I would give 0 Stars if possible!!
Quintessential shady mechanic experience. I was told to come in first thing in the morning and I would be out within the hour. I dropped off my car around 8:00am and he said some people ran late from yesterday so it would be ready around 10:00am. I was a little upset because I had A LOT planned that day, but hey it happens. I grab a bite and check back at 10:30.. still not ready and Arturo is no where to be found. HIs assistant says check back in an hr or an hr and a half!!! WTF!? I waited and he never showed. The assistant finally realized that he could do the work (I have no idea why he waited nearly 2 hours to tell me this).
My car is a 1987 Porsche and I guess he thinks I have money to spare (Soooooo not the case!!!) so he tells me it will cost $150 to test the car and no other smog place will touch it for less than that because it is a complicated car to work on. after about 30 min of back and forth we agree on $100. He runs the car and it passes all emissions tests. Then he comes to me and talks about how he doesnt think it will pass the evap test without a little help. I think he was hinting at getting some gratuity or something. When I said no he grabs the fuel cap and started to mess with it.. then he tells me there is a small tear in the seal. I am not positive, but I think he tore it with his fingernail so my car would not pass.
The worst part is that he sent me off without any paperwork.. I know this is also my fault (which is what makes it even worse), but I believe what he did was illegal and I will be filing a complaint with the Bureau of Automotive Repair after writing this review. I could not tell my mechanic how to fix the problem and when I went back he assured me that "of course we gave you the paper work!!"
I took it to another smog station and it passed. I did replace the gas cap, but I really think that my original one would have passed also. I may be paranoid, but I totally feel like he did not pass me because he wanted to get some money out of me.
I apologize for the long winded message, but I really want you guys to know why I am so upset with this place.. They wasted between 10-15 hours of my time.
Good luck guys!! if you are willing to make the drive to Winnetka I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND Smog Master at
20138 Roscoe Blvd. #2
Canoga Park, CA 91306
On Roscoe west of Winnetka (818) 998-8976
They are a great Star Certified Shop. read more