Mechanic for Orléans drivers

Two ways in, depending on your end of Orléans

Orléans is big enough that the best route depends on where you start. From the south end, near Innes Road, take Innes west and the Blackburn Hamlet Bypass, and it brings you straight to Star Top Road. Turn right just past the Highway 417 ramps, and Unit 1 is about 350 m up on the right.

From the north end, around Place d’Orléans and St. Joseph Boulevard, take the 174 west. Where it meets the Queensway, take the ramp for Highway 417 East (Cornwall, Montréal) and get off at Exit 112 (Innes Road). Turn right on Innes and right on Star Top Road. Either way it is about 12.2 km and 15 minutes to 1541 Star Top Road, Ottawa, ON.

Service in French

A lot of Orléans speaks French at home, and explaining a noise or a warning light is easier in your own language. The shop answers the phone in French and English, so you can describe the problem and hear the quote in whichever you are more comfortable with. Online booking has an "Other" option and a box to describe the problem in your own words.

Rust from the 174

The 174 is one of the busiest roads in the east end, and in winter it is wet with brine from November to April. Every car ahead of you throws that spray under yours, at highway speed, twice a day. The damage shows up years later as brake lines that burst, rocker panels with holes, and a subframe that fails a safety inspection.

Rustproofing is $140 for a car and $180 for an SUV, using a no drip undercoating that will not mark your driveway. Do it in the fall while the car is dry, and repeat it every year. The blog post on whether rustproofing is worth it goes into what it does and doesn’t do.

Buying or selling a used car

A used car sold privately in Ontario needs a Safety Standards Certificate before the new owner can plate it, so if you are selling the old car or buying from a neighbour, plan for it. The Ontario safety inspection is $240. The inspector checks brakes, tires, steering, suspension, lights, the body and the frame, and the certificate is issued electronically through DriveON. If the car fails, you get a list of what needs fixing so you can decide whether to repair it or adjust the price.

Tires, brakes and warning lights

A tire swap on rims is $50 and mounting off rims is $100. When the first real snow comes, every tire shop in the east end fills up in the same few days, so book in October.

Long highway commutes followed by stop and go at the end are hard on brakes. Brake repair starts with measuring the pads and rotors, and the quote comes first. If a warning light is on, a computer diagnostic is $50 and tells you what the car has logged before you spend anything else.

Saturday and drop offs

If weekdays are taken up by the commute, the shop is open Saturday from 9:30am to 2pm. On weekdays you can book a drop off, leave the car by 2pm, and Cyrville O-Train station is about 1.4 km from the shop by road.