Encino Star Smog Check

This is the place that killed my old car after one of their oil changes two years ago. My car was old, but running just fine. I needed a simple oil change and came here because they were close to work. When I went to pick up my car, the mechanic (William) told me «to come back later, because he had to get a part to replace (it had something to do with my suspension).» I never asked for this, I just wanted my oil changed. Knowing that shady shops like this try to upsell you on services you don’t need, I refused and told him I just authorized an oil change.
On the way home, my reliable, normally-​running car started overheating. Not just a slow overheat, but a huge spike in temperature. I pulled over and opened the hood to see oil splattered everywhere! The radiator was close to empty too, but that could have been because of the overheating. My car never ran again after that and I had to sell it for scrap. Thanks guys, this was an expensive lesson.

Very friendly customer service!

Great deal if you get the Unilocal coupon. Went first thing in the morning, they smogged me right away and off I went. No fuss no muss.

I had my smog test done on my truck and felt a negative approach as soon as I mentioned I had a Groupon.
He even asked, «where did you get that??» as I a came with a fraudulent voucher. I was upset by his tone and wondered why the company posts a Groupon deal only to frown upon those customers.
Nevertheless, later he came with the paperwork and had me sign the document.
Then he told me the truck did NOT PASS and I needed to buy a new groupon to test again, which is ridiculous.
Most places allow you to test twice. He said I only needed to drive my truck and no repairs were necessary.
I just went somewhere else, my vehicle passed with them.
It was a big waste of time and money and I felt disrespected and cheated.

Excellent service. I went there on a Tuesday morning and was assisted by Willie right away. I was in and out of there within 15 min. They even have a covered area where you can sit and a 7 – 11 next door to grab a coffee or snack. Highly recommended.

Get the $ 35 coupon, it’s worth it! I drove up to the location, met Willy, handed him my voucher with renewal notice and he had me out of there is less than 20 minutes with a copy of the smog certification he electrically submitted to the DMV.
Highly recommend this place, quick fast and polite service. Couldn’t ask for more.
Will come back here whenever I need another smog check.

I really liked the owner. He was really pulling for me to pass especially the SECOND time. He really did care and he didn’t want me to have to come back a third time. The only reason I’m not giving 5 stars is because there was no discount for the second time around like most places. Other than that I do recommend E.S.S.C.for a smog check!

Horrible customer service. Completely wasted my time. I called to confirm that they had availability to do a smog check before heading over (since it is quite a trek from where I live). They told me it was fine and to come on over, and when I arrived half hour later, they told me they could not do a smog check until the next day. Since I have limited days off and needed to get it done, I then had to start calling around the valley to find somewhere else that could do it for me. This hassle basically took up half my day, driving ALL over the valley, wasting gas, wasting my weekend. Not happy.

So my experience didnt even get towards the actual smog check. I called their place on a Saturday morning to verify hours of operations nd if they honor a coupon I found for the smog check. I told them I had a coupon for $ 22.75 which showed it included teh CA Certificate and ETF. They said no it was separate and it shows on the coupon, I said it didnt and I went with them because another location was showing $ 19.95 +8.95 Cert + 1.85 ETF so it would be more expense. He said thats how it is. I then question, if he wasnt goig to honor the discount. He said they would and come on in. I didnt get a chance to go in until Tuesday afternoon. They said they had 2 cars before me and it would be a 45min wait. I immediately explained my situation to the person and he didnt say anything. I waited for 25mins, and he came to help me because the person before couldnt stay. I had to explain the Saturday conversation all over again because he didnt seem to grasp it when I told him 25mins before and then at the end he says he cant do that. so he wasted 30mins of my time and drive there as well to not honor a discount that was already agreed upon by phone. Never going there again. There coupon deal wasnt apparently clear like the other guys was.

Great fast and reliable service. No need to say more. Take advantage of your Unilocal coupon.

WARNING!!! Do NOT come to this smog check station. Horrible service if you can even call it service. I called 2 times to make an appointment. The first time I called, he said call back at 8:30. I called back and the second time he said we don’t take appointments. I showed up and he said he could not service my car because he had a 5:30 appointment. I’m beyond pissed. I thought there were no appointments. The only reason I have been so persistent is I bought a stupid groupon. Now I know why there’s a groupon. DO NOT COME HERE and DO NOT BUY A GROUPON.

Extremely efficient and helpful. No reservations — just stop in. Very nice people. Will go back again.

Love these guys. Professional and accommodating. Won’t go anywhere else for Smog form now on. Great job! William is such a pro. Makes you feel good to know he’s got your car in good hands.

It’s quick. If you have a coupon, mention it at the beginning. I had to get my receipt reprinted. If you are getting a smog, there is a $ 10 CA state certificate fee broken down as 8.25+1.75. Stop being cheap and pay.

Service was fast, about 10 – 15 minutes, when it was my turn (there were a couple others ahead of me). Would have been 4 – 5 stars, except…
I called ahead and asked how much the smog check would be INCLUDING the certificate. I was told $ 50. So I bought the Unilocal $ 50 coupon for $ 25 dollars. Seemed like a great deal since the other cheapest shop was $ 40 for everything. And, let’s face it, a smog check is a smog check. The results are the same no matter where you go.
Unfortunately, I had to pay an additional $ 10 fee once all the work was done. No mention of this in advance.
$ 35 total was a good price, better than anywhere else I had found. But why choose to be dishonest about the deal???
Just make the deal: «$ 35 for smog check AND certificate.» That would have gotten my business, and the business of probably anyone else looking for this service locally on Unilocal.
Had that been the case, I wouldn’t have left feeling cheated and they would have gotten a higher rating.

No wait at all and the $ 35 for $ 60 Unilocal deal covered the entire smog check. I went on a Tuesday around 4pm and was in and out within 15 – 20 minutes.

I found this place using Groupon and not only the deal is great, but attention and customer service are as good as it gets. I highly recommend!

These guys were fast and friendly and I would highly recommend them to anyone! Willy took care of my Smog Check in about 15 minutes. Be sure to get your next Smog Check here if you live in the area.

I just smog checked my Van today at this facility and Mr. William was so nice and helpful. I bought the Unilocal deal and went there, so within 45 mins, he got the job done and I was out.
I am happy with the service. Thank you William!

Excellent experience. I’ve never gotten a better price on a smog. The owner was in and gave me a discount when I didn’t even ask, and I ALREADY thought it was cheap. The service was really good, they were fast, and helpful. I had a couple mods on my car that needed to be taken care of and they helped guide me through the process of getting it prepped so that I passed the first time.
Two thumbs up. I won’t be going anywhere else for smog checks from now on.
Sorry it took me a few weeks to leave this review!