A+ Smog & Muffler – Complete Auto Repair

Okay for smog checks. When I have taken our 3 vehicles in for smog checks, they find other «problems» and suggest repairs to be completed at their shop. I then take to my regular mechanic of 30 years and there is no such «problem.»

This place IS full of liars and crooks. The previous Unilocaler that called them that was justified in doing so. Let’s first talk about customer service. I walk up to the shop and I’m looking for one of the workers to give me a quote. A young worker points me into the direction of the office. I’m waiting in the office and no ones there. The phone starts ringing, the receptionist runs in, answers the phone and proceeds to help the phone call before me. She takes down all their information and books an appointment while I’m standing there. I’m pretty sure they make a hold function on the phone for a reason and you should probably help the person right in front of you first. Anyways, when she finally gets off the phone she doesn’t know how to price the work I’m requesting. She takes me outside to Anthony who I guess is a Master Welder (Sarcasm). Anthony quoted me an hour of labor or $ 80 – 90 to remove three screws from a exhaust flange that connects my exhaust to the catalytic converter on my Honda Civic. Anthony said it would be a «B****» to get the screws out because they were welded in and he’d have to drill them out. I told him I was quoted $ 80 to have my whole exhaust installed from another shop and he said «There ya go,» suggesting I take that offer instead.
I ended up going to another shop in Highland called «Manuel’s» on the corner of Baseline and San Francisco St that also does mufflers/​exhausts. I told Manuel (the owner) how much that shop quoted me and he laughed. He’s been in business for 25 years. He picked up a hammer and hit the screw with one solid strike and it flew out. He said they were just tack welded and that the other shop was trying to rip me off. He knocked all three screws out within 30 seconds. I tipped Manual $ 10 and I was on my way. He saved me $ 80.

John & His Staff are always Courteous & provide gr8 service on my cars. I’ve been a customer of theirs for yrs now & they’ve come through for me many times. Nicole always gets me in early even when I’ve made appointments online and she’s never turned me down. Anthony gives me Good tips to keep me auto savvy & Safe~All the Techs never disappoint whether I’m getting an Oil change to Smog checks, etc. And, of course John is the Mastermind behind his team «FYI, whom have been w/​him for yrs» let’s me know what’s needed to keep my cars running Well. It’s not always easy to pay for Good Auto Repairs, but A+ is reasonable & I never feel pressure to pay for any service here prior to any work recommended or needed.

Ok so I had to come here to replace my battery, because it was warranty thru AAA. I called the day before. They checked to make sure my battery was in stock. I got here at 9:30am. They said they had to check the battery, fully charge it, and retest it. Also change the bad terminals. That would take about an hour.
Then the office girl says she has to go pick up the battery. This is TWO Hours Later. Then the shop manager says he has to go get the terminals.
I understand that it is close to a free service because I got it thru AAA. But to take more than 2 and half hours to change a battery and terminals
On the bright side everyone there was nice. And he did take time to explain why they put on a different type of battery terminal.

John has been doing work on our company cars for years, he and his team are very professional and trustworthy!
We recently had him replace a lock for us. He made a complicated job seem effortless. He was punctual and thorough.

John and his team have been servicing our fleet for the past five years or so… from routine oil changes to a fairly major glow-​plug job, they’ve always done great work and have been very fair on the price.
We are a local business owner and have been fellow members of John and his team in several net-​working groups here in the Inland Empire. John and his team are so very knowledgeable on their industry and represent their business to the fullest.
As a general contractor, we have personally worked on John’s home and we can say without any reservations that John is one of the most honest and kind person we have ever met and done business with.

I found this place on Unilocal and through AAA and decided to give it a try. I was very surprised that the reviews had responses from the company where they actually did what they could to rectify the problem.
My experience with Nicole and John (who I believe is the owner and master mechanic) was delightful, they picked me up when my car was ready and John kept my car until he felt it was good.
My car initially wouldn’t work after it was fixed but as soon as I get it back to him, it wanted to act right lol. He still kept it and replaced my ignition switch under their 2 year/​24 000 mile warranty through AAA. That was the best blessing because I just started a job and emptied my account to fix it the first time.
Their business is greatly appreciated!!! I will be going back
Thank you, guys!
Danielle C

Outstanding job! They did an alignment on my front end. Honest. Fast. A family working environment.

John smogged my old Samurai. Got it done quick for the price quoted and I was on the road again. Many mechanics might seize the opportunity to find more work on an old car but john was honest. Will definitely go back! Thanks John!

A+ Smog & Muffler is a trusted resource for people who don’t know much about cars. The staff is honest and trustworthy and the owner holds them to it. They are very helpful, very knowledgeable, and very thorough with their customers.
I highly recommend them.

(Date of Service −1÷17÷15) Literally, the best experience I had at a mechanic shop. As I pulled up to the shop, I was assisted by the owner. A very welcoming place. I came to A+ b/​c my Honda Pilot was leaking oil and i didn’t know where it was coming from. I previously took it to a shop in Fontana and they indicated that it was a front strut. I believed the mechanic at the Fontana shop, since I did see oil coming from the strut. I paid a pricey amount for two front struts. Well, the next day oil had leaked again on my driveway. I was pretty upset! I came to A+ Smog & Muffler expecting the worst. The owner John at A+ inspected my Pilot and saw the problem; the oil filter had a pin whole and that’s where the leak was coming from. I was at ease! John the owner did a simple oil change w/​a new oil filter. I had a great experience, they’re honest and they did not take advantage. I just found my new mechanic shop; A+ Smog & Muffler! Thanks John

This has got to be the best auto repair shop I’ve been to in a very long time. Not only did they make the repairs on time and according to the estimate but the service was excellent! My Prius was handled with care. I feel confident in recommending them to anyone that’s looking for an honest place to get your car repaired or smog checked. I also got my headlights cleaned up by their detail pro. I’m a very happy customer! Thanks John & crew!

1÷13÷15 I was contacted today by the owner of this Smog Shop. We had a very heated and uncomfortable debate. I felt immediately defensive (why was he calling my cell for a Unilocal review, anyway?); his tone was very unfriendly. I can understand his frustration as who would want to be called out as a liar? At least he has the pride to not want his name tarnished. So, I retract that I called him and his employees ‘liars’ and ‘crooks.” I hope that he, indeed, was not trying to fool me into an outrageously priced repair that I didn’t actually need.
I’d like to give him the benefit of the doubt:
1– Suppose there was no foul-​play on his part and he hadn’t disconnected the high beam bulb. This still keeps me wondering why hadn’t anyone spotted that the bulb was disconnected – after all, it is a «lamp and brake inspection.»
2– On my written Estimate for Services, it’s written «–LEFT BRAKE LIGHT OUT AND LEFT HIGH BEAN OUT BULBS NEED TO BE REPLACED.» The high beam bulb did NOT need to be replaced. It was in perfect working condition. The bulb unit just needed to be reinserted. Why hadn’t anyone checked the bulb itself – pulled it out and confirm their guestimation? Perhaps a wire could have been disconnected? Anyone would have spotted that the dang bulb unit was dangling loose by the wire. I spotted that as soon as I popped the hood.
So, I’ll leave it up to you, reader-​of-​my-​yelp-​review. The smog shop owner himself, did the inspection. He stated on the phone that he would not purposely with mal-​intent remove the high beam unit. Okay… give him that. I STILLl spent $ 8 at Wal-​mart on a bulb I didn’t even need;I still have it. Two good working bulbs, now, in fact. Had the smog shop done the repair, I would have been looking at $ 100+ more ON TOP of my already $ 89.50 Lamp and Brake Inspection. Is $ 100+ a fair price for a couple of light bulbs and 5 minutes of labor? Yes, 5 minutes. Even with my mean-​ass manicure; that is really all it took for me to replace the bulb and spot the dangling one. So $ 100 minus $ 16 Walmart bulbs @ 5 minutes of labor– why, after crunching the numbers, that’s only $ 1008 per hour for labor. What a stea – I mean deal!
Note: The left brake light was burnt out as stated on the estimate. That was accurate and truthful.
12÷31÷14 ((((OLD REVIEW: Liars out to make a quick buck off ladies. Tried to charge $ 100+ for an $ 8 tail light replacement. On top of that, they disconnected my highbeam bulb and tried to fool me into thinking the bulb was bad. Bunch of crooks.))))

I brought my 89′ Silverado in to A+ for an intermittent rough idle issue that a few other mechanics had not been able to track down. They found the issue, and fixed it in no time for a very reasonable price. I would highly recommend the crew at A+ Smog and Muffler!

Great place! I feel very comfortable taking my vehicles for any problems. Shop owner has always been extremely fair and honest. Totally trust this shop. It’s hard to find an ethical shop but I feel with A+ Smog I finally found one.

I tested this shop initially by bringing my car in for an oil change and asking them to check my brakes and AC, even though the AC and brakes were done a couple of weeks prior.
They said they were fine and I have been taking my cars here for past 8 yrs. Price is reasonable. Service is great. Mostly maintenance like brakes, oil changes, and smog checks. I always bring the cars in before any long distance trips.

Had a big discrepancy with this place and rated it with one star until they called me to apologize, communicate what had happened and offered to rectify the situation. I’m really surprised and grateful for their effort. I will be taking my car in for a free oil change and see how that goes. Until then I will re-​rate them with 4 stars.

The owner, John Alvarado, is a competent and honest mechanic. He is up to date on the latest technology and compliance with CARB regulations. He charges his hourly rate and advertised prices for his work, and he is not the cheapest, but he is competitive with other quality shops doing the same type of work. If you make illegal or non-​compliant modifications to your vehicle, don’t expect this shop to try to cheat the system for you and make your vehicle pass the smog test. Quality repairs that you can trust.