Santa Monica Auto Service

Going to get your car serviced sucks and as a woman I'm always wondering if I'm going to get swindled. Not the case at Santa Monica motors Kareem the owner (?) is extremely friendly and tells you how it is. His goal, in my opinion, is to develop a lasting relationship and customers life and not take you for a ride. Also I've been to other places to get my car serviced and this has got to be one of the cleanest establishments I've come across. Maybe not a huge deal but it counts to feel comfortable somewhere and not smell like oil when you leave.

I called 4 places checking on prices and fees and checked the yelp reviews. I found a place $20 cheaper but all the fees were extra and I decided, based on the yelp reviews, to choose this station. One of my best ever choices. These people are amazing. First, my hood latch was broken and it looked like I'd have to leave without the test when the person servicing my car announced that as they weren't busy, would I mind if he tried (carefully) to open the hood manually? What? Someone actually stepping up to do something outside of their routine. 5 stars to this place. AND, I passed the smog AND, they honored the coupon I read about but couldn't find. And Bob really nice :) But so is the OTHER GUY. Take your care HERE.

Went in today and met the famous Bob you all are talking about and he could not have been nicer. This place is clean, well organized, quick service and made smogging a car as painless as possible. I would definitely recommend and return to this business.

Brought my car in on a Saturday just after noon. I was in and out in less than 20 minutes, and the guy at the counter was extremely nice. When I paid, I told him that I had seen the coupon online but didn't have a home printer to print it out. He told me that was no problem and took the $10 off anyway! I've tried to do similar things elsewhere, and their attitude was always, well, sucks for you. This dude was awesome. They're also conveniently located about 3 minutes from the AAA office in Santa Monica (where I needed to get my CA registration taken care of).

I'm pretty surprised at the number of low-star reviews from people who were angry that they were charged for failing the test, "even though the tech knew" the car would fail. You're already online. Go over to the California Smog Check FAQ website (address is ON the paperwork mailed to you telling you to get your car smogged in the first place!) and read for yourself all the reasons you will fail. This includes a check engine light, plumes of black or white smoke flowing out of your tailpipe and nutty after-market equipment installed without the proper EO documentation. The techs are *required by the state* to run the entire test in a particular order - this means the "check engine" light is checked LAST. YOU WILL FAIL if the check engine light is on. Don't blame the tech because you brought in a car doomed to fail and then had to pay for your ignorance. In any event, I took my car to this location on a Friday at 5 PM. I was out the door again at 5:20. I looked online and found a $15 off coupon. This is handy, because the cost for my 1994 car would've been $75. This isn't the cheapest place for Test Only smog checks, but I have been to the $40 places and ended up spending more with their additional charges for transmitting the certificate and what have you. Bob explained the (passing) results to me and suggested that I have the car looked at by my mechanic. Even though the car passed, he thought I could be getting better gas mileage if the mechanic saw the results and made some changes. Since the Test Only center can't diagnose your specific problem, I was glad for the information.

i was a bit skeptical cause of the 2 star reviews but i have to say i was very pleased with the entire experience i just had for my smog check. i came in on a saturday right before they closed so there was already a line of cars ahead of me. the man was very upfront about how much it costs and that it will probably be a 45min wait. i sat there and before i knew it, they were moving my car to get tested and i was out of there within 15 mins! the man was very friendly and walked me through my paperwork. only downside is the price ($65 since i couldn't print the coupon) but i will gladly go back considering its a clean, friendly, speedy place to get your car checked out.

Bob, you did it! You won me over too. I walk in and there's a bunch of people sitting around. Bob kindly greets me and informs me there's a 45min wait. I'm in no rush, so I take a seat with everyone else in the waiting room. Then I realize there's another Westside gem just a stone's throw West. The Daily Pint is a beer lover's haven or heaven, depending on your religious convictions. So, after a pint of a British ESP, of which the name escapes me & was fantastic, I go back to see Bob. Bob went over all the details and told me my car passed! He also digitally submitted my info to the DMV and I was on my way. Bob, if you're reading this right now... I'll see you next time for sure!

My encounter here was flawless. In and out in 20-30 minutes. Used the coupon for a total charge of $55. The manager (Bob) offered to go over the Emissions Test results and explained each part in understandable language. When Arnold (or his successor) requires another '$piece of flesh$', I will come here. The experience was indeed, 'painless'.

Granted, I didn't go searching high and low for the best price. I figured I had to get the Smog Check - it's like taxes. So this place just happened to be up the street from where I lived. I love it so much because everything is straight-up. You walk in, tell them you need a smog check, hand over your DMV papers. Bob tells you that you're welcome to go to lunch and come back (then gives very good recommendations of things that are in walking distance). You go to lunch, come back and your car is done, it's passed its check, they've filed your certificate with the DMV electronically and you can renew online. Doesn't get better than this. Oh, and they give you a coupon in two years when you're due for the next.

This is the best automotive shop that I've ever dealt with! Karim and Eloi are great to work with, totally honest and very knowledgeable. They make you feel right at ease and will take the time to explain to you exactly what you need and what your options are. The customer service was outstanding! I brought my Subaru Outback in to get serviced for the 30k mile check-up and they were half the price of what the dealership was going to charge me! I will definitely be a loyal customer!