Columbia Auto Repair and Sales

06/09/2026

Ready to take on the roads with confidence? 🚛💡 Follow this step-by-step guide by our TSW partner, CURT Manufacturing, to ensure your trailer hitching is nothing short of secure and reliable. Because when it comes to towing, safety isn’t an option, it’s a necessity.

From inspecting your hitch components to double-checking your brake lights, each step is a crucial piece to a safer journey. Let's honor Trailer Safety Week not just with words but with proactive measures that keep us and others safe as we embark on the road.

For more hitching tips, visit www.TrailerSafetyWeek.com

The three most common types of hitches are:

👉 Weight-carrying hitch: Weight-carrying hitches are designed to carry all of the trailer’s tongue weight.

👉 Weight-distributing \(or load equalizer\) hitch: Weight-distributing hitches are used with a receiver hitch and special parts that distribute the tongue weight among all tow vehicle and trailer axles.

👉 Fifth-wheel hitch and gooseneck: These hitches are designed to mount the trailer connection in the middle of the truck bed.

When buying a hitch, use the tow vehicle manufacturer’s recommendations based on the trailer type and gross vehicle weight rating. Learn more about hitching here: https://www.trailersafetyweek.com/hitching/

Trailer Safety Week is an annual safety campaign that aims to increase awareness surrounding trailer safety knowledge.

06/08/2026

National Trailer Safety Week started June 7th, and we are proud to be a part of raising awareness about trailer safety and maintenance!

Did you know that what you tow a trailer with is very important?

Towing a trailer will impact how any vehicle drives. The larger the towed object in comparison to the tow vehicle, the greater the performance impact will be. Thus, knowing what your tow vehicle is capable of towing is just as important as selecting the right trailer.

Vehicle manufacturers provide a “tow rating” in their owner’s manuals which provides the maximum weight the tow vehicle can tow when fully loaded. The GVWR of the trailer should never exceed the tow rating of the tow vehicle, even if the trailer is not loaded to its maximum capacity. 🚗 Learn more here:
https://www.trailersafetyweek.com/towvehicle.

Towing a trailer will impact the operation of the tow vehicle. The larger the trailer and its cargo are in comparison to the tow vehicle, the greater the performance impact will be. Thus, knowing what your tow vehicle is capable of is just as important as selecting the right trailer. Vehicle manufac

05/12/2026

To the POS person who came onto our property and stole something from our property early this morning, I hope it was worth it. A police report has been filed, a description has been submitted, as well as timestamped videos and photos. $40-45 worth of plants...was it worth it? Before anyone blames a youth, this was a grown @$$ adult male whose momma probably raised him better than that.

Happened around 5:13AM on 5/12/26 in the 500 block of E. 2nd St. Video and still photos available, as well as a more in depth description. It isn't about the dollar value of the plants, it's about people not respecting our community or our downtown businesses, and I'm tired of people having no integrity or morals. If any businesses along E 2nd or 3rd have video surveillance around this timetable, please contact Officer Green with City PD.

Oh, and on a final note. To the city leaders, you might want to consider toughening up your laws. If you're going to invite citizens to live downtown with the new apartment building, you're going to have to expect that this is going to get even worse with the downtown theft and vandalism, and I can guarantee you that as a former realtor, people are not going to want to live in this town if the city police have their hands tied because they cannot do anything to prosecute criminals who do theft or vandalism, even the most minor kind.

04/23/2026

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

03/26/2026

UPDATE:

Our phone lines are up and running right now. Please be aware that we may still experience outages until the problem is fully repaired.

Due to a Spectrum phone outage, our phone lines are down until 7pm tonight. If you need to contact us, please stop by, message us here, or you can call/text 541-705-5783.

Thank you for your understanding and patience. Hopefully, Spectrum gets this fixed sooner rather than later.

12/23/2025

Everyone at Columbia Auto Repair and Sales wishes you and yours a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, and a safe and Happy New Year!

We will be closed Dec. 25th and 26, Thursday and Friday for Christmas.
We will also be closed Jan. 1st and 2nd in observance of New Years.

Thank you to all of our customers and friends for making 2025 a memorable year.

11/30/2025

Today is Small Business Saturday. While we're not open on Saturdays, you can support small, local businesses any day of the week! Supporting local and spending local keeps doors open, the lights one, and families working and fed. Locally spent stays local.

11/27/2025

With all that is going on in the world, now is a time to think on your blessings and give thanks. Everyone at Columbia Auto Repair and Sales wishes all of our friends, customers, and neighbors a blessed, Happy Thanksgiving. We will be closed Thursday and Friday, so see you on Monday, December 1st!

11/26/2025

We will be closed Thursday and Friday in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday. Please be sure to come out on Friday evening for the Starlight Parade at 6pm, and the tree lighting with Santa at The Dalles Chamber following the parade. Be sure to bundle up because it will be COLD.

Everyone at CARS wishes you and yours a happy, blessed Thanksgiving weekend. See you Monday, December 1st.

11/13/2025

Today is World Kindness Day. We don't know what other people are going through, what their stories are, or where their travels have taken them. So, on this day of Kindness toward others (and ourselves, let's be honest), be kind just to be kind.

Smile
Say hello
Shake a hand
Hold the door for someone
Offer a helping hand to someone
Pay it forward
Offer a hug to a loved one
Donate to a local charity
Volunteer at a local senior home, library, hospital, community event, or for a charity

"To the world you are one person, but to one person, you may be the world."