See our full list click here: Alphabetized list of topics

This page covers various aspects of car maintenance, such as distinguishing between original factory parts and aftermarket alternatives. It also provides guidance on assessing whether your vehicle requires repairs or if it’s better to consider a replacement. Additionally, we share some important warnings regarding cost-saving strategies related to DIY maintenance.

We encourage new and returning customers to feel confident about reaching out to us with any questions or concerns regarding car repairs at our shop.

Understanding the Three Basic Types of Auto Repair

Auto service and repairs generally fall into three basic categories and approaches:

Proactive Vehicle Maintenance

– This refers to auto repairs carried out in advance to replace components that are showing wear or beginning to fail, although they have not completely broken down.

Preemptive Auto Repairs

– These are the type of auto repairs that are performed preemptively to replace parts that are worn or are showing signs of failure.

Failed Part/Necessary Auto Repairs

– Automotive repairs are undertaken because a component has malfunctioned, which can affect both your safety and the overall performance of your vehicle.

Many of us have limited financial resources but countless ways to allocate those funds, leading us to prioritize which needs to fulfill first.

Part failures fall into several categories, listed in descending order of priority below:

 Safety:

The failed part may compromise your safety. This type of failure is always our highest priority.

Damage contagious:

The failed part may result in accelerated wear and damage to related parts, resulting in increased repair costs if neglected.

Performance:

It may result in decreased efficiency and/or performance.

 Aesthetics and Creature Comforts:

It could simply serve as an annoyance and/or lessen your comfort or enjoyment while driving.

Certain issues, which are often perceived as minor inconveniences, can sometimes lead to dangerous situations, putting both the driver and passengers at risk. For example, in most Toyotas, the engine remains unharmed if the timing belt snaps, and there’s no sudden unsafe response from the vehicle.

Integrity Auto’s Car Care Philosophy: When Should You Repair Your Car or Replace It?

One of the questions commonly asked is how to know when your vehicle should be repaired or replaced. We all need reliable transportation, so you must first ask yourself how cost-effective it would be to repair or replace your vehicle. You could calculate what the known repairs will cost per mile (assuming a reasonable number of miles you expect to continue driving it) to help you determine the repair’s cost-effectiveness.

For example, a $2,500 auto repair amortized over 50,000 miles averages out to five cents per mile. One of our longtime customers recently remarked that in the 20+ years he’d owned his vehicle, his monthly maintenance and repair costs have averaged $40 – that’s cheaper than most monthly smartphone plans these days!

Has your vehicle begun to feel like a money pit? While it may feel that way over time, you should look at it in terms of what’s already been addressed and what won’t need to be again. For example, if your vehicle needs an engine overhaul, you’ll get the benefit of having a practically-new engine after the repair.

If you choose to replace it with a used vehicle, you can’t say the same. You should never hold past repairs against your vehicle. Instead, you should think of them as an investment. In some cases, we’ve found that it can be justifiable to repair your vehicle even when the auto repair costs rival your vehicle’s resale value.

However, if our car mechanics truly feel it’s time for you to disconnect and get a replacement vehicle, we won’t hesitate to advise you accordingly. Here are some expanded thoughts on the subject of repairing or replacing your vehicle: Expanded discussion: Keep and Repair or Replace.

Toyota Parts vs. Aftermarket Parts at Car Repair Shops

Because we firmly believe in the quality of Toyota parts, our biggest auto parts supplier is the Toyota dealership. Our next biggest source of parts are companies that sell us the same parts that were made by the original Toyota parts suppliers. We’ve found that many aftermarket (not original) suppliers tend to advertise a “lifetime warranty” on their products.

Unfortunately, this usually has little to do with the quality of their products and is more about marketing. Sometimes, those lifetime warranties require you to jump over so many hurdles that it isn’t worth pursuing the repeat repairs and replacements. As a general rule of thumb, we encourage OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) Toyota parts instead of aftermarket parts.

Using these high-quality parts allows us to provide a 3-year/36k-mile warranty, which is 3-times the 1-year warranty that Toyota and Lexus offer.

Saving Money: A Cautionary Tale for Do-It-Yourselfers

We understand that it may be tempting to save money and attempt auto repairs on your own instead of visiting our car repair shop in Portland. While do-it-yourself auto repairs were commonplace in the past, today’s sophisticated auto technology makes it more difficult unless you have access to advanced diagnostic tools and equipment.

Please take a moment to read our cautionary tale for do-it-you-selfers.

Personalizing Your Lexus for Ultimate Performance