Eatonville cars climb and descend the SR-161 grade constantly. Brake fade and cooling system stress show up here far more often than on flatland cars.
Auto Star is in Graham, not Eatonville, so it's worth knowing the drive up front. It's about 14 miles from town, roughly 24 minutes, heading south on Meridian and then picking up SR-161 through Kapowsin. It's a straightforward drive, but it's not around the corner, so if you're dropping a car off in the morning, plan on getting a ride back or waiting a bit.
We work on cars from Eatonville, Kapowsin, Alder, and the Ohop Valley area regularly, and the driving out there is different from what a Graham or Puyallup commuter deals with. SR-161 through the Ohop Valley grade means a lot of climbing and descending, day in and day out, whether you're headed to Northwest Trek or just into town for groceries. That kind of driving works the brakes and the cooling system a lot harder than flat commuting does. We see brake fade and warped rotors from Eatonville customers more often than we do from cars that mostly sit in flatland traffic. We also see cooling systems running hotter than they should, especially on older vehicles or ones that are due for a coolant flush and haven't gotten one. If your brakes feel soft or grabby after a trip down the grade, or your temperature gauge creeps up on the climbs, that's worth having looked at before it turns into something bigger.
What we'd check first on an Eatonville car
Given the terrain, we'd start with brake pad thickness and rotor condition, brake fluid condition, and the cooling system — hoses, thermostat, and coolant condition. Those are the parts that take the brunt of repeated grade driving, and catching wear early usually costs a lot less than waiting for a warning light or a pedal that goes soft.
Getting here, and when we're open
We're open Monday through Friday, 9 to 5, at 28801 Meridian E in Graham. If you're coming from Eatonville, call ahead and we'll help you plan the drive around those hours. The shop is small — Jabarjeet and Gurjivan Singh, the owners, are usually on the floor themselves, not off in a back office. Call ahead at (253) 375-7057 if you want to talk through what you're noticing on the grade before you make the trip.
Getting here from Eatonville
From Eatonville it is roughly 14 miles — south on Meridian then SR-161 through Kapowsin — and typically about 24 minutes outside of rush hour. If you know Northwest Trek and the Ohop Valley grade, you are on the right road.
Customers come to us from Eatonville, Kapowsin, Alder, Ohop Valley.
What we handle
- Routine Maintenance — Oil, filters, fluids, tires, brakes checked properly. Boring, cheap, and the reason some…
- Oil Change Services — The right oil for your engine and the way you actually drive. Not a 3,000-mile sticker on…
- Brake Repair & Services — Grinding, pulsing pedal, pulling to one side. We measure the pads and rotors before we…
- Check Engine Light — The light tells us a system, not a part. We find out which before anyone spends money on…
- Auto Diagnostics — Warning lights, no-starts, and faults that only happen sometimes. We find out what is…
- Engine Repair — Oil leaks, misfires, timing components and head gaskets. The work that keeps an engine…
- Engine & Transmission — Timing belts, head gaskets, slipping transmissions. The expensive jobs, done once and…
- Transmission Repair — Slipping, hard shifts, leaks and fluid services. Transmission trouble is worth looking at…
- Cooling System & Radiator Repair — Overheating, coolant leaks, radiators, water pumps and thermostats. An engine that runs…
Booking from Eatonville
Call (253) 375-7057 or send us your vehicle details. Tell us the noise, the light or the mileage and we will tell you what it takes before you commit to the drive.