Smog Depot

Sean is the man! Great service always consistent. Whether you need a smog check, alignment, or any other kind of work, this shop is trustworthy.

One of my favorite things is to go somewhere that I never been and have it live up to my expectations.
I called Smog Depot after finding a coupon online. The guy on the phone quoted me a price said to come right down there was no wait. I arrived to a clean but small shop and pulled right in. The two people behind the counter were polite and efficient and wasted no time getting my information so they could start my service even though the phone was ringing off the hook and they were pretty busy.
I have a 14-​year old van that requires smog test every renewal. I’m always worried that it’s not going to pass and cost me a billion dollars to fix. I guess it’s just in my nature to worry because only one time in the seven years that I’ve owned it has it failed and that was because the catalytic converter needed to be replaced.
Anywho, back to the point, I highly recommend this smoke shop if you’re anywhere in the beach area. They were honest quick efficient and I have zero complaints. That is a bonus!

We went to a smog place in Del Mar that couldn’t do the car smog and recommended us to a place on Encinitas he said they are trustworthy. Instead of driving all the way there I checked on my phone for a closer place and found Smog Depot in Solana Beach. I called and was told he would match the price of $ 53.75 with his coupon deal, same that Encinitas charges. He claims he told us in detail that a 1995 car may require another charge which neither one of us recalled but he says he says the same thing on all his calls. He did not say it would require it nor tell us the charge would be $ 73.00 total I was somewhat alarmed when he wrote the order up as already charging the extra charge before he gave order to technician. I questioned him on it and he says he always writes the order up that way and if the car does not require it, they will deduct it off the order. I would think if the technician sees the order and it looks like customer agrees to the charge he is going to do the work that is on the order. I watched and the car passed within the normal time when I get my car done, within 15 minutes but the $ 20. charge was applied. I called the Encinitas shop and they said the charge would still be the same of $ 53.75 for 1995 car with Coupon. I also called 2 other places and they quoted me $ 60.00 with coupon price for the older 1995 car. So we ended up paying about $ 73. which was supposed to include a $ 15. coupon discount. So we were charged up to $ 20. more by going somewhere closer at the last minute. I don’t think the order should be given to the technician with the extra work, I think if there was a problem and the car truly needs the extra work the tech would come into the office and say the car didn’t pass and would require that extra work and then have it added to the order. Shawn was a nice guy but I don’t agree with the way he works. I called him up to ask about that and he seemed to be a little defensive. We are women who really would like to find a good Auto place we can feel we trust and would be able to bring our cars too but unfortunately, we know for smog test, we will take our cars elsewhere and if we have a bad experience for a simple smog test, we can’t trust more major work being done there either. I see now by looking at the reviews, we were not the only ones who had this extra charge.

Staff is super friendly, no gimmicks, don’t try to make you do unnecessary work. Had some work done to find a issue with my evap system and they were more than helpful at a very competitive price compared to other shops for the same service! Great to deal with and I let all my friends know to visit smog depot!

Just had my second smog check by these guys– I called them, scheduled, showed up on time and they got me finished in 20 min. Awesome job guys!

Quick and easy. I was in and out in 25 minutes. Friendly service, convenient location. I would go back.

You would think just going to get smogged would not warrant a Unilocal. NOT TRUE! Sean and the guys at Smog Depot seriously helped me out with my car (which was determined to NOT be smogged). We got it done and they totally went out of their way for me. And you know smogging is not how they make their $$ so I would use them for alignment services or go to their brother shop, California Imports for other work as well. Also totally amazing service and great people at Cal Import, especially Mike. Thanks guys!

Easy-​peasy. I dropped my car off – a 2002 Mercury Sable – with no appointment at around 8:30 on a Tuesday. They told me it would be about 20 minutes, so I went for a quick run down the Highway 101 into Cardiff (gorgeous!). I got back about 30 minutes later and everything was all ready to go! They also send the certificate to the DMV for you.
DEFINITELY bring this coupon with you:
. Having $ 15 off makes it about $ 53, give or take, which matched up with all the other smog check places I looked into – otherwise it’s kind of pricey.
For comparison, someone recommended the Encinitas Smog Center to me, and I called them at the same time I called Smog Depot. It would have been $ 53.20 as well, but when there was a wait and the test itself would take about 40 minutes. No brainer!

Made an appointment, took car in on time and performed the smog check in 15 minutes. Doesn’t get any better! Thanks Smog Depot on Cedros.

I happened to be in the Solana Beach area for work, needed a smog check, and found this place via a quick google maps search. Super nice guy behind the desk, and I was in and out in 15 minutes! Fastest smog check I’ve ever had done. Thanks!

While getting a Smog Check is not on my list of favorite things to do, this place made it easier to run my errands last week. It only took 20 minutes to get in and out, got my smog check done in just enough time to grab a coffee down the street at Café La Boca. The lady behind the counter was very helpful and courteous.

I was very pleased today with Smog Depot on N Cedros in Solana Beach. I had searched online for smog test centers, found this one on
and got a $ 15 off coupon. I read 2 Unilocal reviews from 2011 — one 5-​star and one 1-​star. I was concerned about the price issue, so I called and verified the total cost (including the filing fees to DMV). The net cost to me was $ 55.20 and the work was done within about 20 minutes. Net-​net, I was pleased.

Friendly and fast but $ 80 for smog check? I didn’t know any better, and was shocked when they said the amount, and the guy behind the counter said Oh its because you have a «test-​only» requirement, so I went ahead and got it done. Looking online now I realize I could have had it done for over half that price! Next time I’ll do my research, but I won’t come back here.
Apparently (since I reviewed the wrong place — North Coast Alignment and they called me to tell me they are different businesses) there is some type of discount coupon online.

Three cars smogged here in three weeks. Excellent, fast service. If you really want to drag it out you can grab a bite at Claire’s while you are waiting! A+++++ to Smog Depot!