Jan 07 2008
Chip’s Subaru Center
She and I both own Subarus. They’re simply perfect for the snowy Maine winter we’ve had so far, and they last a long time if you take care of them. However, taking care of them requires someone who knows what they’re doing. I think we’ve found that someone up here. Her 2002 Forester was due for its annual safety inspection and the clutch has been a bit slippy of late, so we asked around about good Subaru mechanics. Almost universally, the answer we received was to go to Chip’s.
She stopped in to see Chip and make an appointment before the holidays. He said he’d like to give the car a thorough once-over before he started looking at the clutch, so She scheduled last Friday as a day that Chip could have the car, give it a look, and tell us what it needed. About 3 ½ hours after we left it with Chip’s staff, Chip himself called me to go over what the car needed (to pass inspection), what the car could really use, and what the car would need in the next few months. I was very impressed by how thorough Chip was in his diagnosis, and by the fact that he didn’t really pressure me to do anything that I didn’t want to pay for right now.
We did end up getting a wheel bearing replaced, the fuel filter changed (probably the first time in years), and a few other things. The bearing has been grinding for a while, and when we took it in to the dealer in NY to have it looked at under warranty, they couldn’t tell us what was wrong (shocking that they wouldn’t find something like that when the car is under warranty, isn’t it?). Chip’s prices seemed reasonable (the clutch, when we do get it replaced, will run about $650, which is better than we’d hoped), and he finished all of the repairs we had done very quickly. The car sounds and runs better than it has in a while, and She is very happy. I’ll be taking my 2002 Impreza WRX to Chip now too.
Chip’s is located at 518 Washington Ave. in Portland (right where the on and off ramps for 295 are). It’s quite easy to get to from downtown if you take Baxter Blvd. (just turn left before getting on 295N). I’d avoid Washington during heavy traffic times if at all possible. Chip can be reached at (207) 775-2020. He seems like he’s pretty busy, but he managed to get us in pretty quickly. I could not find a website for Chip’s, but that’s not unexpected. Chip also sells Subarus, though I did not look at any prices. If you own a Subaru and are anywhere near Portland and in need of service, I highly recommend giving Chip a call.
[...] I reported in my previous post about Chip’s Subaru Center, She and I both own Subaru’s. Prior to a recent ski trip to [...]
You are so right. Chip is the best! I went there to get a second opinion after AAA was going to charge me about $900 for something, and Chip fixed that plus 2 or 3 other things for under $400. I was lucky to get in that day, you normally need to make an appointment. He is also listed on the Car Talk website.
AAA sucks. Never go there, they will rip you off bad. A $1500 estimate turned into $2500 worth of repairs. They suck. Chips is good though.
We heartily recommend Chip’s too. They seem honest and conscientious and are great value for money..
I don’t recommend Chip’s at all. I went in for an inspection and he tried to sell me on about 6 unnecessary repairs that totaled over $1000. It was ridiculous. I told him no thanks and took my car elsewhere, got it inspected for less than $20 and was told all the repairs Chip recommend were completely unnecessary.