Caesar got me in for a smog quickly and was super efficient in getting me DMV ready with my certificate. Super friendly and personable!

Owner was great, he spoke to me about his side avenue of business with cryptocurrency, we shared a story of both of us had our personal belonging within around the same time frame. I went in for a smog check. We spoke for over 45 minutes before services began, which was perfectly fine. I enjoyed the conversation. What I didn't appreciate is that, he told me that I need a gas cap to pass smog. It's one thing if I didn't know about smogs, but a gas cap wouldn't have cause the car to fail smog. He used this opportunity to upsell me a gas cap for 16$, it was a box I am familiar with from auto zone, which costed me 4.98$ from when I replaced a gas cap. Nonetheless, good luck with your business Cesar, but I will probably not use anymore of your mechanic services for any of my or my family's car needs. read more

I was desperate​ to find a repair shop on a Saturday. I pulled into this shop (which is connected physically to Warren's Break & Alignment). Anyway, Cesar (owner) was friendly and willing to diagnose my issue. Unfortunately,​ by the​ ​ end of the ​day, I had not heard back. I checked Yelp and it said that Warren's shop (again, confusing) closed at 2 pm​. I figured they'd closed, called and left a message, then lied down for a nap. Of course, Cesar called a short while later. It was 4pm (when they close) and he was willing to stay over an hour after closing with another mechanic to get the work done (horribly worn brake​ pads and rotors). He called me twice and even texted me--both of which I missed. Although i was frustrated, it was my own fault. Cesar went above and beyond. Fast forward to Sunday, and he texts me back about the issue. I told him I was calling in sick on Monday to get my Jeep fixed and ready for pick-up ASAP. A few hours later, Cesar calls and my Jeep is ready. The guy went into work (on his "only" day off) and fixed my Jeep by himself. I was (and still am) blown away at such service. I can't say enough good things about this guy and the business. He met me at the shop at 9 pm, for God's sake. Who "does" that?!!! Nobody. read more

Ok so honestly last week I left this place feeling alright with the services and the guys were friendly. That is until I got home and checked everything. They ask me what I was in for and I tell them "an oil change and check engine light". They ask if I was told how much it was be and I say "no." The guy at the counter then hands me the quote which says $150.00 for the check engine and $59.99 for the oil change. In my head I am thinking "Wow, that is really high" since I went on their website and found a coupon which advertised $80 for a check engine that they "regularly priced at $120." I show the guy at the counter the coupon and he proceeds to tear my paperwork and gives me the coupon price. They say oil changes could take 30 min. but they weren't sure it might have been a little longer since they had other cars in there before me. So I walk around midtown and come back an hour later. They are still not done. 3 hours pass and finally my oil is changed and I was told the check engine was for a thermostat that had cracks and pink coolant "seeping" out of it but to come back to get it fixed and checked out more since they were closing for the weekend. So I come home to check it out (even bought an inspection mirror since I am OCD about my Jeep) and really couldn't find cracks on the housing or coolant that was "seeping." And then I turn my Jeep on and it says "Remaining Oil Life 30%." So in my skeptical head I am thinking, "did they even change my oil or just forget the sensor?" So I am driving it around some more over the weekend and I start losing power. Then I remember from my owner's manual...my Jeep doesn't take pink coolant (HOAT). It takes PURPLE coolant (OAT). Mixing the two can cause sludge and ENGINE FAILURE and should be flushed IMMEDIATELY to prevent further damage. Sure enough, there was pink coolant in the reservoir. I drive it home call Dad and we take it immediately to someone else for repair. Turns out I needed a coolant flush since the wrong one was used, the thermostat was not cracked it wasn't opening since it was just old and weak, and the after market oil filter used did not fit properly causing my Jeep to show a "Low Oil Pressure" warning which explain why I started to lose power. So 4 hours at their shop cost me $250 more than what I should have spent to remedy the issue. It has motivated me though to learn how to do my own maintenance, take it to O'Reillys for the check engine before taking it to a mechanic to research what might need to be done so I know how much it costs, and hope that other "girls" don't have to go through this mess. I really wanted to like this place but it is 1 star for me due to the fact their mistakes could have really messed my engine up. read more

Caesar was amazing taking care of my 2 cars I had brought in for a smog test. I've never been here as my past mechanics business had recently closed. His customer service was A+ from start to finish. My 99 4 runner had a couple questionable issues during the test. He brought it to my attention, walked me back to observe and stated he thought it was an easy fix with no charge. It WAS! He is honest, super easy to talk to and I will now trust his business with any auto repair needs. So happy I found this business!!! Thank you Caesar!!!! read more

All seemed fine when I dropped my truck off. I was getting a smog and oil change. I got a call a few hours later saying I needed some vacuum lines replaced. The truck had failed its smog test. I authorized the repair of the vacuum lines. The guy said 40-60 minutes till it was ready. I returned after an hour an a half and the truck was still being worked on. After waiting in the lobby by myself for 10 minutes the attendant came in and said my truck was ready. Then he explained the computer needed to be reset and I needed do drive it for a 100 miles or so and then come back and pay for another test. Frustrating but not that big of a deal. When I got in my truck and started it I noticed several warning lights on and heard a ticking noise. I turned it off, went inside and told him. Turns out they gave me my truck back with NO OIL in it!! His first response was it CAME IN like that! Are you Fu**ing kidding me?? Then, thankfully the other guy said that it was their filter so they must have forgotten to fill it. I was really amazed by this entire situation. I am thankful they did finally take responsibility for no oil in my truck, but I will not be back. read more

I went to this place once and they ordered the wrong part and charged me for their mistake. They were rude, unhelpful and way more expensive than the place that actually fixed my car after they failed. That was all bad enough but this morning, their owner woke us up by banging on my door. He wanted to know if we got a package of his by mistake. We didn't have it and my boyfriend told him to leave because we aren't on good terms after what they pulled with my car. The owner freaked out and started insulting my boyfriend. He even tried to physically fight him. I have security cameras at my house and informed delivery with USPS. I can prove that I didn't steal anything and that he's a violent nut-job who harassed me at my home. I filed a police report. They're dangerous and untrustworthy. read more

I had went to another place called Meineke on Folsom blvd. in Sacramento. They charged me $800 plus for a job I did not need after the code appeared on a scan of my vehicle. Instead of checking my car thoroughly the quote me a frivolous amount at $3000. Lets just say i ran out of that place happy. SMH.. I was pissed I left without the issue fixed. I took it Cez told him of my dilemma and he preformed an engine/intake smoke test. They found a crack in my pvc valve hose. That cost me $8!! I purchased the hose at the Lexus dealership and Smog Diagnostics Specislist! Charged me $20 Labor to I install it. Cez the owner of the shop took care of the issue. Thank you Smog Diagnostics Specislist! read more

I came by the Diagnostic Specialists for a smog check due to a coupon they left on my car (like they saw I needed to do it soon from the back of my car or something...) For the price, it was just right. The service was straight-forward. I made an appointment for 10 on a Saturday and they started the paperwork right away. They were still finishing up another car though, so it increased the wait by 10 minutes or so. I was out of there within 35, so a nice walk in the neighborhood was in order. I have another couple shops I take my car to for all other work, and I wasn't encouraged to move that work here. All in all, the Smog Diagnostic Specialists do a good job at that, but try to find the coupon. read more

I've had nothing but great service here. Recently I went to another shop in midtown for a check engine light. It was for mass air flow sensor that I replaced myself but check engine light was still on and I needed to get it smogged. The other shop was trying to charge around $450. I just went I paid them for diagnostic and took my car. I got my check engine light off after driving and came to Smog Diagnostics. Rob did a pre smog test and said I just probably need a drive cycle (50 miles or so) so all sensors can be reset. I came back after a few days and my car passed. Also, the other place said smog alone was $85. (On top the other $450) I got my codes read, pre test, advice on the reset and my smog certificate well under the other places smog. alone. I felt compelled to take some time and write this review. Rob and the owner Cesar are really great in my experience! Thanks guys read more

Don't go anywhere else! This place is the absolute best. The customer service is always spectacular and they truly go above and beyond. All services I have received from here have been quick and done exceptionally well. Thank you for the consistently great experience! read more

If you're someone that needs a shop to help guide you in the right direction without overcharging you, DO NOT GO HERE. My first vehicle went in for just a smog check, passed, but then the check engine light turned on later that afternoon. I still need to get whatever issue that is resolved. My second vehicle went in to fix a check engine light that was already on; they installed new parts, cleared the error, but the same error came back on the next morning. I recommend all customers read the fine print very carefully- he definitely made sure his shop is clear of any responsibility to correct the issues and the money I've wasted there is gone. In the end, I feel completely misguided and upset about the money I've paid. I will need to take one or both vehicles to another shop, with staff I do trust, to resolve the issues. In these two encounters I have lost trust with the services from here. read more

I've been a customer of Downtown Smog Diagnostic Specialists for a couple of years now. I've had nothing but great experiences with the owner and mechanics. They've helped me out with numerous problems and every time I've gone in they've been honest about whatever is wrong and offer fair and competitive prices and treat me with respect. My girlfriend and I both take our cars here and always enjoy our experience. We will both continue to bring our business here. read more

We had our car serviced prior to bringing it in to Smog Diagnostic Specialist (SDS) so we could make sure everything was in working order. On a Thursday we brought the car into SDS - the owner Cesar Nevarez said it passed the the emissions test but failed the "functional" test, primarily since "you just had it serviced so sometimes they reset things that need to be driven out. Drive it over the weekend and bring it back." He promised that instead of paying the full price to get smogged, (since it did pass the emissions) we would just pay the smog certificate fee of $8.25 when we came back. We paid $27.75, which covered the smog check and an electronic transfer fee and told him we would be back on Monday. On the following Monday we brought the car back for the promised certificate and to pay the remaining fee. The person working at the shop was not the owner - who was in court (surprise!) so we explained that we were just coming back to get the smog certificate, as the owner had promised. Instead he ran the whole test again, charged us another $36.00 for ANOTHER smog check and ANOTHER electronic transfer fee PLUS the $8.25 certificate. So now we've paid $63.75. We decided to wait till the next day to discuss with the owner, who we assumed would remedy this error and refund the difference. I decided to go online with the DMV to check the registration, since the smog certificate showed transmitted directly. I discovered that the certificate had NOT been transmitted by SDS and my registration showed "incomplete." The following day we called back to SDS to speak to the owner. He denied every saying that he would only charge the smog certificate fee. He said that they have to run the whole test over again, which is fine if he hadnt just told us otherwise! He tried to say that he can't afford to do things "for free" when he offers such a low price. I didn't recall asking for anything for free since I was out $63.75 for a supposed $25 smog check. I also asked him why was I charged TWICE for the electronic transfer fee if it never even went to DMV? He said "oh their computers were down last week." When I again asked him why he would not honor his promise from last week he got very defensive and interrupted me on every sentence. I could hear lots of noise in the background and he could barely hear what I was saying and was misinterpreting everything. After getting nowhere I hung up on him. I called the DMV to confirm that their computers were never down. She also suggested I file a complaint with the Bureau of Automotive Repair, which I am also doing.... These people are running a VERY shady business, luring you in with a coupon and then making up things to charge you extra. STAY AWAY!! read more

I highly recommend this place. I had the pleasure, while I waited, to get to talk with the owner. He was extremely friendly and had the ability to manage his people and his customers. The waiting area was extremely clean and his office space was extremely organized. I'm unsure of my wait time to be honest because we were so engaged with conversation of travel and languages. Again, I highly recommend this place and I will be going back. - Stephen read more

Smog Diagnostic - The front desk - Smog Check Stations Near Me - Sacramento, California

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I have been going to this place for 10 years. Never had not one bad experience. The customer service is great. Employees are honest. Fast service whether it's by appointment or not. the prices are affordable. read more

Unfortunately I had a bad experience at this service shop- so thought I should add a warning for any customer that may be thinking of using their services. Here it goes ... My tail lights were out for about a week. I decided against my instinct to try this new place that was much more convenient to my home. I dropped off my SUV- and specifically asked to ensure I get a call after they completed the $120 diagnostic. Instead I get a call telling me that they moved forward with the work because "they thought I would definitely say to do so" and said they were charging me an extra $85 for an hour of work. The problem with them moving forward with the work without my permission is that the work was completed on my UHaul hitch package- where I have a certficate for a "Lifetime UNLIMITED Hitch Warranty." I need to go back to UHAUL and take care of the issue for free. To me, if I'm charged for an extra hour of work- there could have been time to call me during any part of that extra one hour. Plus, my receipt says I dropped it off at 1:55pm- the service shop (Russ) called me around 3:30pm ... which only makes for my car being at the shop for 1.5 hours- without accounting for the wait time it took to get my car in the shop. I may have mis understood a gentlemen named Kyle when I first stop by to ask the shop if they could take care of this type of work- $120 would cover the first two hours of anything. It just all seemed really fishy. When I voiced my concerns to them- the Manager's initial solution was- if your not going to pay the extra $85 "well, we will just put it back the way it was "broken." Strange?? From a business perspective, why would you create more work for your men instead of just admitting the process was not followed and make the customer happy? Any who, I won't be going back to say the least. read more

Shady business. Had my car in for an oil change. They reported I was within a few weeks of needing brake pads replaced. Had my dad's trusted mechanic look at it. No where NEAR needing said replacement. Oil change=ok I guess. Mechanical service=would not trust. I assume they wanted to take advantage of someone who appeared to be an ignorant customer. Not nice, guys. Not. Nice. Too bad for them I have dad on my side. :) Too all other single young women out there who might be mistaken as easy prey: go somewhere else. read more

I realized today that I sold my dignity as a human being for $3. This is about how much more I would pay to go to a competitor of Smog Diagnostic Specialists. I saved $3 bucks but was treated more like something you scrap off your shoe. I have 2 cars so for the last several years I have taken one of the cars to be smoged. It is going to cost me more money but when the shop opens up late, there is no "Good morning" and when you give them the money you don't even get a thank you. You ever wonder why I have never had you do any work on my car? I don't trust you. I get it, you want to be a thug, maybe you are. I am done with the attitude. I now realize no one there is ever going to be civil. I won't be recommending or returning. read more

The Over Simplified Summary: Took my 2008 Jetta in for a smog; it failed due to the dipstick missing a seal. Cesar called and ordered the part and they got it installed; passed my Smog. The Good: Cesar communicated well about the part's delivery time, kept me updated about what was needed to pass the smog test, and when my car was going to be done. He got the part to the shop before noon and my car was finished before 3. (I work a few blocks away and didn't need it through out the day, so this timeline worked well for me.) The Bad: #1 - I was there at 7:25a, 5 minutes before they open, just to make sure I would be able to drop it off before work. Greg was the first one into the shop and arrived at around 7:45a. He took my paperwork and told me that he didn't have access to the computer to input my information; not a big deal, but a little irked that the shop opened later than posted time. #2 - Cesar let me know that the replacement dipstick would be $20; at checkout the price of the dipstick was $30. #3 (the bad one) - Jack was the tech that cashed me out. He was playing on his phone when I came in (no big deal), but he stopped in the middle of going over my paperwork with me to play a hand in his game, waited, and then resumed cashing me out. That was the big irk factor for me and I am not easily upset. Overall: Car passed smog; yay! Customer service was less than stellar, borderline bad. More than likely will not go back there. As always, YMMV. read more

Used them July 2011 and July 2013 for smog certificate without a problem. Since I came during their lunch hour and another car was ahead of me I waited for 50 min. in 2013. Usually only 20-25 min. I wasn't in a hurry so it was no problem for me. I do suggest you look on-line for a $24.00 OFF coupon. Very easy to find via google. My 2013 Smog check PLUS certificate for 1998 Honda TOTAL Cost: 34USD Great Deal. read more

After spending a lot of time researching different brake repair places and different causes for the particular issues that my car presented, I made a decision about a particular place. Left first thing in the morning to figure out what's up with my brakes, and drop my car at the the wrong place... But I have to say that I'm happy with the service provided - replacing my front brake pads, which I suspected was the problem. The prices were reasonable. The job was done in a timely manner. read more

This place has fair prices, and does the job on time. This is always my first choice to take my car for service and repair. I had trouble getting a rare part for my car. The owner personally called around for a 45 minutes to find the part. read more

While I don't believe that I was overly-harsh in my original review... Smog Diagnostic Specialists did come through for us. They fixed the damage that was done. I felt it was right to update my rant. Still, I say be honest in your ads. read more

First time here for a smog check. Nice friendly staff. Used a coupon online so good discount. Quick service too!

I could hear the mechanic complain about my truck, bad brakes , etc. Then I could hear him say they had no book on my truck and then he lied and said they had book. Then he said my truck failed the visual test. Then he said he had to charge me to protect his license . They charged me for just an argument. This place may be O K for newer cars but if you have an old stay away. I called to ask for a refund and he chewed me out. read more

Honest car maintenance. Six years and 90000 miles on my car going here exclusively. They have never tried to hustle or misrepresent. They do everything from oil changes to timing belts and even my tires. Cars here range from Acuras to basic commuter cars. read more

Dropped off my car, he says 1 hour. About 6 hours later called them and said 'uh yeah its all ready'. thanks for telling me, strike one About 2 weeks later DMV says they didnt get the certificate. So I go in there and they said too bad, DMV screwed up. He said he couldnt check, verify, anything. I did notice the paper said it failed on one test. So I asked him 'well did it fail'? He says no it passed. I said oh well it says failed right here. He says oh yeah it did fail. Thanks for telling me, strike 2. He says the check engine light was on, and it will fail no matter what when thats on. Well you could see that BEFORE you even checked it! So why did they charge me the fee to send it to DMV when it failed? No 'sorry sir' nothing. Just "I wasnt here so i dont know." Well you're here now! read more

Shitty as fuck. Needed an oil change asap so I came here. Usually I get my oil change done for 30$ elsewhere but here is 36$. Secondly, I waited over a fucking hour for an OIL CHANGE. I was told 20 minutes which changed to 1 hour and fucking 30 minutes! Ridiculous never coming again read more

Wow. Talk about the worst experience I have ever had with this type of shop. I took my truck in about four months ago to get smoged. Since that time they really couldn't figure out what my problem was. They had to send my truck to two different dealers. They said I need a new engine and quoted me a price. They then took three times as long to fix it. The truck could not smog and it turns out they put the wrong engine in the truck. We are having to sue them to fix it. I don't think this is a well funded business. The owner is a horrible business person. read more

This is my new place for car repair! I have a 2005 Mercedes c320 which is in pretty good condition, but the check engine light was on and I needed to pass smog. Cesar, the owner, went above beyond to diagnose and repair the problem, and didn't overcharge. He explained everything to me (very patiently -I'm not really a car person) and really went out of his way to make sure that my car was going to pass smog!! Thank you so much Cesar! Hopefully I won't need any repairs soon, but if I do, I'll be back! read more

I would be back for sure! Great customer service, thank you Ceasar. Very courteous and prompt. I made an appointment and was in and out in 30 minutes for a smog check. Check for coupons in SN&R. I will return for sure for future automotive needs. read more

Beware: If you go to get a smog check and your car fails they will not retest for free. They will only retest for free if you pay to have them fix the problem. If you want to fix the problem yourself or take it to another shop you will have to pay for another smog check. read more

I give this place three stars because I just don't like dealing with car repairs. I'm not mechanically inclined and I have a fear of car repair places ripping me off, but I've been to this location twice and it seems cool. I had my car smog tested here and it was fine, and I've had my oil changed here and it was fine. They seem speedy and reasonably priced. They let me know about other things they find that need to be repaired when they're working on the car, but they don't pressure me into fixing anything. read more

I will never go anywhere else to fix my car! Cesar and his team took me to work and picked me up while they changed my brakes!!! They are honest and knowledgable and professionals at what they do!!!! Need ur car fixed?!? Come to SMOG Diagnostics!!!!!! read more

We have been bringing our cars here to get smog checked for the last few years. This time, the check in clerk tells me that there is a $20 surcharge for Porsche. First I ever heard that. Called Porsche, they said there is no practical reason for this. To make it worse, the clerk said, rudely, " It is what it is. I am not going to argue with you. Do you want it or not?". Not this time or ever again. Beware. read more

I called at 3:50 asking if they could fit me in the same day. They said come on in. Smog check on my SUV plus certificate was $48 with coupon from their website. I was in and out of their shop in 20 mins. This was my 3rd time there. I recommend this business for smog checks. read more

I would definitely go back. I went in for engine light and could not pass smog. They seemed honest and I was right! Love Cesear... And he is really cute ;-) read more

Had a great service. Called for a smog check, in and out and a great price. Thanks!!!

Had a good experience here . I found an offer in Penny Saver saying they would not only match, but beat other offers for SMOG. I think I ended up getting out of there for SMOG + certificate for under $25! It is also conveniently located in the grid, and is open on Saturdays. I think I waited about 30 min, since there was someone ahead of me. I just walked over to Quickly, had some tea, and they were finished when I came back. read more