Auto Repair in Ottawa
On The Run Auto Care is at 2535 Blackwell Street, Suite 12, in the Sheffield Glen industrial area off Innes Road in Ottawa's east end. If you live or work in Gloucester, Blackburn Hamlet, Beacon Hill, Cyrville, Carson Grove, Vanier, Alta Vista or Orleans, we are a short drive away. We are open Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 6:00pm.
Where we are and how you get here
We are on Blackwell Street, Suite 12, in the Sheffield Glen industrial area behind Innes Road. Innes and the 417 are the two arteries that get almost everybody here. From Blackburn Hamlet or Gloucester you are coming straight down Innes. From Beacon Hill, Carson Grove or Cyrville you are on Ogilvie or Innes and turning in. From Vanier and Alta Vista, St. Laurent Boulevard north to the 417 east is the usual line. From the west end of Orleans it is Innes westbound, and outside rush hour that is a short run.
There is parking on site and the shop entrance is at the suite door. If you have never been to this pocket of the east end before, look for the row of industrial units off Innes rather than a storefront on a main road.
Who this shop suits, and who it does not
We suit drivers on the east side of the city. That is not a marketing line, it is geography. Blackwell Street is roughly ten minutes from Blackburn Hamlet and Beacon Hill outside rush hour, and about twenty from Vanier or Alta Vista depending on how St. Laurent is moving.
Kanata, Stittsville and Barrhaven are a different story. That is a real cross city drive, and the 417 westbound between four and six in the afternoon can double it. We would rather say so than pretend otherwise. If you are in the far west end and you need a routine oil change, a shop near you will serve you better. If you are already coming east for work, or you have a repair you want us specifically to handle, then plan to leave the car with us for the day rather than waiting for it.
What Ottawa does to cars
Road salt is the first thing. Ottawa salts heavily from November through March, and the brine gets into everything underneath the car. On vehicles past about seven or eight years old we routinely find corroded brake lines, seized caliper slides, rusted exhaust hangers and fuel and coolant lines that look fine from above and are failing from below. This is why an underbody look matters here in a way it does not in a dry climate.
Then comes pothole season. The freeze and thaw cycle in March and April opens up the pavement, and Innes Road, Blair Road and the ramps along the 417 are reliably rough in early spring. The damage we see afterwards is usually bent rims, torn sidewalls, blown struts and alignment knocked far enough out that the car pulls and the tires start wearing on one shoulder. If your steering wheel sat straight in February and sits crooked in April, that is what happened.
Winter also means a battery test is not optional. A battery that starts a car fine in October can fail at minus twenty five in January, because cold cuts the current a battery can deliver at the same time as the engine gets harder to turn over.
The winter tire crush
From roughly October to December every shop in this city is doing tire changeovers at once, and the last week before a forecast snowfall is chaos. Ontario does not legally require winter tires, unlike Quebec, so people wait for weather instead of a date. That is why the calendar compresses.
Two practical things. Book your changeover early if you want a specific day. And if you are buying a second set, tires already mounted on their own rims turn a changeover into a much faster job than tires that have to come off and go back on the same set of wheels. Ask us about it before you buy. See tires for what the swap actually involves, and wheel alignment if the car has been pulling since spring.
Buying or selling a used car in Ontario
In Ontario a used vehicle transfer normally requires a Safety Standards Certificate before the buyer can plate it, and the certificate reflects the condition of the vehicle on the day it was inspected. It is not a warranty and it is not a statement that the car is in good shape overall, which surprises a lot of buyers.
If you are looking at a used car privately, a pre purchase inspection is a different and more useful thing. We go through the vehicle and tell you what we actually find, including the salt damage underneath that a quick test drive will never show you. See vehicle inspection.
Book a time
Call (613) 321-7342, email ontherunautocare@gmail.com, or book online at any hour. We work on all makes and models, domestic and import, using OEM or OEM equivalent parts. If you are not sure whether a symptom is urgent, call and describe it. We will tell you whether it can wait.
Common questions
Where exactly in Ottawa are you?
2535 Blackwell Street, Suite 12, Ottawa, ON K1B 4E4. Blackwell Street runs through the Sheffield Glen industrial pocket just off Innes Road, a few minutes from the Innes and Blair area and close to the 417.
Which parts of Ottawa are you closest to?
Gloucester, Blackburn Hamlet, Beacon Hill, Cyrville, Carson Grove, Sheffield Glen, Vanier, Alta Vista and the west side of Orleans. Those are all short trips on Innes Road, Ogilvie, St. Laurent or the 417.
Is it worth driving from Kanata, Stittsville or Barrhaven?
Honestly, usually not for routine work. You are crossing the city and the 417 westbound at the wrong hour will cost you more than the appointment does. If you already know and trust us, or you are dropping the car for the day anyway, the trip makes sense. Otherwise a shop closer to you is the practical choice.
Do you do the Ontario Safety Standards Certificate?
Ask us when you book. A safety certificate is a point in time inspection required when a used vehicle changes hands or is registered from out of province, and it has to be done by a licensed inspection station.
When should I book my winter tire changeover?
Earlier than you think. From roughly mid October through early December every shop in Ottawa is booking tire swaps, and the week after the first real snowfall is the worst time to call. If you want a specific day, book it in September or early October.
Book it, or just call and ask
If you are not sure which service you need, describe what the car is doing and we will tell you what it needs looking at.