Illinois Emissions Testing Station

It’s emissions testing, nothing to get excited about, but this location is pretty good! Off the beaten path of traffic, several lanes to choose from, and even when they’re busy they seem to be really good at getting people in and out in a short or at least reasonable amount of time. Guy who tested my car was nice, he even got my door for me and sent me off with a «have a nice day, Miss».
Might be worth considering having a sign visible to the queues that says what you need to do when it’s your turn, might make it a pinch easier (not like it’s rocket science, but it could be nice for us noobs).

In and out in 10 minutes on a Monday at lunchtime. Can it get better than that? Do I need to describe the ambiance? No. I don’t think so. Nobody wants to come here. You come because you need to and if you get out quickly they’ve done an aces job. Kapooyah.

Worst test center ever. I had an employee take a work truck in to be tested and they failed my truck for a bad fuel level sensor code. This has absolutely nothing to do with emissions. When tried to call to explain this I would be put on an automated message that would hang up on me every time after about a minute. I guess it is another government agency so what more can you expect.

Was here today 4÷10÷2015 & The guy on lane 4 doing the test has always been nice. I was there for like 5 mins.

I hate spend time out of my life at this place, but these people make it as pleasant as emissions testing can be.
Employees were directing cars to the shortest lines and my «tester» knew his job.
I was in/​out in under 15 minutes. What more can you ask for, short of not having to go at all? And I realize the long term consequences of that desire, so I just thank the staff for making the experience a short one.
Thank you guys. Job well done!

Very friendly, polite, & efficient. From start to finish, I was there for maybe 5 mins

Quick, efficient, and not unpleasant. Not words commonly associated with the Illinois Secretary of State!

Yeah, yeah I waited until the last weekend of the month to go. I can’t go during the week, and every weekend this month has been a weather sh*t show, so this past Saturday was the first chance I got. I did expect a line, but given that you are able to check the wait time online, I figured I would be okay with a wait time of 10 minutes.
When I got to the facility, I saw that the wait time sign said 4. Yay! I drove my happy ass into the lot and drove straight. Then I realized I missed the waiting area and ended up where you exit the testing area. Huh? Came back around and saw that what I had originally thought was a parking lot (don’t know why they would even have one, but I was tired, so bear with me), was in fact the waiting line. Oh snap.
I waited a lovely 25 min to half hour, and of course, the woman who was doing the testing had some equipment problem, so there was a bit of a hold up to boot. Finally it was my turn. I waited in the booth (which is nice and warm) while she did her thing and I was cleared to go. Next testing date: 2015 (not that my car will last that long).
Thankfully you only have to do this every two years, but what a pain it is. There aren’t that many facilities around the area (the next closest is Elk Grove Village), so this will continue to be my go-​to and I’m fine with that, but please update your wait system, k?

This place is great, in terms of these tests. I’m always out in less than 10 minutes and find the staff to be friendly and professional. I’ve brought my dog with me both times and they were happy to see the furface.

Not a bad experience, actually. I HAD to wait until the very last minute to get this thing tested, so of course, it was the end of the month. I expected rediculously long lines, but no, I drove right into a stall. Whaaa? Yes. The guy tested the car, and I was in and out in a matter of minutes. Oh and, the car did pass! I would recommend this facility.
Forgive me for climbing up on my soapbox briefly, but I’m only giving 3 stars because I think this testing is BS. I work with a guy that lives in Yorkville, but never has to test his crap-​ass beater cars because he lives in «the country». So, cars out there don’t pollute? And, he drives in to his job everyday… in Downers Grove. I don’t get it, but that’s the state of Illinois for you.

What’s there to say? They are quick. Good enough for me.

Dear State of Illinois,
I’m cool with my car needing to be tested every couple years. I get it. You don’t want total junkers driving around polluting things more than usual.
And I must say, the people here have always been friendly to me. They’re doing their job, and they’re doing it as quickly and efficiently as they can.
I also understand that I should expect a long wait if I’m going to be visiting on a Saturday at the end of the month.
But my main quibble is with your wait time system. I called from about 2 miles away, and was told by the computer that the wait time was 10 minutes. Sounded doable. When I arrived at the station, the sign said 9 minutes, and then changed to 6. I was skeptical, given the large quantity of cars waiting, but decided to stick it out.
I waited 20 minutes. Twenty. Minutes. Who’s determining these wait times? I don’t get it.
Also, I would like to point out the irony of having two dozen cars or more idling and polluting the air at an emissions testing station.
In summation, while I appreciate the courteous service and the necessity of doing this in the first place, any improvement you could make to your wait-​time system would be deeply appreciated.
Many thanks,
Renita M.