Smog Express

I have an older 1999 Chevy S-​10 but in great shape. The car failed smog and the mechanic told me that everything tested out great except a light on the dashboard indicated a computer diagnosed problem somewhere. He found my gas cap was leaking vapors and pretty bad and he thought that was the real problem. He told me to get my mechanic to reset the computer indicator on my dash and then to get a new dealer cap and put it on and drive about 100 miles (rules after resetting the computer indicator). I did all that and returned to have the vehicle pass. He never charged me for a retest. He was smart to spot the cap as the problem and got me through this event. The only reason I do not give this business a 5 STAR rating is that the waiting room is pretty small and plain really. I brought him new magazines to replace the goofy old ones that he had laying around — some new issues of People and Sports Illustrated– recent copies that he was happy to stack on the table for people to read. But who really cares about the waiting area anyway??? — all we want to do is have our vehicle PASS THE TEST!!!

This has been the most expensive smog test I have ever had. He did not disclose pricing when I brought my vehicle in, and didn’t even tell me amount when I gave him my card. His reasoning on why it was so pricy was that it gets a certificate. Bad business ethics!

In 10 years living in PB, this is the best spot I’ve found if you want convenient, quick and easy. Had mine done on a Saturday AM and I was in and out in under 20 minutes.
Not sure how pricing compares to some others and I’m sure you could find cheaper if you drove out of town, but what’s your time worth? Mine’s easilly worth the $ 71 total ;-)

This guy charged me over 3 times more than the most I have ever paid for a smog check. Sure my car passed but that had nothing to do with his technique or special skills. When I told him I have never paid so much for a smog check in my life he told me his prices are posted. Yea sure they are posted in very small writing in a very discrete area. (I don’t have a fancy car so I’m not sure why I had to pay more than the other people who posted reviews) The only reason I feel comfortable giving him 1 star is because he got me right in. I suppose I was his only client that day and I got to pay his rent. Ugh. I won’t be going back

The smog check came out to $ 61 (tax included). It’s easy to locate on Ingraham and there’s a waiting room for you while the car gets inspected. I went Friday midday and was helped immediately. It took about 25 minutes to check my car. I would return again for quick service.

Just got my car star smog checked and the guy was so nice! He was very quick and even gave me $ 10 off for being a student! I didn’t even have to ask he just saw my key chain and took it upon himself do give me the discount. He explained to me how to send the info to the dmv and everything! Very friendly would recommend this place to everyone!

quick and easy BUT they left a part unplugged from my ENGINE!!! This was found 4 weeks later, on a chance check of my spark plugs! Not thorough, do not go here!

This location did not honor my retest despite the signed agreement that I held in my hand. Their ambiguous wording on their tiny contract covers a limited benefit for an exorbitant payment. In the end, if you require a retest, be prepared for a tiny man to yell at you in heavily accented English from behind plexi-​glass as he demands payment.
At length, after a 30– minute dispute, we called the police as per his request, and were met once again with an argument about an UNLISTED policy, and NOT about the LAW… can I Unilocal about police? At the risk of sounding like the quintessential Unilocaler, I was beyond displeased with the price, the service, and the result of my experience here. I should have gone LITERALLY ANYWHERE else; for instance a flaming garbage mound in Calcutta. It would have been a much wiser use of my time.

I was done in 12 minutes. Got a military discount. The couch in the waiting room was comfortable. What else do you need?

Now I typically don’t choose seedy looking jams that don’t have many reviews nor any relative advertisement in the local community, but I needed a smog check and Smog Express was readily available and not that busy. It is located two blocks from my house and it is easily accessible for me to get to and return home if I needed to wait. I pulled up (with one car in front of me) and the gentleman greeted me promptly and said it would be about 25 minutes due to the car in front of me just starting.
There wasn’t much exchange of words for the most part with him, but he smogged my car quickly, efficiently and submitted my paperwork right away while I was standing there. He also didn’t get my freshly cleaned car dirty either, which I find to be a problem with a majority of oil change and smog places. In regard to pricing, I’m unsure if it was middle of the road or what because I don’t get my car smogged regularly, but I felt it was a fair, market price overall.

As an owner of three cars, I’ve been coming to this place for smog check every year in the last 4 years. The owner is very nice, honest and informative. Great service and no hidden fee. No gimmicks. Quick and cheap compared to others in the area. Highly recommended.

We have used Smog Express for several years and always have a pleasant business experience. The owner works quickly and honors pre-​made appointments. Very satisfied with results.

So I use Unilocal all of the time to check out ratings and comments of different places of interest, but today I decided I needed to share MY experience using a local Pacific Beach business. This place IS NOT a Pass or Don’t Pay place and I have never used them, but thought I would give them a try. I’ve been in Pacific Beach 15 years and have used many of the local smog places for our different vehicles. I should have gone back to Quick Smog on Garnet instead of Smog Express, but there was a wait and I was in a hurry. The wait would have saved me from dealing with an extremely rude gentleman that talked down to me, as if a woman had no idea what she was talking about driving a modified sports car. Awful experience to say the least. Save yourself the headache and go someplace else. There’s a reason there was no wait.