Samo’s Smog Check

Went to DMV today for registration and tags. January smog check done and nothing on DMV system. Interesting??? He was more expensive than normal place but needed asap.
Long story short, I asked he check his records to help me out as I am not in the area and at DMV, he decides not to help me out now and to call back in an hour. I’m at the DMV??? C’mon, bad customer service and non-​reporting is not acceptable. Get it done!

I’ve been coming here for the last 10 years without a problem… until recently. This time the owner claimed that my vehicle would not pass. Wouldn’t pass that is unless I bought him lunch. So for cash on top of the normal charge my vehicle magically made the grade. No more for me. A word to the wise, if you plan on coming here better bring an extra $ 15 or so just to make sure that your car passes.

Love this place and wont go anywhere. Used this guy for years. Had to smog 3 cars within the last 1yr and he is efficient, fast and truthful. 1 did not pass… the other 2 did. He does not waste time on his cell phone or walk away and talk to other people. He helps you asap. I love this place and will never go anywhere else. I have been the first customer and sometimes the 3^rd. He will always acknowledge you… he works fast and quickly. He is the best! Paid $ 50 today, passed… about 10min and I was out the door… yes!!! Thanks… you rock!

Samo’s is a great place to do business, specifically, in getting a car smogged. He is HONEST, and won’t cheat to get a car passed when it clearly violates the law. Which I APPRECIATE, though a few of you may not.
The owner is a young, friendly guy who is eager to please, and get you through the process as soon as possible. Give him a try! He is a legal immigrant who seems to have easily absorbed the American desire to own and run his own business. Have a great 4^th of July!!!

I have been going to Samo’s for 10 years but no more. The owner decided to move my car with the hood up from one stall to another. And he hit the wall. I told him I needed his insurance company information. He refused to give it to me. He told me to bring my car to his smog shop the next day and he would have it fixed. I’m going through my insurance, they can get the money from him. I won’t be returning.

Don’t pass the first time? Pay us again! That should be the motto for this place. Go to Auto Check on Grand Ave they’re nice, fast and all PASS the first time.

The place was fast and friendly. The service was quick and easy. prices were the best around, they even have coupons in the penny saver which makes them EVEN cheaper. 4 stars because my rig didn’t pass. nothing personal.

The DMV never got the electronic approval certificate from this place. If you want a copy of the approval certificate you have to pay. I have never had an issue before so I just took the receipt for payment and the electronic certificate. When I called to see if i could get a copy of my approved smog for the DMV (since they didn’t get it) I was told I had to come in. When I did that I had to wait for all the cars to be checked before he would even attempt to look up my check (I had already paid for and waited for previously). He was rude and unhelpful. I will not come back here even though they are quick and affordable. It’s not worth the hassle.

Came for a smog in November and waited an hour and a half or 2 hours only for them to tell me they couldn’t smog it. Their excuse was that the machine was faulty, even though there were 2 cars before me. They said they had to call a tech to repair the machine. I said okay I’ll try again another day.
I came back a month later and he asked me if I fixed my problem. Wtf? I didn’t have any problems to begin with. I didn’t even get any results because they claimed the machine broke. The guy looked really surprised like I caught him in a lie. He started yelling something in a different language and another guy came over. I had no idea what they said but at the end of the conversation he said he wouldn’t be able to smog it.
I asked again why they can’t if my car didn’t even need anything fixed. He said I don’t know. Then he said another shop can probably do it. This made no sense to me so I asked him to explain to me why he can’t. Somehow his «I don’t know» answer and «broken machine» excuse turned into a story about «the speed being too high and the rpm skipping.» He got really mad that he had to explain to me (for the first time) why he can’t smog it and started yelling «I already told you I already told you.» He walked away from me without saying anything else.
Total bs. I bring all my cars here and have been for 8 years now. This guy must’ve thought I wanted him to «pass» it or something. Either way they were total jackasses about everything and just didn’t want to smog my car. I’ve taken it somewhere new since and have had no problems.
So that’s that. Fuck you guys.

I paid these guys 50 $ for nothing!
Brought my truck here for a smog check, tech told me my timing was off so it failed the smog. I checked the timing myself and it was correct. I also had a mechanic check it and he confirmed it was correct.
I took it back to Samo’s and the same tech still insisted my timing was still off… I paid
I took my truck to another smog place and it passed. DO NOT go to Samo’s they are scammers and will not listen to what you have to say. I even showed the paper work from the mechanic but he didn’t want to see it.

This smog station has the latest smog equipment that hooks up to the OBD port. There wasn’t a long wait. Staff was super helpful and friendly.

Everyone here is so polite.
There’s never a long wait when you go. The cost is cheap too! It’s so worth it. I’ll always go to Samo’s because it’s worth it !

GOOD PLACE IF YOU WANT TO PASS A CAR THAT IS NOT YOURS. Long story short– the DMV sent me the wrong registration papers– the car that was listed on the smog was similar to mine but the license plate and several other factors didn’t match. My car was smogged and a few days later I realized that although my car was smogged, the paperwork stated the wrong information. I paid for my smog check and even tipped $ 15 in addition as gratuity. I went back and was basically told that I needed to repay to have my smog– no apology was offered. I showed the mechanic there the paper that he signed when my car was passed and pointed out that it didn’t match my vehicle information-​he stood there quietly with a blank stare. I thought checking to assure the right car is being smogged is part of the procedure so some fault should have been acknowledged but wasn’t.Now I’m about a total of $ 60 and took my car elsewhere as I found their costumer service poor and attention to detail non-​existent. Many other places in the area-I’d recommend those.

I called prior to going and the guy on the phone was very polite and let me know that he only has one other customer so I can come on down. Asked what car I will be driving so he can expect me.
I thought the smog check would take longer at first but the technician told me «it’ll be done in 10 minutes». And it was! Soo quick and good service!

I’ve been coming to Samo’s for years. Prompt service, great work. I won’t go anywhere else.

Never know what hours will be. I went there today to get a smog check There ad claims they are open until 4pm on Saturday. I was there just after 2pm and he told me he only had one more smog to do and then he would close and would not smog my vehicle today. I will not be back.

Made a call, said they were open, showed up 10 minutes later and they took my car right away, walked out 15 minutes after all done. Super quick, nice guys, very easy.

reasonable. quick. easy. painless. that’s how i like my smog tests.

Fast, professional, and trustworthy. I don’t know what Chris K is complaining about. Does he expect the guy to work for free? That equipment is pretty expensive to maintain. The signage clearly states the fees and policies. Almost every smog place I’ve ever been to charges for fails and half of them charge a discounted rate for the second test. I have had 9 vehicles tested there and have never had a problem.