SMG Auto Smog & Repair

Ok once again, I brought my Mercedes CLK320 to SMG Auto Smog and Repair. I spoke to his Brother Duke, to get a quote, he was friendly, had great customer service. They were really busy that week, and short handed because of vacation. I understood, but Peter stayed late the next day to give me a quote. This is a small business and, they really do work hard. Peter give you updates constantly, which is great. I was there longer than I thought, no, fault of theirs. I needed brake work, thought only pads, but needed rotors also. (dang). The reason I am updating, is because I just got a smog last time, and this time I am actually getting repair work done. You get a 1 year warranty on his work, not 90 days. Peter and his brother were really nice and professional. It is good to see Young Business owners. He has Ethics, Integrity and he’s honest. They do have a waiting room, and to my surprise bathroom was clean.
I am definitely a happy and returning customer.
Thanks Peter.

Was getting estimates to replace my starter a few weeks back & Pete was the first person I contacted as he came highly recommended by my AAA guy and I gotta say he didn’t disappoint. Not only did he get back to me in about a half hr. of contacting him via Unilocal (which was a big deal to me) but after days of shopping my job around to other mechanics as well he still had the best quote. Now in normal cars replacing a starter is not such a big deal & is something most people can do themselves but on my car the starter is located in spot that is not very DIY friendly. so was worried about getting railed with labor fees but Pete & the guys & SMG did a great job at a great price & got done even quicker then they quoted to me (5 stars All Day!!)

Want to here strictly because of the five star rating. Fast communication thru Unilocal.I was in and out in less than 20 minutes. Customer service was outstanding.

Best smog experience ever! Fast, affordable, friendly and trustworthy. Will definitely return.

The fastest smog test I’ve ever had and I’ve experienced many.
In and out just like that and excellent service. I will be back for future car repair needs.

Pete is AWESOME! I went to him for a smog on a car that I bought from another automotive shop around the corner. Well… because of the things that were done to the car before I bought it, I had to replace a few expensive parts. Needless to say, SMG was the one who got my business in the end! Pete worked with me from day one. He is a Buddhist and ABSOLUTELY lives up to those principles. He is very honest, never over charges, goes above and beyond to help the customer out.
I take both my husband’s car and my car to SMG. Pete’s right-​hand man, Anthony, is an awesome dude. He’s a total car guy and take pride in his work. =D I love it.
A few things that a person looking to go here needs to know:
BRING CASH.
SMG is a small business and gets charged Out.The.Nose to use plastic. You can use your card, but you will be charged a fee, I think. I’ve never done it. Pete always says just bring cash.
THIS IS A MAN’S GARAGE.
They smoke (probably), they cuss (probably), it’s filthy in the shop (always), but the waiting room is fairly clean. I’ve never used the bathroom, so I can’t speak to that. What do you expect? Meineke? This is NOT a chain. This is a couple of men doing hard labor with the utmost honesty and integrity. They are all cool dudes and work their tail off to make sure you are taken care of.
Like I said, they always go above and beyond and they have stayed late many a night working on my car. I am a rideshare driver for Lyft, so I bring my car in once a month to do an oil change and other things that need repair. I know that I have found a total gem in SMG.
I will NEVER go anywhere else.
BY APPOINTMENT
Schedule an appointment for goodness sake!
If you have an older car that you want to smog, call and make an appointment. It’s a garage and things go wrong so expect that something will come up and your appointment may be pushed back a few minutes, but you’ll be taken care of, don’t worry.
Bottom line: if you want great service, honesty, and a shop that will go above and beyond for you, this is the place. You will always be taken care of.

The most honest mechanics! They are straight forward, show you the old parts, work being done, etc! They deserve every one of their stars! Great work, fair prices and honest! What more could you ask for in an auto shop?

Very professional, friendly, and quick! Would highly recommend to anyone needing a smog check or auto repair work!

This place truly has the most honest mechanics I have ever met and have earned my business for life. I came in for a SMOG inspection after doing my due diligence and shopping around online, Unilocal,Penny Saver, ect. I chose them because they not only had the lowest price I could find but because their reviews were so numerous, consistent & positive. Now I see why…
My car failed it’s inspection for a number of reasons & each had a computer emissions error and code. Most places at this point would try to sell you on some computer diagnostic to identify the issues for a hundred bucks or many others simply hand you your fail slip and tell you that you can get a discounted or free re-​test. Pete took me around the car and explained in detail everything I needed to do in order to get it to pass. First the computer could tell my check engine light had been on at some point in the recent past and needed to be reset. (Just had to unhook the battery for 30 seconds and be sure to drive a minimum of 150 miles prior to retest.) Next, he new my specific make and model were prone to an error when the gas cap was not the factory original. (I looked online that night and this was a reoccurring them in the Mazda owners forums. I was able to get a factory original 2007 Mazda 6 gas cap at pick n pull for a couple bucks — the dealership wanted $ 48.) The last thing was an air intake hose that had been repaired with black tape & I had never even noticed. (Ordered the part on Amazon and paid $ 48 — the dealership wanted over $ 250 for parts and labor.) Pete explained clearly how and what I needed to do in order for me to pass which ended up taking me about 4 days and cost me a total of $ 52. I just came back in to retest and I passed! Like I said earlier any other SMOG place would have either attempted to profit off costly diagnostics & repairs or simply given you your fail paperwork if they weren’t performing any repairs. I will use these guys exclusively going forward for any auto repair or service that I need.

They were quick and efficient with my smog! Price is great too if you use the Unilocal discount.

Excellent service, professional and friendly.
I was driving my daughter to school when our car got a flat, Peter (the owner) personally helped us out and got us back on the road fast.
Thank you!

Who else is skeptical of auto mechanics because of bad (and costly) experiences they’ve had in the past? I have no need to look any further.
My A/​C system went out on my 2008 Honda CR-​V and had to be completely replaced. I saw the reviews for SMG on Unilocal were great so I decided to give them a try.
The service I received was impeccable. They explained everything very well and showed me the parts they replaced – something I look for in an honest mechanic. My Father-​in Law approved as well, and I trust his opinion since he was a machinist at General Motors for 25 years.
On top of all that, I had a minor issue come up with the A/​C six months later and they fixed it for free! I will be bringing all my business to them from now on.

Found this place on CL in a «mention this ad» basis for $ 21.75 & $ 7.25 for the certificate fee. So a flat $ 29.00 right, until you get there. I was informed upon arrival it would be an additional $ 2.00 for a «dial up fee» and if I was using a credit card/​debit card there was a fee for that as well. So I send my Husband there 2 weeks later and he mentions the same CL ad I used and some guy named Duke plays dumb, doesn’t utter word and just stares at my Husband. Long story short, my Husband ends up paying over $ 50.00 because apparently no one there knows about the CL ad. I went on CL and all evidence of the listing has been deleted. Not a very ethical or moral thing to do SMG… I will be passing up this business in the future.
(Footnote: chairs are all old and dingy, they burn very strong incense so both doors are left open for the breeze and my Husband said the bathroom was in NO way sanitary and needed to cleaned very badly).

Came here with a friend to get the car repaired for smog problem. The owner had the car fixed and passed the smog in ½ day! On top of that, he waived the smog fee and gave discounts for the repair. Highly recommend!

I’m going to come back and write a much longer review, but for now this is it.
True to their word, they are very generous, and they know how to market their business ;D

I found this spot through one of those vietnamese magazines… A smog place is just that… A place to smog my car… Well I was actually pretty blown away.
Friendly, clean, nice waiting area with comfortable seats… The kicker? The portable heater! I am in a crunch for time but had to get this done… Yet with a portable heater and comfy seat– i was able to take out my laptop to do some work while waiting.
I will definitely be coming back. Best smog service I’ve experienced thus far in all my smogging (i know thats not a real word… But you get my drift!) experiences.
Keep it up guys!

I love this place! At first I had my doubts as of anyone finding a new auto place/​mechanic to ensure your transportation is as reliable as can be without emptying your pocket book completely. Pete the owner sits down with you and gives you a run down of what issues you have with your car and ensures that would be the minimal work that needs to be done in order for you to get from A to B. Even after bringing in my car I asked for my shocks to be look at since they’re in there, they found the root of my clacking noise called me to say they can also fixed that too right away with an added on small fee and BAM! My car purrs like a kitten.
And a warm thank you to Anthony, a bit intimidating when I first met him, is one of the sweetest mechanics I’ve met so far, he’s very caring and assured me he will take care of my car.
I have found a second home for my car and future cars in Sacramento. Pete and Anthony, you two rock!!!

My big truck needs a new set of shoes. Thanks Anthony for always taking care of me.
For difficult SMOGs and repair Pete and Anthony are the go 2 guys.

I called in around 9:30am and they told me to come in at 1:30pm and that they would take care of me then with no wait. I showed up a bit early having finished my errands earlier than anticipated. They brought my car in early and took care of my SMOG in 20 minutes… I am the least patient person in the world and can appreciate when someone doesn’t waste my time. This is called ridiculously good service. I will return here for other services.
Thanks SMG and the staff.

These folks are amazing. Pete and Anthony are the most honest, courteous, respectful, down to earth people in the business. This is why, as a busy professional, I am taking the time to write this review for them.
Also, I write this as someone who is pretty fluent with car mechanics. A lot of times when I go to a shop, I play clueless to see what kind of nonsense they throw at me– from then on, I know whether I can trust them or not. Having said that, I own a 2003 VW, which had been giving me problems with passing smog for the past 8 months with a P4021 Code. In the 8-​month period, I actively worked on the car and took it to a number of «professional» mechanics in the Bay Area– where I am originally from. Let’s just say, they replaced relays, hoses, valves, and more– and with each repair, I was told to drive the car for 150 miles and bring it back to them to see if it cleared. THIS IS WHY the process took EIGHT MONTHS, because EACH TIME, the mechanics played trial-​and-​error, with my car as their guinea pig and each time I went back, it failed with the same exact code and less money in my pocket.
My wife was convinced we should just get rid of the car, even though it only had 47,000 miles on it. Everyone in my family was tired of this painfully tedious process, which they rightfully felt was devaluing everyone’s time!
When we moved to Sacramento recently, I decided to try this place out purely based on Unilocal reviews, and I’m glad I did. From the onset, they shared in my frustration and empathized with my situation and took on the challenge in a miraculously timely fashion.
Three things set them apart from other mechanics right-​off-​the bat. 1) Their honesty (you can tell right off the bat they’re very down to earth and genuine; and 2) Their guarantee (if the code ever comes back after they fix it, they’ll take care if free of charge; 3) THEY VALUE THEIR CUSTOMERS TIME!!!
What they did for me in 8-​days, was beyond what multiple mechanics failed to do for me in 8-​months, with less than fraction of the cost. When they fixed a part, they would drive the car and have the driving cycle recycle and ensure their work, BEFORE calling me to come and get the car. They did not anxiously throw the car back at me telling me to cross my fingers and drive it for 150 miles. They drove it for 150 miles, they ensured the codes were cleared, and they did the smog test– so when they called me, it was ONLY good news.
I don’t know how much I can highlight this matters to customers like myself, who are very busy in the professional world, and don’t have the kind of time to keep going back and forth during working hours at the mercy of an uncertain mechanic. This is why I am leaving probably the longest Unilocal review I have ever written for these folks. After telling my dad the VW passed smog, he said, and I quote him, «That’s the end of an era!». And it all happened in a couple of days at SMG Smog, because they treat you like a valued customer and literally bend over backwards for you. They stay after hours and work weekends to make sure your car is ready in a swift fashion. Pete personally kept his shop open for me to go pick the car up, because I got off work late. I cannot commend Pete and Anthony with their humble, yet professional virtues enough. I highly recommend them, they’re the real deal.