Vista Test Only Center – Star Certified

Got sucked in by the online ad – I bring car in after just getting software update (VW Passat TDI – yeah, I know!!) and I’m having to smog because, oh, I don’t know, CA DRE wants proof that the VW Corp. has lied about whether software really does cheat? Anyway, not only does VW service not tell me, but these guys don’t tell me, even as I try to hand him the clearance on the software recall for VW, that if you try to smog a car right after the software update, the car/​smog will fail – which of course it did. He tells me, «drive around for about 60 miles and then come back»…and oh, btw I’m not only going to charge you $ 41.50 right now for doing nothing (less than 10 minutes from getting out of car and back into car) – but I’m going to charge you again when you come back. I ask why he didn’t ask me about the service since I had tried to hand him the recall clearance notice and his response «why would I ask you?».
Definitely would not recommend as their service is based on volume and not quality – buyer beware.

I thought my 94 Toyota Celica was going to fail the smog test. I mean it is 20 years old. These guys went out of their way to make sure that my car pass. They did three different types of test I think, it was probably two and took a while but in the end it passed. They even gave me a $ 30 coupon and I didn’t even know they were having a promotion. They didn’t have to give me the coupon and unknowingly paid the full price but they did. These guys are awesome.

I had a very bad experience this morning with Vista Smog. If you are a woman, the owner discriminates against woman. DO NOT GO TO HIM. Another customer, male, came after me. He smog his vehicle and he was out of the garage before me. When I pointed this out to him, he said, «I can run my business the way I want.» No, sorry, basically he did not care. My Rover did not pass. It cost $ 89. He never said get this fix and I will do it for free. I am a returning customer. I have 2 vehicles. I have been going to him for 5 years. I have referred other people to him. NO MORE. I went to another garage and paid again. At this point I did not trust his nasty attitude. They said fix your car and we will do the next smog for Free.

These guys are the worst. They advertise a $ 30 off coupon, but suddenly change their price from $ 59 to $ 89 to make it meaningless.
They failed my car saying the emissions controls were «tampered» with when all I «needed» was a $ 4.00 replacement hose from O’Reilly’s. Thankfully I was smart enough to to not have them do the work. It took me 3 minutes to make the repair. I went to a different smog station today — passed of course and was told by him that he wouldn’t have failed me in the first place. I showed him the hose I replaced and he said it was just fine.
I had that same hose in place last year when I passed the smog test as well.
So in total, I paid for a unnecessary test $ 59.00, $ 4.00 for a unnecessary replacement hose and over 3 hours of my time.
Vista Test FAILS.
eff them

Owner operated and extremely nice. Gave 10 minute notice for smog check, honored the website coupon and got my registration sticker right there.(small fee and you had to pay dmv in advance)

Good customer service-​they honored our coupon!

My go to smog station. This russian couple provides no nonsense service and gets it done fast and friendly. They also can provide your DMV stickers at a premium but I find that to be very convenient and much prefer that over waiting in line.

Excellent! The people who work there are very nice. The price seemed fair. You can get a $ 30 off coupon if you go to their website. They’ll even print out your registration right there and give your your sticker.
All told it took about 20 minutes and they have a nice waiting room with lots of National Geographic magazines and books for kids.

Armen was great! Very receptive of my needs and wants. Didn’t try to give me the «oh btw you need this and that». He fixed the problem and got me going. His prices are extremely reasonable and his facility is well capable of handling any job. Needless to say he’s one of few mechanics at a shop I am willing to trust. Very forth-​right and reliable. My car is due for a smog and I am more than happy to entrust him w/​my car. BTW i have a an 05 G35 coupe w/​over 150k miles. Not an easy car to work in considering I have done all the work myself, except this once which entailed replacement of crank cover gasket. Thank You Armen, I look forward to doing more business w/​you. I will definitely be referring friends there.

My wife and I both smog tested our vehicles here within a week of each other — same 5-​star service both times.
Step 1: Get the coupon. This will take you about 5 minutes of your precious time on the internet, and save you $ 30. (You’re reading this on the Internet — so you should be able to find the coupon easily). Anyone who complains about the price didn’t take the time to get the coupon. Their bad, not Vista’s bad. Duh.
Step 2: Make sure your vehicle is ready for inspection. We both service our vehicles with a local garage specializing in german vehicles (which we’ve reviewed on Unilocal). We know our vehicles will pass smog testing because we service them. Shame on you if you randomly show up to smog your vehicle after not servicing it for years, and then are surprised it didn’t pass and blame the smog company. Don’t blame them if they charge each time they expend their time and their money to test your car. You should know your vehicle will pass before you go in. Duh.
Step 3: Go to Vista and here’s how you’ll be treated:
— Drive vehicle up to door. Technician greets you and directs you into office.
— Enter office while technician pulls your car into testing bay (they have two bays, so you rarely have to wait).
— By the time you fill out paperwork and pay, the technician has probably already completed your test.
— You also have the option to obtain your registration and associated paperwork/​sticker from Vista (yes, this is now de rigueur in California). For the required registration fee and an extra $ 18 to Vista, there is no need to mail to the DMV and wait. To us this was worth it, as we walked out with our papers and sticker. You can still use the more typical mail-​and-​wait approach. No pressure on this option.
— Pay the fee (remember the coupon?) A little over $ 60 with the coupon. Quite reasonable.
— You are handed your paperwork and key and you’re on your way. If you went with the registration option, they will also place your sticker on your plate if so desired.
Easy. Fast. GREAT service. Competitive price.
P. S. Get the coupon, make sure your car is ready for testing, and enjoy the excellent service!

NINETY FREAKING DOLLARS for a recently mandated California STAR smog test? Seriously? And the price wasn’t the least bit negotiable.

Drove in, they took my car, tested it.
Failed.
I replaced catalytic converter. Retest.
Passed.
They supplied a current 2014 sticker and even put it on the plate.
Under 2 hours total.
Thank you.

I had a very good and easy experience here. Drove right in, they smogged the truck, I got the sticker right away and did not have to hassle with anything else. They were friendly and helpful. I recommend Vista!

BE careful, very careful regarding the price they quote. They see how much you will «bear».

The place is very clean, well run and fast. The proprietors were friendly and quick. However, I can’t understand why I had one price and the person ahead of me paid a completely different price. At the very least, both of us paid much less than their posted fees for a smog test. So — maybe it was because I called ahead, or because I was female that I got my smog done for $ 50, I suspect being a Spanish-​speaking blue collar worker means you pay $ 89. If that’s the truth, guys — get your girlfriend to take the car in.
Oh, and don’t pay the extra $ 19 to have your smog data sent directly to the DMV — you can do that for free by dropping it off in the express drop box at the Corte Madera DMV a few miles away.

I haggled with them to bring the price down to a reasonable cost (they are way overpriced), to the same cost as their competitors, then they acted like they did me a huge favor, and since they did me the «huge favor» they refused a re-​test (my battery had been replaced the day before so didn’t pass smog because I hadn’t driven it far enough). Do not go to a test only center that doesn’t offer a FREE RETEST. Now I’ll be double charged for a smog. Poor customer service people. Their attitude as a whole was very defensive, cold and arrogant. I left feeling ripped off. Needless to say, I don’t recommend them.

Two years ago, I used this facility to do my Smog Test because I needed to go to the Test Only Facilty and they were great. Set had my car in and out!
I don’t recall what I paid for the Smog Test but as you can see other posts, they say it is high but because it was two years ago I can’t varify what they are saying.

I had a good experience here. the shop is clean and Set was very nice and so was his wife Lilly. They got me in right away and my car passed. Thank God. At first i thought the pricing was higher than other places, but i mentioned it to Lily and she gave me $ 60 out the door. They were fast and efficent and they came recommended by a reputable mechanic. I was very happy. Looks like he has all the right equipment there. I’m not always trying to lowball everybody, but i wanted afair pricing for the work. I think that worked out. They offer some services some other test only places, don’t so i think for conveinance sake and a few extra bucks, some people would value that. again, i think Set and his wife were pleasant to deal with and i did not have to go over to the canal area just to save a few bucks. I’m very happy

I had no problem with customer service. I was in and out very quickly at the end of the day. Comfortable and clean office with current magazines to read. I read a one-​page article in Motor Trend and he was done.
My problem was the price. Even with a $ 30 off coupon it was $ 59.75 which included the test $ 49.75, certificate $ 8.25 and electronic transfer fee of $ 1.75. Other local places advertise as $ 38 out the door. I didn’t see a sign stating what the price is for a test so you don’t really know if I got a discount in the first place. I asked the price when I first walked in but I felt too sheepish to say thanks but no thanks and go somewhere else.
He does have a couple of dynos, which appeared to be for rear wheel and front wheel drive cars. The shop is clean.

I would recommend Vista Test, they are so friendly. My car passed the test without any problems. They even have partnership with the DMV and you can get the sticker at the moment. Great experience, and I was happy with them.