Called to check smog pricing and he's $15 less than everyone else! It's a tiny lot with only 2 garages and hella cars, but don't let the outside fool you- these guys are super honest and get the job done quick! There's no office or anything, but smog check was 10-15min and it was a nice day so no problem for me to hang outside for such a short period. The Owner, John, is super friendly and professional. $40 out the door for smog and certification! He even let me know my hand brake was loose and if I came back for an oil change or something he'd take a look at it/fix it. Super sweet guy! I would recommend to friends! read more

Auto Express - Business card - Smog Check Stations Near Me - Sacramento, California

These guys are the best. If you need work done on your car or truck in Sacramento, John and Phil are the guys to do it. Hands down, don't waste your time going anywhere else. I brought in my 2003 Chevy Silverado for an annual tune up, and John recommended that I get some of the issues he found fixed. It only has 77,000 miles, so the spark plugs and wires were original, the distributor cap, and a few other pieces needed an update, but he also found a crack in the exhaust manifold, and some rattling noise in my muffler. There was also a broken bolt in one of the valves that needed to be drilled out and fixed. Sounds expensive right? John was up front, super honest, and explained everything clearly and provided options for every recommendation. Turns out the muffler just had some loose debris, which they cleared, and in the process they found some temperature sensors that were faulty. Fixed those in the process. Most places would have charged me for a new muffler without needing one, and probably overcharged me on a ton of other stuff. I feel like these guys undercharged me for the amount of work they did. Final price matched his quote, and I walked out feeling like that was the best $1500 I've ever spent. My truck runs great, and it's nice to "feel" the difference when driving it and know exactly what was done and why. Excellent customer service on top of it all. They said it would take a few days, but when they called to ask if waiting for a better quality part rather than the cheaper Chinese import was OK, it felt like a friend calling with good advice not an excuse for more time. All told, in and out of there quickly with a job well done. Strongly recommend them. Auto Express in Sacramento is the only place I will take my truck. I feel confident that it will get many more years and miles out of the work and care they put into it, and that peace of mind is worth it's weight in gold. Thanks. read more

We called up for an oil and filter change. They were available to do it right as we pulled up 10 mins after calling. Seems like father and son and they were both so quick, honest and easy-going. They noticed our back brakes needed changing before our cross country trip back to NY tomorrow morning and we opted to get them changed. They saw how hesitant we were (to know that we had to have another job done along with the oil change including having to pay more than what we expected. He show us how bad the brakes were (AND THEY WERE!!) kind, humble and honest. In the end we are super happy we came here. I did not get any off-energy from these guys. They did not seem sneaky at all!! Or roving is for our money. And they got all the work done in and hour and a half!! We are thankful. Thank you!! We are so glad we chose them. A few women came in and out with their cars too. Seemed like they've been there before and were alone and trusting. I am a female and I am aware of these things so that says a lot to me. :) read more

Not one ounce of professionalism or decency in this man or the business that he runs. AVOID AT ALL COSTS. I asked for specifics on my car that failed smog on a manufacturer code that is lighting up, passed on all other accounts. He yelled me out of his office because I dared to ask him about the diagnostics and the planes for repair. He's on some BS likely he has no issues dealing with customers in such a brutish manner, but I am particular about how I am treated especially because I am paying for services rendered, I cannot get into an exchange of words with people. The reviews below will surprise me completely if they are all true. This man is no professional. read more

Hands down the best machanic shop I have gone to! They have done great work each time I have gone with more than fare pricing. First all of my wires under the hood needed to be replaced along with a computer, window regulator, and other small odds & ends. Then my second encounter just recently was my bearing, hub, a relay. Both times they have done excellent work. Very honest men. Found my forever machanic lol read more

The gentlemen who work here are so kind and professional. I was in and out for my smog during my lunch . I have too many good words about this establishment! read more

I came in for a smog check. It was done very quickly while I waited, about 10 minutes. No repairs were needed for my 10 year old car. John was super friendly! read more

Fast service, great prices, kind hearts, and always up front! They get you in and out in no time, even when I call the very same day! The staff clearly explains to me what they are doing or will need to do, so I understand, and inform me of the cost up front and clearly. When my AC was leaking into the car and flooding the carpet, they did the fix for just $15 bucks! I called that morning, came straight in, and within half an hour had my oil changed, drain fixed, and fluids filled. I love John and the guys at Auto Express and I will not go anywhere else to have my vehicle worked on! John always greets me with a cheery demeanor and consistently goes above and beyond to take care of his customers. When I go to Auto Express for car work it feels like going to family. Thanks so much! read more

I came here for a smog check, John was very helpful and friendly. It was a very quick process and i was in and out in under 20 minutes. Highly recommend! read more

The manager and his assistant did a fast and good job. I went for an A/C issue and it was taken care of within an hour. The shop takes clients on a first-come first-serve basis. Price was fair too. read more

Thanks auto express for your honesty with diagnostics and for fixing My mdx ! I appreciated your honesty.

I have a Toyota Camry SE. Took it to the dealer to check out why my seat belt wasn't working. They wanted to charge me $250 without even seeing what was going on. I went over here and Jon was amazing. They were able fix my seat belt and charge half of what the dealer was asking. All on short notice and out within the hour. Best honest, trustworthy and decent priced place in Sacramento. read more

It's that time of year for me, smog time! I have a 2014 Prius, so this is the first year I had to get a smog check. I looked online and found the place with the best reviews! I only had an hour for lunch and John finished up my smog check in 30 mins so I even had time to grab a bite before I had to get back to work. Thanks John and Auto Express! read more

The two gentlemen I encountered were attentive and very friendly. I had about 30 minutes to spare before heading to work and needed my car smog. Highly recommend this place. Thanks guys! read more

Do you want to spend unnecessary amounts of money? Do you want to be told "not to call here " and get hung up on before you can inform them of what type of service you need (presumably they thought I was a telemarketer) would you like to be made uncomfortable by comments from an older man? If so this is your place. Avoid it at all costs. Waste of my time and money taking advantage of a single woman. I won't even get into the looks or comments I received read more

I went to two other SMOG places on the same day. First one -the line was long and didn't move for 20 minutes. Second one -waited 10 minutes and no one was around to help. I found John's shop on google maps. I was in and out in less than 15 minutes and the SMOG price was one of the cheapest around. John was very nice. I will be coming back in the future. read more

Excellent level of knowledge regarding CA's confusing smog laws. John and the crew put in some extra detective work to figure out my car's issue and get it legally smogged and on its way. Highly recommended for value, service, and knowledge. read more

Great place to fix my car, I am glad I call this place, my car is fix and I couldn't be much happier with the results. Thank you for a great service. Will be back. read more

Thanks to John and his associate at Auto Express! They replaced my rear brake pads in about an hour. Great price and he explained everything in detail! read more

This team is incredibly honest and trustworthy. Always straight talk when it comes to repairs and never tries to talk you into crap repairs that you don't need. Best prices in town by far and quick turnaround time. I've been bringing my Toyota Tacoma here for years. Came in recently for emergency brake repair and they had me back on the road in less than 2 hours. Back when it was time for a timing belt change, they charged a solid $500 less than another local shop, and repaired a power steering pump leak without charging labor. I just recently heard a noise in my friend end that felt like a wheel bearing. Stopped in without an appointment and John immediately took my truck in and started getting it worked on. Best guys around. read more

I went to Auto Express because they opened at 7am and its close to my house, that little spot right across the street from Ernesto's. Both the guys working there were very nice and helpful. 15 minutes, my car passed smog and it was a flat $40. There is no indoor waiting area, but a small counter and a few chairs and coffee table under an overhang. Fine by me. These guys seemed alright, I would come back. read more

Warning I do not recommend This place he will take your money and not even fix your car.

Auto Express is THE place to get Fast & Convenient professional car mechanics. They fixed my car in less than two hours, used quality, extended life parts and charged a fair price. Bonus was - John discovered and repaired a potentially fatal problem with my wheel before it became life threatening or before I went careening out of control. Thanks John! One block from Light Rail, too! read more

I have been reading the reviews about Auto Express and I have to say I am surprised to see some of the less attractive comments. I am not meaning that the comments or the experiences described are not true. I am just surprised because I have had my cars services by this shop since 1995 and I really have not had any of the issues that some of the others have experienced. Both of my cars are older cars with each over 210K on them. While I believe we generally take good care of our cars, I am confident that a big part of it is how this particular auto shop has serviced my cars in the past 15 years. I have referred some of my friends to this shop and to my knowledge, all of them have been happy with the service and the price. I do recommend this shop. I think they are one of the much better ones, especially in/around downtown area. read more

Called the owner for availability for a smog check at 4:55pm. Owner was very nice and told me to come in even though he was wrapping up for the day. I arrived just after 5pm and another man also showed up at the same time for a smog check. The owner still serviced both of us in less than 20 minutes after he was supposed to be done for the day. The shop isn't the prettiest, but the business does good work and is very accommodating! read more

They really are terrible. Getting a simple smog check was an incredibly frustrating and lengthy process. There are at least 5 other smog places within a mile of this place, I would recommend choosing one of those. My car didn't pass smog - they said it was a "cracked hose" (never did see the old part we asked for) and they needed to replace the part. Even with that our car should be done by the end of the day. When we called, three hours after if was supposed to be completed, not only was it not done the part wasn't even there. My poor husband had to sit in their waiting room while they put the car back together listening to misogynistic tales of how the owner feels a "real wife" should act and being informed by one of the employees that the shop was "420 friendly". Oh no, I'm not kidding. We blew off bringing it back Saturday (when they were SURE the part would be in). We needed the car smogged so we tried again on Monday, surely the part would be in by then - it wasn't. It took them three days to get a part they told us would be there in a couple hours. Then we had to drive the car around and have the smog recheck done. We made an appointment to come in and have the test done and no one was there. I was told I needed to wait 45 minutes to an hour. They also tried to tell me about other "problems" with my car (problems that I had addressed with my regular and trusted mechanic). When I told him I would bring it up with my mechanic and wasn't interested in having my car fixed there the "owner" cursed at me and stormed out of his office. This is the only business I've ever reported to the Better Business Bureau. Like Kathy, we've had odd maintaince issues come up since having my car there. I would not trust them with any car. read more

I drive a 2009 Volkswagen Tiguan and know almost nothing about cars. My car has had numerous problems and I have been to quite a few mechanics around Sacramento. Most don't explain what needs to be done and charge a lot for services I'm not sure I need. John is a different kind of mechanic. He explains everything in terms I understand, lets me know when and what my car needs, and goes above and beyond to make sure that everything is working perfectly. If your looking for an awesome honest mechanic look no further. John is the real deal. read more

I had to replace my transmission and was referred to Affordable Automotive by a friend who has gone to them for years. Juan is a very honest individual which is rare in the auto repair business...he truly is a diamond in the rough! He won't BS you or inflate his prices...he tells you straight what you need and what its going to cost him to get what he needs to fix it. He gave me several options to save money but not lose the quality. He worked with me on making payments and when the job wasn't done right by the transmission guys he sent it back until it was right, never charging me any additional cost. The total cost was half of what other shops wanted to charge me. I would highly recommend this place to friends and family and they will be my mechanic of choice going forward. read more

Had an oil change. It was convenient and inexpensive. Except for the inconvenience and cost of hearing some rant about the Chinese and how they were exporting the coronavirus. I don't expect full enlightenment from any service provider; I also don't expect to hear some ignorant rant. read more

I took my old square body here after 2 other shops were unable to correct a smog issue that the ref said had to be done. I had the parts, got em installed and I passed smog. Honest work. Honest price. read more

Check their website: It clearly states "Smog Test in Sacramento, CA For $31.75, we smog test your 2000 or newer passenger car. This includes the smog test only. The certificate and transmission fee are an additional and cost $8.25 making the total price $40.00." It ALSO states, in a scrolling banner, "$5 off any SMOG inspection. Please present coupon at time of purchase. See dealer for details.". Not only this, but I even had the "coupon" downloaded to my phone from their website. It reads: Print coupon and bring to store to redeem. $5 Off ANY Smog Inspection Coupon Valid June 1, 2015 thru August 31, 2015 $5 off ANY smog inspection! Please present coupon at time of purchase. See dealer for details. Soooo, I drop my car off and the kid at the "desk" (it's really just a table in the parking lot) says "Oh, yeah, that coupon is already included in the price." Huh?! Do you not understand the definition of a coupon? If you post a "regular" price of $40, and then offer a coupon for $5 off, it's not included in the price. I tried to explain it to this guy for a few minutes, but figured I'd just show the website and coupon to the "smog guy", who was "coming back in a minute" when I came back to pickup my car. I mean, who in their right mind, would argue with this? I live nearby and kept waiting for a call to say the car was finished. Nope. I finally called 4 hours later and, without explanation about why they hadn't called me (my number is on the estimate for what reason then?), or apology, they said it was ready. So I walked down and spoke to the owner. Again I explained, very calmly, that it was clear that the regular price for SMOG is $40 total, I showed him the coupon (it's even dated for Pete's sake!) for $5 off. He gave me the same BS about the "coupon" already being reflected in the price. When I said it clearly is not, and that I would appreciate it if he deducted the coupon from the total, he said...I'm not making this up..."Well, you signed the estimate and if you want to drive your car away, it's going to cost you $40". What kind of business is this? Not only is it strewn with junk cars, garbage, no inside waiting area, etc, but the guys clearly don't care about customer service, honesty, or reason. I would NEVER take my car here, and only had SMOG done because I was already there and I figured they couldn't screw it up too badly. But at this point, I wouldn't even trust them to change a tire. VERY SHADY, RUDE, and UNTRUSTWORTHY. read more

I came here for a smog check because it was only $30 including the certificate. It's a smog check and I didn't expect much, but I didn't think that service had to be crappy. I asked a simple question once I dropped off my car, "Excuse me, about how long do you think the smog check will take sir?" He replied, "It will take as long as it takes" I thought about leaving and going to another shop but I didn't have too much time. The only reason I would give this place two stars is because it is cheap for a smog check. I don't plan on coming back here again. I'd rather pay a little more for better service. read more

I'm cautious when it comes to car shops so I did a little research and decided to trust the Yelp! reviews. I just went in for my second oil change and, while it wasn't anything major, it was a good opportunity to gauge the type of place it is. It's a smaller shop so you'll recognize the faces, most likely they'll recognize yours too (well...maybe not immediately but you get the point). My latest visit brought me in because my car indicated it needed some maintenance. I'm 100% sure that if I took it the dealership they would have done everything the indicators said I needed and it would've cost me at least triple what I ended up paying. Instead, they just changed my oil and said I was good to go. They could've easily attempted to provide me more service than was necessary, but they didn't, and now I'm writing this. Icing on the cake: one of the guys saw that my phone charger cord was frayed and took the initiative to put some electric tape on it. Sacramento need more local businesses like this one! read more

It's so hard to find trustworthy mechanics. When you do, it feels like coming home and I'm happy to be part of the Auto Express family! I dropped by to get my oil change and was out in 30 mins. Wanda (my Honda) has close to 200k miles on her and I'm hoping to get another 100k before we have to part ways. I was able to sit outside and watch while Brian changed the oil, put air in the tires and topped off all my fluids. John (the owner) was warm and friendly, I enjoyed my time here! I'll def be back for any other work I need. This locally owned business has operated in Sac for nearly 20 years and I'll do my part to ensure they're open another 20! read more

Guys, choosing a mechanic is HARD. My last one was within walking distance of my apartment but when we bought a house I was faced with the challenge of finding a new mechanic, which I resisted at first by just driving out to my old one. But, I knew I couldn't keep that up. I think I found Auto Express by searching for mechanics that could repair air conditioning as the one in my car was having some issues. We didn't end up fixing that right away as there were more important issues, but over time John and his crew have worked through everything my poor old car needed (my ac btw turned out to be 100% blocked up with debris and it was an all-day job to get it cleaned up). My car is old but you can just feel the difference in how it runs and handles now. And I'm confidant that John did his best to save me money - buying a house will decimate your savings and we were really struggling for a while there financially. Unfortunately they won't smog older cars (older than 2000) anymore so I have to go elsewhere for that, but that's okay. I won't lie, I hate the location, but when I choose to wait around for my car there are some places to shop and eat about a half mile away, and walking is healthy, right? Anyways, wear comfortable shoes if you plan to hang around, or do what I finally did and get the Lyft app. :) read more

John is the man, always explaining what he's going to do before he does. He's saved me tons of money on things that would have cost me hundreds on top of what he charged. He cares for his customers and makes sure your car is in tip top shape and you're happy with what he has done. Recently went in to gear rear tailgate fixed and John checked all my fluids - oil was low so he replaced it free of charge. The thing is I had just got it changed at a corporate location so the oil shouldn't have been that low. Avoid those places and come to John at Auto Express. read more

I found Auto Express after a very bad experience at one of those Smog test only stations .The check engine light in my Volvo C30 came on the night prior to bringing the car in for the smog check. I didn't realize that alone would mean my car would not pass but John at Auto Express explained the test and said the smog check station I brought it to before him should have told me that before taking my money (that is a different review - see Smog Wizards and avoid them). I don't understand why places like that even exist considering they can't fix your car if something is wrong nor do they tell you if your car doesn't pass that you have to go to a Smog Certified garage to fix it. And that is where Auto Express comes in - they are a FULL SERVICE service station AND a Smog check station so they can do it all. No need to go to 2 places then back to the Smog station when you can get it all done at Auto Express. In addition they are HELPFUL, HONEST, and John takes the time to explain things. When talking to John you will immediately hear how passionate he is about fixing and servicing cars. He doesn't cut corners, he uses the best oil depending on what type of car you have, and his team will do what they need to get your car fixed. I don't know the name of the part he fixed but it was completely broken and stuck in the car due to a build up of carbon from lack of oil changes. It took them hours to get this part out b/c of how badly stuck it was. Thankfully him and his guys were able to remove and replace it otherwise we would of had to spend thousands of dollars. John said it was a huge production getting it out and even showed us what it looked like and told us how they did it. I could tell he takes great pride in his work and I appreciate that. We don't drive much so oil changes are not as frequent as they should be but they will be from now on. John explained the mechanics and why that piece was stuck to begin with and what could have happened if they were unable to remove it. He also told us the importance of using the proper oil for our Volvo. Even though we were paying for full synthetic oil changes at places like Firestone and Jiffy Lube, we learned that not all synthetic oils are created equal. From a search online I found most oil change places tend to use synthetic blends which is not the same thing as full synthetic yet they charge you a lot extra for it. John showed us the oils he uses and explained how different types of cars require different grades of synthetic oils. He prefers to use German full synthetic for Volvos and another brand for Mercedes and BMWs. I love how he took the time to explain everything to us. He didn't try to sell us services we didn't need either. He just focused on what was broken, fixed it, serviced the car as needed and educated us on how to prevent things from happening again. He also told me to come back in a few days so he could run a check to ensure that we pass the next smog test. I haven never been to a mechanic that I actually trusted but John and his team will now be my go-to guys for anything my car needs. I HIGHLY recommend Auto Express and I am so thankful I found them. read more

This is the worse place in the world!!! John is so rude and crook. He wanted to charges me a lot of money for something that I haven't to fixed in my car. I didn't pass the smog because He told me that he have to change a part in my car and it seemed weird to me because I knew that my car was in perfect condition so I decided to go for a second opinion. My big surprise was when in this new place checking my smog the mechanic told me that my car is good ! Don't needs any repair ! And I pass the smog immediately! So please don't go to Auto Express ! They just want to steal your money they are no honest!!!! I'm not going to return to this place ! read more

Awesome work, great people. John is a good mechanic with fair prices. They did a great job on my A/C.

It's been month's since I have been there (moved) but I still remember how awesome they were and promised I would write a review when I got a chance. This place doesn't look that great from the outside but they are really good when you get service there. I had two smog checks there and they were honest about how much time it would take, and didn't overcharge. I had a last minute smog to get done and two other places straight up LIED about price and how much time it would take. "Oh yeah we can get you right in" Then you show up and there are three people in front of you. Auto Express was fast and to the point. While I was there I overheard them talking to a lady getting her car fixed. She was very concerned and sounded like she would basically pay anything to get it working and threw out a number..I think 1200 is what she said. MOST car mechanics would day "oh that sounds about right" but these guys said "no way it will cost that much...maybe 100 dollars" Yes, a mechanic that actually said he could do it for much less money. I don't think I have ever heard that. Bottom line: I had two experiences that were very good, and I want to let people know about it. read more