Smog Check

$ 55 for a smog check. I was in and out in 25 minutes. The waiting room could use an update and more comfortable chairs. Avoid coming at opening times on the weekends.

Fast efficient accurate. that is all i am looking at with a smog place. great work

Went on a Saturday right at 9am, when they opened. Long line already, didn’t want to wait behind about 8 – 10 people. I drove right over to another shop at Soquel over crossing and HWY 1, no waiting, I was only person, in and out in 15 min and for less money than this shop posted. I can’t really comment on service, since I left, so I gave 3 stars. When I asked how long the wait would be, all they did was point to many, many cars and say, «all these cars are ahead of you.» That didn’t really answer my question.

Fast, convenient, professional smog place! If recommend to a friend. I like this place!

I went in for a smog check and didn’t pass because of my thermostat. They fixed it in a timely manner and for a reasonable price. No complaints.

I needed to get my car smogged and I walked right in and they did it. It didn’t take very long and the woman at the front counter was very nice and gave me great customer service.

There are some good reviews for this place, and I can understand that if you bring in a late model car, and you get in and out paying 43 bucks, sure you will be happy, but if your car is a little older you may not cruise through the process, and it’s gonna cost you big time if you fail, first off they have you by the short hairs, and you are liable to pay way too much to replace a little vacuum hose, and you will pay again to retest it. They failed my Toyota truck because it had an oily stain where the carb manifold bolts to the engine, he said «that’s a fuel leak» bullshit, they wanted an obscene amount to do work that didn’t need doing, The stain was greasy oil, not fuel, I wiped it clean and took it to another place that passed it with no issues. This place is waiting to fleece you. Go elsewhere

SAVE YOUR MONEY. Do not go to this place. They failed my car and took almost 2 hours to tell me after they decided it was going to fail right at the start of the inspection because of some BS that my car had the wrong catalytic converters. The car has always passed with no issues at other smog facilities. In fact. the very next day I took my car to another smog facility and it passed with no issues. If this place wants to stay in business they should be a pass or don’t pay facility.

Bad, rushed service. I wouldn’t go here if I could help it. The people aren’t friendly and they over charge for their services.

This was the first time I’ve used their services. They were pleasant, efficient and after a passing smog check I was out of there in 20 minutes. Buyer beware: If your car does NOT pass the smog check, you will be required to pay additional fees for the re-​check. Most places don’t require you to pay on a re-​check after you’ve had them perform the work. If you’re confident your vehicle will pass the inspection, save yourself some money and go to Smog Check on Soquel.

I love this place get in get out nice folks nothing special in the waiting room but sit out side on a nice day it’s cool to watch the cars go by for a half hour or so till they get done with your car bring a book or something if watching the world go by gets old.

Can’t explain other folks complaints about this place but I had a great experience. They close for lunch from 1 – 2 pm so I came in right at 2:00 and got out in ½ an hour. I had the enhanced check and passed with no problem. The place is always busy and I believe they take appointments.

Had my smog done here a couple years back and service was fast and friendly. Not much else to say about a smog spot.

I went in to get my check and they were not forthcoming about any information about what could possibly fail my car. If it was a simple thing I wanted to fix it before hand. They have absolutely appalling customer service.
I will not go here and would drive over the hill to find another place if need be.

Its the small things that matter. My wife took her BMW X5, which is in good shape, for a basic smog check. How bad can you do on that? Not much. and that all was fine and dandy. No issues. Done. This is when it gets interesting.
When she paid and walked out to the car, she noticed that the passenger window was open. She got into the car and tried to close it. It would not budge. She went in and talked to the guy, Owen — asked him what happened. He rudely tells her that this is not his fault, the window would not close and there is nothing he or she can do about it. Turns out he was the manager, and he told her that the owner seldom comes to the shop so basically there is nothing she can do. He also tells her that many people bring junkers to their shop and they cannot be liable for broken parts — although he does admit to her that her car is not a junker.
I buy that the window not working was probably not his fault. I do not buy him being sneaky about it — I would have expected him to tell her that he could not close it and advise her to have it looked at. And, then being rude — that’s what I mean by «its the small things that matter».
Owen — we have 4 cars. I need 2 more to smogged but you lost that business. In this day and age, small businesses have to fight to get and keep customers. I would like to give you my business, but I do demand good customer service. I can get that at other places.

Do not go to these guys. They failed my 2005 mustang because they said it was missing a sticker and an EGR valve. The car is 100% stock so there was no way that was correct. Ford dealership confirmed no EGR is installed and doesn’t exist! Still they charged me 41.75 for a failed test. Bottom line, sticker not required and because they are too lazy to look the car up in the system, they just fail it and bill you. I went over to Holiday Smog, passed the test and was on my way. Don’t waste money on these guys. Go someplace else.

The place is the puppy mill of smog checks. If you are 100% SURE your car will pass, they are fine if not a little overpriced ($ 50) but if there is anything that needs tweaking, they will not lift a finger.
They took my car (a BMW with an M5 engine) to smog it after I told them that this was a very seldom used vehicle and specifically asked the front clerk if I should run the car on the highway a little. He said it would not make a difference. You have to know that there, they make you sit and make you have to tell the front clerk if you just so much as step outside. Talking to anybody technical is strictly verboten. Sure safety is important but maybe the technician would benefit from a quick chat with the customer asking if there is anything he should know.
Well, the car failed at idle in only one area (max hydrocarbons was 128 instead of 100). Everything else was fine. The technician came out to my car and told me to my face the engine was «misfiring», as if to further lend weight to what they wrote on the service slip «recommend BMW specialist for repairs». As I took the car out, I knew there was no misfire.
Suspicious since this was precisely what a cold and seldom used engine would fail on, I ran the car for 15 more minutes around town and went to another SMOG check center almost next door (Soquel Auto Repair). They used the same machine and ran the test (for $ 40) — it passed easily! It was now 49 instead of 128… within an hour!
I immediately went back to Smog Check with the passing certificate and told them they really should be (I thought it but said it more diplomatically) more than mindless automatons pushing GO on their machines. They do this and say «oh well, it does not pass — too bad for you» and keep your money. The guy at Soquel Auto Repair checked the levels at idle and running first to see how well the car ran before starting the DMV automatic testing.
It was NOT misfiring. It certainly did NOT need a «BMW specialist». They just did not have a clue. The manager, although polite at all times, was unhelpful in exploring ways to make it right: I wanted my money back — he just said he offered a button push, whatever comes service. The only impoliteness was the actual technican that told me to «get the hell out of here» when I saw him, waved the new certificate, told him it passed somewhere else and if he really did still think my car was «misfiring».
I am never going back since I would rather find a smog check place that will work with non-​ideal cars that may need something more such as a warm up instead of mindless blind button pushing.
I also did not like their attitude in keeping you away from the technician who in this case could not have cared less about my car or it’s need for a little TLC to pass. This makes sense for how they do things but in this case it did not work for me.
Java N. had the same issue: they actually charged her despite the engine warning light was on… it would have failed for sure and thus in this case they were more interested in keeping the money instead of doing the right thing for the customer.

In my experience with this operation, I find their technicians to be knowledgeable, their shop professional, but like someone else here noted: Consider another smog station if you have any question about your car’s compliance. They will go out of their way to try and fail your car, and their diagnostic fees are very, very high compared to others.
Note there is a sign in their lobby informing customers they will call the sheriff if you’re not nice. What kind of service business needs to post such a sign?

It’s easy to get an appointment, but I’d only recommend taking your car here if you’re *positive* it’s going to pass.
If your DMV notice requires a test only or gold shield station, I recommend Santa Cruz Tire & Auto Care.

These guys finished my Smog check in 20 mins flat. The service was perfect. It was about $ 43 total for the smog and electric cert to the DMV.
I also must say they have this down to a science. the whole system was smooth from check in to check out.