Smog California Test Station

Was going to give this place 5 stars but the old lady in the office quickly changed that at the end.
I was paying after their fast service they gave me. She put my debit card in the chip holder and asked for me to put my pin in… I did and then the machine said to remove and it kept on beeping. So I removed it because it’s my card and thats what you do at any store that requires the chip. she then went on to stand and yell at me for touching her equipment. I told her the machine was informing me to remove my card. Well long story short I had to do it a second time and she asked for me to enter my pin… I asked her ‘wait now I can touch your machine?’ Initially I thought she was a nice old lady and it ended up her being a rude old lady. Was so uncomfortable and would never go back.

The only good thing I have to say is that they worked quickly. I was in & out in less than 20 minutes. They grabbed my keys & began working on it right away. I was there on a Monday afternoon.
I could kick myself for not checking Unilocal first! Customer service is non-​existent. The price on the board showed $ 49 when the elderly lady told be she was charging $ 57 I said «oh I thought it was $ 49» she snappily informed me of an extra fee. She was testy and snappish with another customer, too.
This place also charges wether or not you pass!
Go someplace else, there are cheaper places with much better service!

Scammers. I should’ve read the reviews first, but I took my car there last time I needed a smog and didn’t have any problems. WELL this time was a different story. If your engine light is on, YOU WILL NOT PASS SMOG. I did not know this. But they know it. And will happily smog check your car, fail you, and charge you $ 50 without mentioning first that they already know you’ll fail and should take it to a mechanic first.
The sad thing is that now they’ve lost my business and hopefully some of yours if you read this. I would have continued to go there if they had mentioned that I would fail first and told me to go to a mechanic. I would’ve gone there every time! So, they may have got $ 50 out of me this time, but they’ve lost my business for life. Honesty really is the best policy.

We have been bringing our cars here for years and have had no problems. Always quick and courteous. I went in this morning and it took about 15 minutes. Not sure what all the negative reviews are about. Would highly recommend this place.

I’ve been bringing mine and the wifey’s cars here for 5 years. Always courteous and easy to deal with. Highly recommend.
I cannot understand some of the negative sentiment posted by others here, I suspect some sneaky, sketchy competitors may have something to do with it :)

This place is legit. Especially the employee named Edwin. My car had many issues and he broke them all down for me and had patience with me when i started freaking out. it is not this places fault if the car fails the smog. ITS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO MAINTAIN YOUR CAR. dont get mad at them if YOU fail for lack of maintenance. This is my first car and first smog check and i wouldn’t go to anyone else. i left informed on how to fix my issues rather than pissed and confused. THANKS EDWIN, CHARLES AND THE YOUNG LADY AT THE FRONT DESK YOU REALLY MADE MY DAY FOR THE NEXT 2 YEARS: D

This place opens at 7:30 and is right across the street from the DMV. They got to my car right away, prices are decent, $ 57.00 for the smog/​certificate. If your an early person like me you’ll appreciate them being open a half hour to an hour earlier than everybody else.

Couldn’t be any better! Every 2 years I show up here (even though I’ve driven from as far as Carlsbad), because the speed, friendliness, and service are beyond compare!!! Once again, this morning, I arrived 10 minutes before they opened, and they tookk my car right in!!! I was literally in and out in 15 minutes!!! The woman who owns the place is a kick, and has vowed to be there forever. Sometimes I get a pang, thinking that I might have to go to one of the SCHISTER testers. Go here. You will not regret it!!! Right by the DMV and freeway, btw!!!

Don’t be fooled by the old shaky bitty! Who owns the shop. My car failed test and I was sent to a repair shop, they retested and it passed, no repairs needed. The old woman would not stand behind their mistake. I reported her to the bureau of automotive repair and successfully charged back the transaction with master card.

Awesome nice easy right next to the dmv

If I could give no stars I would. The old bitty and the front desk is nice as long as you are just handing over the money to pay for their test. They are more than most other places but it was convenient to my house and the DMV. I did not pass the test, took it to my mechanic and he could not find anything wrong. The old lady proceeded to argue with me about how my mechanic (who has been in business for over 60 years) didn’t know what he was talking about. They do the test for half price after you fail… Even if there is nothing wrong. What a racket!!!

I give this station 5 stars! I took my sons car in to get a smog today. They were friendly, fast and efficient. Nice and convienent location near the DMV. We were able to go right to the DMV and get the tags. I am very pleased and will be back!

Wish I had checked Unilocal first…
Couldn’t complete registration without a STAR smog Check. Went to a basic smog check before I brought it here and it passed without a problem.
Same as another reviewer (James), I take GOOD care of my car. Ever since it’s been mine, I’ve stayed on top of all maintenance work — oil changes, filters, tires, transmission etc.
Stopped to get breakfast before I came — Fruit and yogurt and a Bacon Biscuit still sealed, UNOPENED in the bag.
I set it on the passenger seat (again unopened) when they (Old lady and Evil Grandpa) told me it would only take 15 minutes and I was the only one there.
The man snatches my keys and takes My car behind the Old Lady’s desk to start the smog check.
Time passes and he comes back with a big smile on his face «Congratulations, you passed». The old lady cuts in and says «Just barely, your catalytic converter is going bad. That’s why your car is loud». The guy slams my keys down on her desk and walks out, she slams the paper and pen to the desk for me to sign. As if I wanted her nasty germs anyway.
My car made NO noise before I brought it in. After he’s done with it, it sounds like rocks in a tin can.
My car had no problems before I brought it to them.
I was irritated and just grabbed my keys to go. I look in my car. This man has opened my breakfast and dumped it all over my backseat. Yogurt and biscuit (now nothing but crumbs as he deliberately opened it and ground it into my backseat). Like a 2014 «Rick James» segment of a Dave Chappelle skit.
Don’t support these losers.
Take your car to a better smog check. You’ll be glad you did.
I’m reporting them to the Better Business Bureau.
They steal parts off your car to keep themselves in business.

I’ve taken my Corolla here both times it required a smog test and I’ve been very pleased with this business. The owner/​receptionist is friendly and professional. The waiting room is comfortable. And the guys who do the testing are super quick.
They do everything I would expect a smog test business to do.

**********************WARNING**********************
This establishment will NOT warn you ahead of time!
If your Check Engine Light is ON you will automatically FAIL their Smog Test, and will be forced to pay their service fee of approximately $ 50.00.
As a Retired Marine and Combat Veteran I would’ve expected better from this establishment. It is unfortunate to see this small business conducting operations in this manner.
*************CONSUMERS BEWARE*************
Do NOT bring your vehicle here if your Check Engine Light is ON!
Get your vehicle checked by your mechanic before getting any Smog Test done.

I’m going to make this as kind and simple as I can. Whatever is going on at this particular test station is immoral and simply wrong. If you have an extra $ 50 laying around that you want to just get rid of, then this may be an option for you.
My 2002 Ford Thunderbird is in MINT condition. I baby the hell out of it and always have. I brought it here because I was on my lunch break and it was convenient. When she said that it failed, I thought it was an April Fools joke. Cuz, it was April 1^st you see.
There isn’t an ounce of customer service or premeditated courtesy towards customers. It’s a assembly line of immoral money grubbing. My car was warmed up from the drive over, but not warmed up enough. Were they moral people, they would’ve suggested a quick jump on the freeway would fix the issue.
When I took it 30 minutes later to someone I actually trusted, it passed with flying colors. In the end, it is my fault for not warming it up enough. It is also my fault for not believing the reviews posted here. However, if they had one iota of decency, they would have been more helpful and offered a bit more advice. They simply alluded that I most likely need a new catalytic converter. Which is preposterous. They do this all day every day, they knew better. So what does that leave us with?
Someone who knows better and can better serve the community and their customer base, yet chooses the greedy alternative is grossly indecent. I implore you to bear this in mind before going here. Do whatever it takes to not give them anyone else’s hard earned money please! It’s not about me, its about all of us.

This place deserves 0 stars. If they weren’t across from the dmv they would be out of business. I knew my car wouldn’t pass smog but needed the proof that it wouldn’t to get the 60 day extension. Knowing I would need a retest I asked if they did a free retest, the lady at the front desk said NOBODY does. I told her I have been to 6 other smog places in the past few years and they all do. She said she should report them and I don’t know what I am talking about. The lady is extremely rude, and treats others like idiots. Avoid at all cost.

Mean old lady at the front desk not helpful when dealing with a stressful situation … It does have fast service

I never even got the chance to experience the service of the mechanics due to the fact that the extremely poor customer service that the owner displaced. The receptionist is in fact the owner. When I walked in she looked me up and down and asked how she can help me. From there I begun to explain to her that I have an out of state registration and that I needed to just get an emissions and smog check done so that I could reregister with my Illinois license (I am going to school here and my perm address is still in Illinois. I had already discussed with both the state of Illinois and California and it was perfectly legal for me to remain registered with an Illinois license and plates). Before I could even finish explaining my situation, the old cranky woman cut me off and told me that I must be registered and that it is illegal to attempt to do a smog test without being registered. I then went on to try and tell her that I’ve had contact with two officials from both states and she cut me off again telling me «they don’t know what the hell they are talking about, the law is the law» and threw a registration form and a pen at me. At this point I said I would call my contact and come back and she told me that I must register with her right that instant or I was going to get pulled over and my car was to be impounded. She then begun to yell louder that this is true for all out of state including military (which I know it is not). An attendant even looked in to see what she was yelling about and gave her the stink eye to the back of her head. At this point I just wanted out and wished her a good day. She continued to yell out at me about registering.
I have read reviews on this place after leaving and am glad I didn’t go through with the service. The only reason I picked this place is because it was by my house. DO NOT use this service.
Safe to say I went to a place in College area and had absolutely no hassle and the gentleman that did the service was extremely sweet and agreed that she was bat shit crazy and stuck in her ways.

I’ve brought our cars here over the last several smog checks. The lady at the desk is very nice, hardly ever a wait, and it’s hassle-​free.
The price seems fair and you know, the first time ever in California and my car failed? The lady was super nice to me since I was on the verge of tears in this scary state of California and all its rules and regulations, having to fix a good solid but 10 yr old car without having a job (yet) and all I wanted was my car registered, for the fear of getting arrested for having Foreign, i mean, out-​of-​state plates.
Oh for those that have taken in their car to get smog tested with the check engine light on? Well, according to CA law, they HAVE to fail you. So, make sure to have your car running for 20 min before going in, change your oil, and fix that check engine light. :)