US Smog & Gas

Great and quick service. Came with a coupon and they honored the lower price. Staff was very friendly. No fuss smog check — as it should be.

years ago, U.S. smog & gas was an alternative when the gas station across the street was full. U.S. had competitive pricing.
now closed. not sure why.

What sharks! Do not support them. I see there are plenty of bad reviews for this company. I wish I’d researched before going there. My initial feeling when I drove up to have a smog test done to our vehicle was that the two men there looked very shady. But I was rushed and had to get it done. They charged me $ 70.00 — smog check failed and they said I could come back for a free check in 5 days — the Wednesday being the last day. On the receipt I see that it said pay $ 28.50 only for at my next smog check. How was that free — when I questioned it he brushed me away — «I take care of it, I take care of it when you come…» — Now my instinct was on full alert. Coming back the Wednesday they charge my husband FULL PRICE again saying we are day late of the 5 days! Of course he was in full protest but then they threatened to cancel tjhe whole test that had just been done. These guys should be put out of business. Real jerks.

DO NOT BRING YOUR CAR HERE. THEY WILL RIP YOU OFF. They will take your car in knowing that you check engine light is on (which is and automatic fail) and charge you for the smog and fail you. DO NOT TRUST THESE GUYS AT ALL.

Review for smog check.
Unfriendly, shady, and over priced.
I paid $ 90 for a test and didn’t realize this wasn’t the norm until I talked to my friends. That was my bad for lack of research but I won’t go back there even if the retest is free. I’d rather pay $ 40 and trust I’m not being cheated.
The test failed and I’m pretty sure it was because of some shenanigans. The mechanic spent a lot of time looking under the hood and I got a bad feeling. The emissions were ok but the functionality test failed. I asked him what it meant and couldn’t give me a straight answer. He then quoted be $ 95 to make an adjustment in order to attempt a retest. I declined.
I’m taking it to get tested at a more reputable, test only place.
AVOID THIS PLACE

They are a rip off. Went in for smog test. Had me sign a slip for the smog test in advance, but left off the price. Everywhere it is less than$ 50 for smog test and certificate, so i did not ask for quote, assuming it would be market. When I came back for car, I find out that they have filled in $ 79 for the test and 10 for the certificate. Sleazy, but they had keys and would not adjust when I complained that it was double the going rate.

I have to echo every other 1 star review posted here. I am a neighborhood resident and have been going here for years to purchase gasoline. However, yesterday, after a most unpleasant experience I no longer wish to give them my business and I feel you should know about it too. So here’s my story:
The truck itself passed the tests, but the tech tried to tell me my catalytic converter did not meet specification because he could not read all the numbers on it. Then he accused Ron’s Muffler (down the street) of selling me a faulty part, insisted that they replace this one and asked me to produce documentation that the part met specification.
So I went to Ron’s, produced documentation, and then still… in their righteousness, and rigid interpretation to the current California smog laws, US Smog & Gas would not reverse their decision on my test results.
At this point I was upset by their judgment. I believed I had wasted my time and money with them. My next step was to go across town to Bauer Automotive on University who was friendly, professional, less expensive. They produced my certificate with passing mark with no hassle!
Afterwards in one final attempt of reconciliation, I revisited US Smog one final time to tell them (after almost 4 hours and $ 150 dollars spent) that I had passed this smog test. Of course, I also mentioned that I would like my money back.
Not only did they refuse to refund my money, but they threatened to put Bauer out of business for «breaking the law «. This was said my the manager to me while he was yelling at me as I drove away!
I usually do not write reviews like this, but the degrees of inflexibility, righteousness and hostility with which I was met exacerbated by the amount of time and money I wasted in the process motivates me to warn you to take your business elsewhere. I have also filed a formal complaint with the Bureau of Automotive Repairs.

AWFUL SERVICE! BE WARNED!!!
Please, take my advice, and do NOT go to this place for anything. They are shady and I am in the process of reporting them for unfair business practices. I came here for a Smog check and was ripped off and treated unprofessionally. I payed over $ 90 (including taxes, fees, etc.) because I was unaware of what other places charged and was in a rush that day. Well, sure enough, after I researched a bit (and talked to others who couldn’t believe I paid that much), I realized that the regular rate for a Smog check is $ 40 – 50.
That’s not even the bad part, folks. Realizing that they charged me way above market value for my Smog check, I called the owner and asked how much they normally charge. Instead of quoting me a price, he asked — how did you hear of me? (Obviously, their prices are inconsistent.) I responded: through Unilocal and he said: «Oh ok, I’ll give you a great deal». .. and proceeded to quote me somewhere around $ 49. I then explained to him that I was just charged twice that the day before, and that I’d appreciate a refund (or at least a discount next time I was in), and he got VERY defensive and yelled at me! He explained that I had signed the paper and that it was just too bad that I had agreed to pay his price («I never said my prices were fair» he said?!”) He is in customer service and THIS is the way he speaks to his customers? I couldn’t believe it!
I was naïve enough to trust this guy and got ripped off, but please, BE WARNED and DO NOT go to this place. He yelled at me and was out right offensive (and, mind you, continued to yell at me for a few minutes — I guess he has nothing better to do?) Teach this guy a lesson and do NOT go to his business. Hopefully, in time, he’ll be gone. Help support good, professional businesses and NOT this one. Thanks.

Advise to the wise: (now that I am wiser :-/​
TAKE YOUR $$$ ELSEWHERE for a smog-​check /​petrol.
Reasons:
It’s usually «Mr Surly & Cranky Central-​Station» there.
But alright — for a few moments I can tolerate that. (I mostly pay cash) — still — it’s NOT pleasant at all.
I sometimes stopped by there to get petrol (depending which direction I was going) — but only when Chevron (opp side of Ashby/​Shattuck) was too crowded or too expensive.
Simply: Customer service non-​existent.
Often I noticed arguments between cashier and customer.
Today though I went for a smog-​check since they advertised 20 $ when you purchase gas. Ok — I will give it a try.
The chap you run the test seemed accommodating /​nice enough. Had asked him about the rate and was told: 79 $. Ok — more than I budgeted for — but w/​20 $ off, I’d be fine.
When I went to pay — it was suddenly 88 $ … AND they did not honor the 20 $ deduction for the gas.
I should have told them before that I request the 20 $ OFF — and the other reason for the increase is: Certificate fee.
he he he … how funny is that?!
I asked for the total price up-​front and really do not appreciate when all these add-​ons are getting slapped on after the deed is done.
to me this is deceptive and I certainly will NOT go back there, not even for petrol.
I’d rather pay a few pennies more and take my business elsewhere.

Probably the closest and cheapest gas station from the freeway. When you don’t want to sit in stop and go BAY AREA traffic since you afraid you will run out of gas, you stop here.
You put your credit card or debit in the machine, gas up, clean windshield if need be, then bounce. Pretty standing procedure for filling up your tank with gas.

I came across this station a few years ago and man, it is a great place for your car. I was actually kind of nervous that my car wouldn’t pass when I brought it into the station (being on a college budget limited my ability to maintain my car), but after I left my car there to do some shopping at the Berkeley Bowl, I was actually surprised when the technicians there actually made my car pass!
I was absolutely thrilled! Since then, I always take my car to this outlet for its great service. The technicians and management are always friendly and enthusiastic to make the extra effort for your car. I highly recommend this place, especially to the college students who are struggling with their car maintenance like me. When you go though, make sure you ask for Andy. He’s one of the best car technicians there and he is always willing to go the extra mile to make sure your car runs smoothly. Not only that, he’s a great conversationalist!

Can you say minus zero stars and **BOYCOTT**? If I ran out of gas right in front of this place and had $ 500 CASH I would push my empty a** vehicle right past it. I am low income and of very modest means, went here and was turned away with CASH because it was less than $ 5. In America MONEY is MONEY — period! WTF!!!
I have been living and shopping in this neighborhood for many years long before there was a US Smog and Gas and will probably be here, God willing, after it becomes something else. If they won’t take my cash at the end of the month when I’m broke and have little to spend I won’t be spending any money there at the beginning of the month when I have enough money to fill up — Talk about alienation!!. This neighborhood may be undergoing gentrification but there are still a great many low income people living around here. I noticed they recently installed a Plexiglas window fitted with a metal speaker vent between them and the public since I was by there last. I pulled up just in time to see a woman cursing out the attendant before hopping into her car and speeding off. The folks that run this place seem to be doing a great job building «good will» in the community. Go anywhere else to get gasoline and your smog checked but don’t go here.

Please, never go here. I hope the management reads this because the fact that you’re still in business is a total anomaly.
If I could give them NEGATIVE points, I would. Rather than waste more time describing the problems with this establishment at length, I will list all of their cons.
1) Prices are inconsistent. I just walked in to purchase an item, one that I purchase every day, and the price varies. When I asked the cashier about the price discrepancy (literally, I was there yesterday), he just got angry and said THIS IS THE PRICE. I told him I would take my business elsewhere.
2) The cashiers blame the customers for everything. There pumps frequently don’t work and they always act like the customer is stupid and incapable of operating a gas pump.
3) The employees are surly. Did I mention that the people that work there are mean, and seem to have contempt for the customers? The manager is the worst of them all. You’d think that we were stealing their money instead of purchasing their products.
4) ANECDOTE. Their pumps were out of service, after I used my last bit of gas to pull into their station. It was raining, hard. Not only did they keep blaming me for improperly using the pump, every single customer had the same problem and they kept blaming us. Not only did they make us BUY a gas can to use, we had to stroll across the street to use it. Not a smile, not an apology, just a bunch of mean spirited business people.
NEVER, EVER GO HERE. Support a business that actually cares about your patronage. You won’t find that here.
Ugh, I am so frustrated with this place.

Once I mentioned I’d review the station on Unilocal,Mr. Kahn more than stepped up to provide extremely thorough, reasonable service. He chipped in air conditioner fluid, an education on the different aspects of a smog check and water for free while only once reminding me to post to Unilocal:)
For the smog test & certificate, a gas cap (yes, I actually left mine on the roof of my car and took off one day… d’oh!) and a general look see, I paid $ 91.90 and only waited a few minutes for service. The whole shebang took around ½ hour.

If there was a zero star, I would give it that.
On the way to work, on the freeway, the hood starts bouncing up and down, I had to cross three lanes of traffic to get off, my heart pounding. They hadn’t bothered to actually shut it. Morons.
plus, when I went to pick it up, it was 1. in a handicapped only spot, next to the street 2. the windows were rolled down, 3. my key was in the ignition and 4. I had a backpack on the front seat. When I pointed this out, they said — «don’t worry, we were keeping an eye on it». Steer clear, they are terrible.

They have cheap gas. But I completely agree with the other reviewer who commented about the negative vibe. Negative and shady.
I went to get my oil changed. They have a deal where they say it’s $ 20 or something, and it’s close to my house. When he went to do it, he was like, «well, I’ll DO the oil change, but your car looks bad. It looks like it’s going to break at any moment.» I asked why and he said because it’s leaking oil. It’s been leaking oil for years, like many old cars; I just make sure to fill it up and have oil in the trunk.
Then he shows me why he thinks it’s leaking and offers to fix it for $ 120. I said I thought that they weren’t a service station, especially since they’re a test only smog check station. He said that they’ll offer to do little things here and there. Shaaadddyyy.
Anyway, I went to pay and the guy insisted on paying in cash, and I didn’t get any paperwork or sticker from them. Then the guy stopped my car and opened my door to talk to me on the way out – I think he wanted a tip or something.
On top of this, the customer service was very poor. They are definitely shady. I will never ever EVER take my car there again. If you’re looking for a good cheap oil change, the 76 on Grand and Mandana in Oakland is the same price, $ 19.95 (plus the fees it’s about $ 24), and they change all your fluids. Or there’s a quick one advertised for $ 29 on 51^st right off the freeway.

This place sells gas and is also a smog check facility. This review is for the smog check service (as most negative reviews seem to be).
You definitely don’t want to have a smog check in this place if you have a stick-​shift. And even if you don’t, I doubt it will be a straightforward, honest transaction anyway.
I took my car for a test, and was told to come pick it up later in the day. The car failed, and when I reviewed the data, I realized that the 15mph portion of the test (the one that failed) was conducted at 2500 rpm, much higher than in past tests. I drove the car back to the test station and asked why the rpm were so high. I was given a number of nonsense excuses, and when I explained why they were not valid (I am an engineer), the attendant became defensive. I said I wanted to have the car re-​checked in my presence, but again was met with all kinds of subterfuge, such as claims that cars already on the lot had to be tested first (the cars remained on the lot for several weeks after the fact). I was told to come back later in the day, which I did, only to find the attendant snoozing in his car. Even then, he claimed to be too busy to run the test.
I eventually drove off, and had the test completed at ACE at San Pablo and Ashby, where the car passed the test, with a much more reasonable 1800 rmp at 15 mph (no work was done on the car between the two tests).
I doubt I was able to get one straight answer out of these guys the entire time I was dealing with them, and of course I never got anything for the $ 70 I paid. You might want to save yourself paying for a frustrating experience by going someplace else.

Caveat emptor! The gas is cheap but the place has some negative vibes going on. The cashiers seem to treat customers with contempt, barking directions to pump gas, getting a token for the air machine, etc… I would take all this in stride since I don’t go to the gas station to make friends but I still upset how they did a bait and switch with my wife.
We brought in our minivan for an oil change a few weeks ago. They have large signs advertising the $ 20 special. When she got the bill it came to $ 39. They said it cost more due to a 6 cylinder car. Please! A 6 may take 1 qt. more oil than a 4 cy. car. To double the price was just shady. If they charged a few bucks more for a larger car I could live with that, but these guys are just greedy.
Perhaps it was a sign when the station burned down last year.

I guess karma finally got this place since it seems to have had a fire. I took my car there for a smog check before the fire. The smog checker seemed nice, and told me the price was going to be $ 79. When he finished he gave me the bill for $ 99. When I asked him about the price difference, he said that was the price «including the certificate». After a drawn out argument he reluctantly said he would lower it to $ 89. What good is the smog check without the certificate?
I give the place two stars only because he brought out a chair for me to sit and wait.

Really, I would like to give US Smog & Gas 5 stars. So why only 4 stars, you ask? Well, to be fair, I’ve only purchased gasoline and water here, and never used the Smog service.
Their gasoline is consistently the least expensive gas in the Berkeley area, and I have been purchasing this inexpensive gas for almost 3 years. That means they were even inexpensive BEFORE gas escalated to near-​Starbucks prices. They are cheaper than Arco and, if you pay in cash, it is even LESS THAN COSTCO. I found this out the hard way… after I bought a tank of gas at Costco, then drove by and saw it was 3 cents cheaper at US Smog and Gas. NOTE: I live several miles from Costco and 1 mile from US Smog and Gas. *scowls at having wasted precious gas getting to Costco only to pay more per gallon*
The guy that works behind the counter is genuine and kind. In other words, he wasn’t born in this country… so please be nice to him… and don’t yell at him if you choose to use your debit/​credit card and, thus, don’t get the cheapest price per gallon.
(psst…don’t tell anyone, but I think Unilocaler bikash a. might be the guy who works beind the counter here… read his review, then go buy some gas there and see if you think so, too!)
Oh, and if it matters to you, I buy the 87 octane and it performs well in both a Lexus sedan, as well as a Honda Accord.