Joe’s Smog Shack

I’d like the option to choose ZERO stars, but Unilocal doesn’t have that!
My car did not pass smog for the 1^st time in the 15 years I’ve had it. The code was a P0455 (EVAP– LARGE LEAK). I checked out Joe’s Smog Shack via Unilocal,as well as others. Eva answered and gave me a quote on the diagnosis, which was $ 95, so I figured it wouldn’t hurt. BTW: most reputable smog repairs will apply the cost of diagnosis to repairs made over a certain amount, not Joe’s!
I had mentioned in our phone call, that I just had the fuel pump replaced in February. She said, that they would have to diagnose it before making any assumptions.
I took it in on a Monday morning. Then I get a call that afternoon, saying that after the Smoke Diagnosis Test, it would take $ 285.00 to DROP THE TANK and fix the fuel hoses connected to the pump. I’m having a heart attack at this point. Almost $ 300 BUCKS! I said «no thanks» and took my car!
So I did some homework. 1^st, the fuel hoses are already factory connected to the pump. If it’s a faulty pump, then it’s covered under warranty if it has one. Otherwise, they’re simply plug ins. Joe’s also mentioned that my fuel pump was replaced at 121,000 MILES as INDICATED ON THE TANK!
The new one was replaced at 168,000 miles!
Well, whomever wrote that on the tank (white grease pen) was the previous mechanic about 3 years ago that replaced it… the writing did not indicate that the new fuel pump was installed in Feb of this year as I mentioned in the initial phone call! They NEVER ASKED about the writing to see if it was indeed accurate.
I did some more homework… I found via a mechanic friend of mine in Sunnyvale, that you might want to check your gas cap. So I took it to him, he said the seals were worn and I went and bought a $ 12.00 GAS CAP at Monument in Tracy.
Then my buddy put it through a code reader… cleared the codes to get the check engine light to go off. He then advised to drive at LEAST 60 miles to reset the monitors. ROAD TRIP!
Went to the Smog Test center where I initially failed smog. PASS!
So…my question is… WHY didn’t Joe’s NOT check the gas cap? I can almost guarantee there would have been smoke leaking from there! I mean really? Are they THAT incapable of being diligent enough to rule out other possibilities as to why the car did not pass smog? Not very thorough guys!
Let’s see, $ 285.00 VERSUS $ 12.00? NO BRAINER!
People, DO YOUR HOMEWORK before having your car smog repairs looked at. Check ALL possibilities and go to different places… but stay away from this place!
Hell, when I went to go pick up my car, they failed to have enough forethought to give me my DMV paperwork back when I paid for the diagnosis. I’m partially to blame on THAT one since I should have known they can’t run a front office.

They worked on my dads truck in March 2016 it took a couple of hours but they fixed the part and got it to pass smog haven’t had any problems since

Worst place ever!!! Brought my car in for smog on a Wednesday. Waited a half an hour to turn in my car because they were too busy talking about their personal lives. Anyways, they told me it would be done by noon and they would call me. No call Wednesday. Thursday at 4:30 pm they still hadn’t called so I called… still not done. Friday at 4:30 I call STILL NOT DONE. They then tell me I need to pick it up by 5 and drive it on the freeway to see if it passes smog because they couldn’t get around to doing it (Probably because they’re too busy standing round BSing.) but they’re closed on the weekend so bring it in Monday and they’ll finish but I have to pay them $ 120 for the work they’ve done (what work it still isn’t smogged!). Come Monday… «oh we’re going to need $ 95 more dollars and we wont have your car done today because we had a lot of people bring their cars in» WHAT!!! They’re the ones who told me to bring it back! A week later, nothing done and no idea when they can finish… that’s a lot different than «be done by noon» Paid almost $ 200 for my car to be gone for a week with nothing done. Took it to another shop who had it done in 5 hours. I feel very scammed.

Took my 1979 F100 truck here as it wouldn’t pass the smog via my original mechanic.
Joes found a problem with the EVAP fuel system and also the vacuum hose routing my prior mechanic couldn’t fix. They fixed and it passed with flying colors. They also found the carb I just had fitted was faulty — again, something my other mechanic didn’t detect and he fitted it!
In future this is the only place that will work on my truck

This has been our go-​to place for years. Sat outside this morning (Saturday), waiting for them to open. Called their number 15 minutes after 9 to find they only open on Saturdays by appointment. Not sure when that changed, but their ad states they are open from 9 to 1 on Saturdays. Nothing posted about Saturday appointments on the door, either. Went to the shop 6 doors away, instead. In and outv in 15 minutes. Bye, Joe.

Eva is the only good thing about this shop. They replaced my engine which had to be ordered and replaced twice. After waiting a month to get my car back, I had to pay over 5 thousand. My vehicle still had issues with the engine afterwards and l had to take it back on several occasions.
I just found out from another shop in TRACY that the front rotors I paid to have replaced last June at Joes was not performed but I was charged over $ 250 for the «work». This may be a good shop for some but I won’t be back.

no he never call me I when back to him and then I just pay hime only for looking at nd I just somg down tbe street for only $ 49.99 my truck has only55 k. miles it doesn’t need that tool 100 kmils

Had to leave my show car here for smog repair. It was ready Saturday and we were never called. Picked it up Monday only to find it parked in a lot 29 spaces from the shop, unlocked, windows down, brag book and CDs in the back seat. Alarm not set. Keys were in the shop area, not secured in the office. Got home to find my garage smelling of gas and realized the gas cap was never put back in my car. Paid $ 245 for a fix to get it to pass smog. Having it sniffed again this week just to sure it passes, would not go here again. Lack of responsibility for customers pride and joy.

Brought out Chevy truck here because it didn’t pass smog at another shop. David fixed a minor repair and got it to pass. Best part was they were helpful, honest and ethical in their business. And charged a very small fee for their work! Definitely bringing all our vehicles here. Great business!

I had 3 vehicles smogged there. My 4×4 needed timing adjustments which they did for a reasonable cost. Convenient and a friendly staff. I will continue to do business with them and will recommend them to people who need a smog or work done to their vehicle.

I had some issues with my Land Rover and after calling around to other shops, another garage in town recommended them, since it seems like no one else in Tracy wants to even touch a Land Rover. I was able to bring it in that morning and they had it diagnosed and parts ordered much faster then I was expecting. It was a bad coil but they ended up doing a tuneup since it needed it anyways. After I picked it up I ended up having an issue, but it ended up being just a loose connection and they fit me in on a busy Saturday morning to take a second look at it. Joe was the one to help me for the second go around, and I cannot say enough great things about the service. I will definitely be bringing it back in for other work.

This place has reasonable prices and they have excellent car service but the one thing I will complain about is the front desk assistant. She was taking personal calls and taking care of personal business on my time. The guy who finished the smog test on my car brought her the paper and I had to wait 20mins for her to finish up texting whoever she was texting, being on her laptop, and take care of what ever personal business she had to take care of. I left unhappy, that would be the only reason I would not recommend this place.

Joes smog shack is a rip off! I went there after my mechanic told me I had 2 codes p0420 and p401. My mechanic told me it needed an upper cat and a sensor. I called nissan dealer and they said a new cat was $ 989. When I went to joe’s When the wife told me sometimes she gets better pricing and she DID quote came back at $ 649, I told her I needed to save up and would be back in a quolls if weeks. When I came back the price was up to $ 900. She apologized then said to let her husband do a diagnostic (for $ 95) because sometimes they just need to do a little tweak or a small part to make it pass smog. Four hours later I came to pick up the car and with a straight face she says it needs an upper cat and a sensor, I said to her, «I told you that when I came in!!!» She started back pedaling and telling me that I only told her about one code. She went on to say that they made sure there were no leaks… which I already knew from the mechanic. They have been in business a long time which I think helps them to appear to be honest. If you having nothing wrong with your car and just need them to perform state required smog they are probably ok, if you have an issue… RUN! Because they can’t help you and won’t help you. Like another Unilocaler said she (the wife) doesn’t tell you about state programs until the money is paid. When I asked about the posted prices on her half door, because all were lower than the $ 95 I paid, she said she has the right to set her pricing the way she likes. I WILL NEVER go back, and you should think twice before considering this shop.

Before you repair a person’s car, aren’t you supposed to disclose the grant program for cars older than 10 years? Don’t do the repair (costly) then tell me about it!

Joe’s is a family run local business, which is always important to me. After several years of getting my vehicles smogged at Joe’s, they are my go to in Tracy. Honesty and reliability are critical, and it certainly doesn’t hurt that they always have great deals advertised on top of it all.
If you are trying to find the place, just come down MacArthur from 11^th, the first turn south of 11^th street (or the last turn before 11^th if you are going North toward 11^th st), right past the recycling place, turn in the the driveway.

great service, great people, great prices! GREAT PLACE!

Joe is so honest and reasonable! My sons car kept dying and we took it in for Joe to check it out. It looked like the alternator was bad from the readings so we left it for a new alternator to be put in. While pulling it apart they noticed the battery connections underneath had corrosion and cleaned it and retried the alternator, which is fine now! Eva called us and told us we could pick it up and instead of $ 250 it was only $ 75! Now how often does that happen? well if you go to Joe’s it could! Thanks Joe, Eva & Mike, you continue to be a blessing.

BUYER BEWARE:
A friend of mine took their car here with an engine mis-​fire (the engine was shaking and running really bad, for you non-​technical types). The problem was that there was oil leaking into the spark plug tube which filled up with oil and caused the misfire (basically it needed valve cover gaskets and spark plug tube gaskets).
To do this job correctly on their vehicle, one must remove the intake manifold to get to the rear valve cover to replace the gaskets. The mechanic didn’t bother, he only sucked the oil out of the tubes and put RTV Gasket maker on the spark plug boot in hopes it wouldn’t leak again. Of course within 45 days it was doing the same thing again.
I ended up fixing it for them the second time because this shop’s pathetic 30day warranty had already ran out, so I know for a fact what was NOT done correctly.
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I also had a bad experience at this place when I went in for smog check.
NOTE
When you get a smog check your car needs to be warmed up first.
I had warmed up my car nicely before heading over there and when I showed up, I had to wait a little while, which ended up cooling the catalytic converters down.
The mechanic tried to sell me new O2 sensors saying they needed it, and I told them NO, take the car for a ride and come back and retest it.
Sure enough, it passed just fine after it was warmed up.
I definitely won’t be going back to this place for ANY reason!

Joe Rocks. he saved me time and money. THanks Joe!

Joe has always been a straight shooter with his customers. He recently worked on my moms car and saved her a significant dollar amount from what the dealer service drive wanted to charge her. That is why my dad always went to Joe’s. Honest work for an honest price. Thanks Joe, Eva and Mike, my moms car drives great.