California Smog & Repair

Met a Man named Anthony on short notice because I needed to smog my car and get it registered at the DMV. My car had a check engine sign on it and I went to 2 different repair shops to get a quote and see what was wrong with it but both shops where extremely expensive and very FISHY! So I decided to bring my car here on such a short notice because the DMV gave me one day to smog my car.
Anthony received me even after not having an appointment.
Right away Anthony checked my car and broke it down to me very simple said the problem was 2 hoses that where old, torn, taped and could not hold the air pressure for the engine. He showed it to me which was awesome because he wasn’t giving me B. S and he called a couple places to see if they had the parts and quickly found the dealership had it.
Once the parts arrived Anthony replaced the hoses on the engine and reset the codes and told me to drive it as much as I could. I was desperate to get this fixed because the DMV only gave me 1 day to get it smogged.
Anthony put my car on a running machine (not sure what it’s called) and made it run for a good 30 minutes, put some miles on it maybe the codes would come back but they didn’t.
Since I only had one day I felt like giving up! Paying the money for the smog, failing the smog, going back to the DMV to buy more time and coming back in a few days to see if the codes on my engine would come back and the pay for another smog.
Anthony didn’t want me to pay twice for smogging my car and was very encouraging told me to drive the heck out of it and to come back in a few days to see if the codes came back.
I did what he said and I drove the car as much as I could and the whole while the check engine did not come back on my car! :D
I went back 4 days later and Anthony checked the codes on my car and all the codes came back! and I was able to get my car smogged and it passed! Anthony is GREAT! He did not come after my MONEY like the other car shops did. Anthony was honest and like I said CHEAP! Thanks Anthony!

This is the first time I’ve had to go to a «star certified» smog place. I went to one near work, and I was shocked that smog checks were so much more expensive than before ($ 89? Seriously? I feel like one of those old curmudgeonly people who start every sentence with «I remember that this used to only cost [fill in amount at least 20% cheaper than now]!»). Either in, getting seriously old or this whole «star certified» thing is a total rip off. That being said, I came to the 76 and was super pleasantly surprised that the prices were listed on the wall so I didn’t feel screwed like I do when I go to the places that seem to pick numbers out of thin air and add $ 0.95 to the number, could be done immediately, took only about 15 min, and he threw in a little discount. Awesome place! Will come back here for every smog check in the future.

This is my usual stop when my car is in need of a smog check. They are always incredibly helpful, fast, and knowledgable. Thanks guys for a great job.

Usually I dread going to auto repair shops, but my experience here was, I dare say, fun! The manager, Adam, is friendly, honest, and helpful. I only came in for a smog check, and he also gave an honest assessment of my car’s health– the resulting diagnosis was confirming I should sell. I appreciated that they didn’t try to pressure or sell me on additional repairs, but instead gave me guidance on how to price and list my car locally.
Surprisingly great experience– I would recommend them!

I’ve taken my car to California Auto Repair for oil changes and a smog test in the past but it wasn’t until my most recent visit that I thought about going there for auto repair. I’m so happy I finally did!
I had been going to an auto repair garage near my apartment for years but after several unpleasant situations and paying ridiculously high prices for repairs that often did not fix the problems, I knew I had to find another garage.
When I took my car in for an oil change at California Auto Repair I spoke with Adam and explained my frustration and what I had been dealing with trying to figure out what was causing my Check Engine light to go on. He didn’t try to sell his services but instead offered some advice, free useful advice about dealing with auto repair garages. He then told me I could drop off my car and he would take a look at it and quote the cost of repair at no charge. A few days later I decided to take him up on his offer and when he called with a quote, I accepted it because it was much less than what my previous garage had quoted me for the exact same repair.
Here’s the best part. Unlike the auto technician at my previous garage who cleaned out a line, charged me $ 100, told me if the light went on again (which it did) I would have to bring it in again so he could replace parts and then quoted me what it would cost if that did happen… Adam called me, explained what he believed was the problem, quoted a cost for repair, ordered the parts, made the repair, but then instead of just taking my money and sending me on my way, he wanted to make sure the repair would resolve the issue so he asked me to only pay a portion of my bill and then drive my car for a couple weeks. He said if my car was running well and the light didn’t go on again to THEN pay him the remaining balance but if the repair didn’t fix the problem, he wouldn’t charge me the remaining balance and would look into possible issues if I wanted him to. This is something the technicians at the garage I had been going to for the last 8 years had NEVER done.
In addition to his extensive car repair knowledge and skills, Adam is very personable and really does care about customer service. It was such a refreshing change from what I’ve experienced with other auto technicians in the past. I finally found an auto repair garage I truly feel I can trust.

Great price and great service! Went here for a smog inspection and they made the process as painless as possible. Definitely recommended.

Never had it easier with a Smog Check. Rolled right up, was greeted right away and my car right in and I was done in a flash. Adam and crew were super friendly and made it sooooo simple. Thanks guys!

Service was convenient, fast, and fairly priced. Adam was very helpful and friendly. Thanks!

These guys are awesome! Adam smog checked my car on Christmas Eve, was super friendly, and got the job done! Easy peasy!

Great service! The staff was so friendly and accommodating, also very flexible with times and they really work hard to get the maintenance done on your car in a timely fashion. Really glad that I found a reliable place that I can not only get my car serviced for oil and smog, but take care of other issues as well. They helped me with a nail in my tire as well as timing belt change.

I’m very unhappy with their smog service. The only reason I didn’t give 1 star is because the staff was fairly nice, however, they weren’t knowledgable enough with aftermarket cars and parts that comply with the California Air and Resource Board (CARB) rules.
They told me I needed CARB EO (Executive Order) stickers for my after market intercooler and the pipes associated with it. This was in-​fact false, my vehicle does not need these stickers because it falls into a category-​two CARB ruling, because my car’s turbo systems were still stock, I did not need a CARB EO number for this. They told me I had to have one, which was incorrect.
They told me I failed the PCV test, this shouldn’t have failed, after someone else looked at it, the referer station, they found it right away. They later told me they would have found it if they looked more, but missing both the PCV fail and failing me for that and the intercooler pipes together wasn’t good.
They did fail me on an aftermarket intake, which was in-​fact CARB legal and for my specific make and model of vehicle, however I didn’t have the sticker. There was no possible way for me to get this sticker as they recommended or replace the part entirely. The manufacture doesn’t make them any more. I even went to a shop to see if they could get a new CARB approved intake for my vehicle, no one makes them any more so I am unable to get any intake for this vehicle. On top of that, even the car manufacture themselves does not provide the parts any more. There is no possibly easy and sane way to get another intake for my vehicle. The referer station passed my intake just fine after looking up the CARB EO for my specific part.
While it’d be clearly better if the sticker was on there and it’s suppose to be. I’m not sure what else they are expecting me to do when there is no easy way for me to get this and there is no possible way for me to get this currently. I will bring the paperwork with me to a different smog station and explain the situation.
My car passes the emission tests with flying colors, however they dinged me on all of this and were straight up wrong on some of the items, PCV and the Intercooler CARB EO requirements.
I went to them because they were a dedicated SMOG station, I thought they’d know everything but they did not. They were at least helpful and sort of trying to lead me in the right direction, I appreciate that, but some of their information is just wrong and the referer station told me they need to re-​read their smog books. I paid $ 50 for this service.

Fast, easy smog check and Davis was super nice. Convenient location and well-​stocked mini mart (hello, Krispy Kreme!). I’ll be back for sure.

try somewhere else, they don’t answer the phone.

I called to get a quote for a smog test and was told it would cost $ 69.95 (plus $ 8.25 for the certificate). Worried that I may have been given a higher price because I am a woman I had a male friend call 30 minutes later. He was quoted only $ 59.95. Shady!

Great customer service, thanks Davis !
Easy in and out for smog check, great to see employees at the same place for 5 plus years.

NOT CLOSED! They are open for business. Thankfully!
I have taken my car to Davis (nice young Asian gentleman who manages the car shop) three times now. He is knowledgable, courteous and fast. And each time, I got my car back the same day. I get my oil changes here, my smog checks, and any repairs and tune-​ups. The price is more than fair compared to other car shops. I highly recommend Davis. He knows his craft and provides such exquisite service.

Ive been coming here for the last 5 years to get my car smogged.
The service is fast and it’s close to home so thats cool
Whats not cool, is trying to charge me $ 80 for a smog.
I’ve never paid $ 80 for a smog.
Soo. I told the young man, that I’ve been coming here for years, and that the price was too high, he was quick to give me $ 10 off.
Still $ 70 for a smog? Maybe I’m cheap…
So he dropped it another $ 10…
I gave them –2 stars for being shady and trying to get over on me.
I will go back only because its close to home and DMV and they know not to try and fuck me again.

I brought my car in for a smog check on Friday afternoon. It only took 15 minutes and they were very nice. It cost me $ 78.00

I’ve been here a couple times for oil change and once for a smog check. All 3 times no wait, no nonsense. Not lightning fast but not slow (about 20−30min each time). They even had the right oil filters for my 1997 Jetta.
Plus It’s nice for me cuz its close, you can grab some food on divis while you wait. Mmmm… cheesesteaks …

Let’s just say, when it comes to cars, I’m not very observant. I once had an engine light blinking pleadingly at me for 8 months before I took the car to the shop to get it checked out. My two wheels (a Giant road bike) takes me most places I want to go and I only drive about once a week, so I feel like the ol’ Honda should give a sister a break and not come up with expensive ailments.
This time it wasn’t the car’s fault though – it was smog check time, which comes around just infrequently enough that I forget completely and go scrambling to find a place 3 days before registration is due. So thank Vishnu for this no-​nonsense, efficient station right near home that ran the smog test and sent my results to DMV in the time it took me to get a juice at Herbivore. $ 70 total (vs. $ 90 at the Honda dealership) and one less thing on my insidious list of things to do on the weekend rather than hike and play.