Arroyo Smog Check and Royal Car Wash

I stopped by on Valentine’s Day just after they opened to get a car wash package with a spray wax. $ 34.99. I asked the gentleman who was writing my order if it was ok to leave the car while I went next door and had breakfast with my wife and little girl. He said it was no problem so I went inside and paid and headed off to breakfast. They were not busy at all. There was only one other car that was there and it was done and waiting. When we finished breakfast, we headed over and got the car. Now, I have been here before and had always gotten a good car wash, so I didn’t even think to inspect the wash to see if they had done a good job.
We drove up the street to old town Pasadena which, if you are familiar with the area is only a mile or two. That’s when I noticed all the dirt and missed spots.
Very disappointed. I posted a couple photos to show a couple of missed areas. I felt the cars paint and it didn’t feel like they even did the spray wax. I know a spray is not the same as a good hand applied carnuba wax, but, it should have felt smoother than it did.
Highly disappointed. It’s feels like they cut corners because they knew I wasn’t around to watch them.

Arroyo Smog Check business closed on Dec. 1, 2015. I’m sad, such a nice smog check place.

You will not find a better place for your smog certificate fast and efficient!

The tech Jose is very friendly and does a quick and efficient job. Definitely recommend to anyone in the Pasadena area. Thanks again Jose!

Great experience, will be coming back! Joe was friendly and quickly took care of my smog check. I called ahead to let him know I was on my way over, and he pushed his lunch back to accommodate my schedule. Great service!

This review is ONLY for the smog check service. Joe gave me a discount because he had asked me to stop by the day before (and was not there when I showed up). His Mom had had an eye emergency. He’s very humble and I saved $ 20 bucks, plus my car passed so I can’t complain.
Tip for women! If you get nervous about having to drive around back behind the car wash and stand around in a testosterone filled environment for 20 minutes — my recommendation is to go hang out in the Italian diner where the other customers are. The whole place is not all that hot diggity but no one bothered me so I’ll return again. Also, I would recommend not wearing heels with all the variations in flooring.

words cannot explain how easy my man vartan made this whole process
he is such a nice and honest man… at times u feel like u r his family… he takes great care of u.
this whole process seemed stressful… but when i came! in vartan was the man… he came over and greeted me and immediately made me feel welcome and like it was no problem.
if u start to stress when u recieve the star certified smog check paper… dont, because there are honest and great people like vartan to help u.
honestly the best experience ever with a mechanic or smog place.

Worst place ever! Horrible people, horrible service! Your car will never get cleaned.
Always a long wait. they wash your car when it’s convenient for them! Who does that?
Ran by a bunch of ignorant non English speaking a#%%^holes.

Been twice, been pleased twice. Today was really amazing though. I brought in my filthy car– dog hair, mud, and a piece of gum stuck to the rug. Another car wash turned me away because I wanted the interior of my car cleaned in 3 hours and they claimed that it would take a full business day. Royal cheerfully too on the task and said it would take an hour. It ended up taking about two hours, but my car looked brand new. Unbelievable. The whole team was super nice and gracious– 100% perfect experience.

Came by on a Sunday for a smog check. Called about 30 minutes before they closed and tech. Jose said he’d wait for me — awesome service… I was in and out in 15 minutes. I would highly recommend Jose to other customers. Jose had an awesome attitude and great sense of humor.

The guy who took my order was a bit rude. The rest of the staff was nice and did a great job washing my car. I was very surprised that they have a café that doesn’t serve coffee but has and extensive Italian menu. Didn’t eat here, maybe next time.

Nicest service and best place to get my car washed when I have no time.
I just wish the early bird special applied on weekends!
I love how they make my car sparkle like new again. I haven’t had a wash for maybe over a month and since I leave my car out, it gets exposed more to dust and stuff.
This place inspires me to be clean.

The Smog check equipment was not working when I pulled up, and they gave me attitude when I asked when it would be up and running… maybe you should learn a little customer service!

Do NOT get a smog test here. Their equipment is not maintained and gave me a false fail reading. I went to another smog test station right after going here and my car passed no problem. I showed the second test station the failed test and they said the reading didn’t make sense since only one factor was above the limit (and it was extremely high), and most fail readings have multiple problems when that number is very high. They said that reading was due to poorly maintained and uncalibrated equipment. Don’t waste your money.

Car was nearly as dirty as when it got there — bird droppings not cleaned off, windshield streaky, leaves not cleane out from between the hood and windshield area, line of dirt going down the middle of the roof (don’t know how that got there). All around fail and a complete waste of my
money.

The people who wash cars at Royal Hand Wash are thieves.
I had a brand new unopened pack of cigarettes stolen from the passenger side door compartment. I reported it to the manager who was on staff at the time but he accused me of not remembering if I actual had the pack there or not. Believe me, as a nicotine addict, I always know where my next smoke is and that pack was stolen. If they will steal a lousy pack of cigarettes what else will these thieves take out of your car!
If you go to this car wash, do not leave any valuables in your car unless you do not mind them being taken and then accused of not knowing what you actually had in your car.
I will never go to this car wash again!

The first time I came here it was great but since then the quality has gone down bit by bit. They also raised the prices substantially. The early bird is now $ 9.99. And the regular is $ 13.99. They also serve food here but I have yet to see anyone order anything. The menu is quite extensive and the seating is nice.
My car wash was really horrible. There were still little yellow and white spots all over my car. Just spent the last half hour wiping my car down. Not happy. And not going back.

I loved how clean my car came out with the Silver Wash. They paid attention to detail inside and out. I was VERY happy with our decision to come here!

Went in because of the good reviews for the car wash but they did a HORRIBLE job. I had water marks all over my car from improper drying and my carpets were not even vacuumed properly. I mean my car only has 2 seats so it takes half the time of a 4 door car so there should be no excuse for such a poor job. I told the guy at the end it was not vacuumed properly and blew some compressed air inside and said «yeah it is clean». Go elsewhere for a car wash where they will do a better job.

These guys run the best car wash in Pasadena, no question. Henry (who will no doubt greet you when you get there) is helpful, friendly, and attentive. All the guys work super hard and do a great job on the finish detail at the end of the wash. If your car is low to the ground or has sweet wheels on it, they’ll do a nice hand wash for you.
Their detailing services are also great. They’ve done hand waxing and polishing on all of my cars. They do a fantastic job, (even on black cars)! Interior shampoo and detailing is also top notch.
I also have my car smogged there and they’re quick, efficient, and the pricing is totally fair.
Only thing you have to watch out for is making a u-​turn on Arroyo. Watch out or you’ll get nabbed by a Pasadena bike cop!