolutely necessary and what can wait. I have recommended them to another co-work for his VW repairs in the future. read more

I've had our '95 Eurovan (Winnebago) full camper to pretty much every VW shop in/around the Metro area over the last 8 years. It's been pretty highly modified & Ive been told by other shops that it's not the easiest Camper to work on. We only drive it for camping trips & store it in a dry & heated environment the rest of the time. After having it worked on 3 times by Hillside Imports for routine maintenance & installing aftermarket headlights, I'd never want to take it to a competitor's shop again. Scheduling is easy & straightforward. Communication is excellent & Rene's dry humor is greatly appreciated. Their pricing is both competitive & fair. Moreover, if something isn't completely fixed the 1st time, they stand behind their work - no excuses, no blame the owner, no BS. That makes them pretty unique in the local market. I can honestly say my 27 year old Camper with 100K miles runs & drives better than when I bought it 40K miles & 8 years ago. We have zero worries about going places way out of cell service range & many miles out on an isolated dirt or Forest Service road -- a compliment to Hillside that speaks for itself. read more

Love that I discovered this place. Rene, his wife and their crew are fantastic to work with and they are highly knowledgeable about Westy and Eurovan which I own a Eurovan 99. I live in Portland, so this shop is a bit out of the way but after trying Precission Motor Car and German Formula, I highly recommend Hillside Imports. Miquel read more

We all know finding a trustworthy auto mechanic these days can be a slippery slope. After many failed attempts with other "so-called" VW mechanics I was introduced to Krista and Rene at Hillside Imports over 15 years ago. Rene and team have serviced more than 4 of my previous cars and is one of the most thorough and honest mechanics I have ever run across. I trust these people with my cars to the point I have either limped or towed my broken down vehicles hundreds of miles just to avoid having anyone else put their hands on my babies. read more

Well, true to my earlier review I snagged a deal on a late model MKIV GTI. (Golf) Without anything even noticeable wrong with it I took it to Hillside. Sure enough there was a couple things the domestic shops missed from the previous owner. Rene' and his crew turned it fit around at an affordable cost and now it's been maintenance free for over a year! Besides oil changes I've had some new suspension thrown in, engine coil packs, and a new diverted valve for the turbo. Everything has been absolutely rock solid and affordable. The suspension I priced out myself, and realized that it would probably take me 8-12 hours over a weekend. Plus I would more than likely mess it up. They returned my car same day, and I've been driving it like Mario Kart ever since. Can't imagine owning a vee dub in the town without Hillside as my wingman. read more

Hillside Imports is a family owned business specializing in the repair and customization of Volkswagons and Audi's. My wife and I own a Volkswagon TDI (Diesel engine) and it can be very difficult of find reliable shops that can work on it. They aren't that common and are highly technical. They do, however, provide 45 miles to to the gallon!! Renee and his wife, along with their staff, run a great shop. I knew that a place that customized these cars for entry into competitions and the like ought to be really really good at fixing them too and I'm not wrong. They are always honest, succinct and break down what needs fixing for me so I can make decisions about what I want to do now and what I want to do later. When it comes to Diesels I actually used to call them for advice from back when I lived in Los Angeles because I couldn't find a good TDI shop down there (even the dealerships were confused by the cars). They always came through. Honest, reasonably priced (not the cheapest probably but you get what you pay for and they are still cheaper than a dealership), and easy to work with, I highly recommend them. read more

I can't say enough good things about this place! I did quite a bit of research on this place, before I took my A4 Avant in to have some work done on it. I was a bit skeptical because of the mixed reviews, but I'm more than happy that I decided to give them a shot. Rene and his crew are amazing and the customer service at this place is outstanding! I had problems with my suspension, CV boot, traction control, ABS light, PC valve, and catalytic converters. They were able to diagnose everything, put together an estimate, and get my car back in within a week to get everything taken care of (except for the catalytic converters). I picked my car up today and was blown away by what Rene told me.. The secondary air system problems were all created by a kink in a $5 hose. And instead of being like 95% of other mechanics; they simply replaced the $5 hose and didn't try to blame the problems on multiple things, just to charge for more labor. If you want a shop that's knowledgeable, provides amazing customer service, actually explains what's wrong with your car, and is above all HONEST... This place is definitely worth going to! read more

Hillside Imports - The only place I'll ever take my wagon to! - Auto Repair Near Me - Portland, Oregon

I wanted to give a shout out to Krista and the Hillside Imports team. Even though they cannot service my car because of make and model, they did promptly respond to my inquiry and also went a step further to notify me of other repair shops in the area that I should consider. That is what I call customer service. Thank you for your time! read more

Rene, the shop owner and his staff are friendly and knowledgeable, so customer service hasn't been a problem. My hesitation is more the services offered for my specific vehicle. First off, it's carbureted. I can appreciate if that's not your specialty but to not offer the ability to check it at all, can you really call yourself full service? Last time I checked mechanical was easier to diagnose than EFI, so this left me feeling like it wasn't $worth their time. As a manager myself I understand the costs of labor and the price for quality employees. However for me the labor rate is too high for common jobs, especially when some require services they cannot provide like alignments that tack on added costs. The price markup on parts is about 15-20% so I thought maybe they could negotiate labor depending on the vehicle or job. I was wrong. Instead I received a quote at $400 for what I consider a relatively simple job with less than a $100 in parts. This aint your sugar-daddy's Audi, its a 30 yr old Mk1 that needs E-brake cables. Lastly, I've been three times so its not like I didn't try to appreciate their abilities. I know there's a lot to fix on my vehicle but I came in for a specific problem and unfortunately I'm still living with a noisy gremlin in my front end. I know VW and Audi's can be hard to work on and require special tools or I wouldn't be writing this review but Hillside Imports might just be too overpriced for my white collar wallet and lack of Quattro. read more

a HUGE thanks to Rene & his team for getting my son's Jetta sorted out and back on the road! Rene was more than happy to work with me and keep me fully updated over the phone since I was 1000 miles away... he did exactly what needed to be done for a fair price and the car is back to being the solid run-around tank that it has been for the last 5 years of so. it is nice to find someone that knows his stuff and is a straight up honest guy - THANKS Rene! read more

My 07 Rabbit wouldn't turn over and shops around the Portland area told me that it was so many other things and that they wouldn't order me all these parts an charge quite a bit. Called Hillsdale imports and they were super nice, ended up being a old battery issue. The big thing is they actually listened to me and realized what it was. They got it in immediately swapped the battery for a very decent price and out in a very short amount of time. Love the no nonsense service. Will be back read more

I recently had a headlight restoration done on my car by Hillside Imports. I was hoping that the lights would be improved after the process but I was shocked at how great they looked when they were finished. The car is almost 10 years old and the lights look brand new again. Excellent work by Hillside Imports. I would highly recommend them if your car needs a little headlight refresh. read more

As the proud new owners of a 2001 VW Eurovan MV, we are also the proud new owners of a relationship with Hillside Imports. Three weeks into owning the van and we have already seen Rene and team twice for repairs. Hillside has been great to us so far. They gave us a very thorough inspection and repair list after purchasing the vehicle on Craigslist, and then explained to us what we broke after our first weekend camping with the van! They are timely and prompt in their repairs and replies, not pushy in regards to which services to pursue, and transparent in the work and time they are putting into our vehicle. Let's hope this pattern of seeing them abates, but if it doesn't we are thankful that we can trust Hillside to get us back on the road. read more

As a transplant from Chicago, I rely on Google and Yelp to find the services in Portland that I eventually will need. After reading reviews on Hillside Imports I decided they would best be able to help my car with a water leak issue. The overall experience was excellent. I tend to self-diagnose problems with my car before bringing it to a shop. Hillside Imports spent time to listen and didn't make me feel like I was an amateur despite their level of qualification and experience. After they found the origin of the leak they performed the fix, and thankfully it was quick and inexpensive. After a couple days of rain my car leak has fully stopped. I'll continue to watch for any water leaks but am confident Hillside Imports has fixed the problem. Now to find a good detailing shop to dry out my interior. read more

Really happy with the honesty, communication, and service here.

These guys were awesome! Rene is extremely knowledgeable and helpful with determining whether a repair is necessary, and willing to help coordinate around both my work schedule and my budget. When there was an issue with a faulty manufacturer part, they were there to offer assistance and advice. They washed the car, and even gave me a gift bag with a nice bottle of wine when I picked my car up. Great work, great customer service, and reasonable prices... I couldn't have been happier with the entire experience. read more

My significant other gets his car repairs done here. It's a family run business with a lot of heart. Other mechanics recognize the hillside plates and talk about how great René is. There's no competition. I wish they did other makes because everyone is so blown away by their service. read more

Our family has taken three different Volkswagens to hillside imports. Renee his wife and their team have always been professional and thorough. Hillside imports treats customers fairly, has highly skilled technicians, and excellent communication skills. When our family purchased a vintage Ford hillside imports helped usFind a quality mechanic for that car as well. Thank you. read more

I trust taking my 2016 VW GTI to Rene and team for service. Their work is timely and professional. I won't take my GTI anywhere else!

2010 Jetta TDI check engine light came on and with all the favorable reviews decided to take it to Hillside. They quickly diagnosed an issue with the diesel particulate filter and then went above and beyond by reaching out to VW Customer Service to determine it was still covered by warranty and should go to the dealer. Professional, courteous, and charged the minimum for diagnostics. Thanks Rene and Crew! Keep up the great work. read more