Found this place by luck and I am so glad I did. Not only did Will do my smog test for a great price but he also took the time to walk me through the extensive test procedure for my older 1995 Acura. I was told he's been in the business for 30 years and his knowledge definitely shows. My new go to shop for smog tests for older cars! read more

My mechanic has been taking my car here for almost a decade. Today is the first day I been to this business. The owner and his assistant and very friend. They ate also professional. The small but clean. These guys even practiced Covid/air borne illnesses and etc. They both wore masks and stayed 6ft+ away. I came in for a smog check and they finished in 20-25 mins. They both were good at holding/starting a conversation. The price for a smog isn't as bad as some places so it's a good value. I will be back here and will tell my network to come here. Thank you guys!! read more

Definitely would recommend this place for whoever needs to get a smog check. The place is very clean. Customer service is top notch. The tech showed me how to do a smog check. As a woman I felt so comfortable, he explained each and every test he was running. I left with knowledge and a passed smog exam! 5 stars read more

Very straightforward, old school joint. The proprietor also detected something my mechanic had messed up.

Smog was very expensive and upcharged. Charged $83.25 for a smog on a 2015 car , that passed smog. Only accepts cash for payment called another shop for a quote for smog and was told $57 , definitely not coming back and I don't recommend this shop, up charges prices when smogs are never $80+ no printed receipts read more

My family has been coming to William's center for years for their smog inspections. He provides fast and friendly service and will gladly answer any questions you might have about the process! read more

In and out for smog check in 25 minutes. Great service and definitely recommend and will be coming back

William took my walk-in request for a smog check and had me back on the road in under 40 minutes. Glad to have such a thorough mechanic/smog technician in the neighborhood. He explained all the tests to me, and discovered that my car was not originally sold in California and thus follows federal smog standards and has different components than the same model sold in California during its production life. Very interesting. Left educated about my car and with a passed certificate. A+ read more

William is a friend of Frank from Frank's Auto, Berkeley. He took the time to make sure my '84 Honda Accord passed smog and explained the details of the report. My car is old, but cool! He also gave me 2 coupons for $17.00 off, so let me know if you need a smog check . read more

I had an appointment with a different location but no one ever showed up to do my smog check. These guys were available and I'm so glad I went to them instead. They were fast and kind, and they take covid precautions seriously which is nice. They were also cheaper than some East Oakland spots I was quoted. I def recommend. read more

I got charged 75.25$ for a smog check Never going there again! I do not recommend this place. Most places charge 40$. I never thought it would cost this much when I stopped here. This is a complete rip off! read more

Decided to take a chance, and try out this shop. I was pleasantly surprised, as William greeted me, with fantastic energy, accessed my needs, then executed the process with ease. He offered me a seat, so that I could relax. He also involved me in the final stages, which showed his honesty. I will definitely visit this shop again. What a nice sense of completion I felt, as I drove away. Thank you William, you are a true gentlemen. Nate D. read more

hubs brought me here to get my car's first smog check. he's brought his car here a few times before and was confident that they work on the cars really fast. came in on a Saturday and there was 1 car being serviced. I was told that it'll be a 5-10 min wait which I didn't mind. 5 mins later, they explained that they are a bit behind and will be able to service my car shortly. With a few problems.. one being they can't figure out how to check my car, I was able to pass the test. It may have taken us about 30 mins. Because the guys were explaining to me what's going on and was repeatedly apologizing for the wait, I didn't mind the wait. would definitely come back. read more

William is courteous and very efficient and I paid less than half of what I was quoted at a nearby competitor. Very painless experience.Great job William! read more

The service is always efficient and fast. I would definitely return again for my smog check there.

Came here immediately after leaving 4 Less Smog Check on Broadway for poor customer service and lack of knowledge. Immediately greeted with directions and quick service. All questions I had about the new biennial smog checks that weren't answered by 4 Less Smog Check on phonecall were answered by Bear Safety Center with no discourteous or disrespectful attitude. Very professional and prompt with extra advice given on the side. read more

I found the tech here perfect for my smog check. Respectful, fast, cheap. What more do you need.

William is a cool tech guy, he knows what he's doing and he did it quick!! If your car is clean, you can expect in and out within an hour. Got love this place. Don't be fool by the ghetto neighborhood... just go there during day time and you will be ok! I've been taking my cars over there like 5 years now. I will give them 10 stars if I can, they are THAT GOOD! read more

Blah - have to get a smog check every other year. Yes, I know my car is old but it runs like a charm! And it's healthy as a horse... Anyway, I've used Bear the last two times - they came as a referral by the best-mechanic-in-the-world, Stan at Fifth Street. Bear SC has me smog checked with flying colors, and are polite, courteous and effectively efficient. They even gave me a bottle of water! at a smog check station! :) read more

Good place I'm mean good customer service the guy working there go out of way to explain and or help... I'll be back for my other cars and truck thank you Bear safety center read more

I got my car smog checked at Bear Safety Center a couple of weeks ago. These guys are the best! They came highly recommended by my mechanic, who I trust implicitly. The men at Bear Safety Center are friendly, honest, hard-working and fast, and they charge a VERY reasonable rate. About 6 years ago I had my car smogged at another place and I was charged about $100. I didn't know any better at that time. At Bear Safety the price is MUCH LESS than $100 still (I've used them now the last 2 times I've needed my car smog checked). Bear Safety is always going to be my first choice. William even took the time to point out a tire that was getting dangerously worn AND pointed out to me that my car had a defective gas cap. The crew at Bear Safety care about their customers. You and your car will be in great hands there! read more

My car needed a smog inspection and so my boyfriend recommended this shop to me. I like this shop, I think that it's fast, efficient and reasonable, so why not? Better than the competitors out there. William had very well manners and was able to keep up with my constant stream of questions about my car. Overall I think this shop deserves five stars and I'll definitely be coming back again. read more

Avoid this place. My family used to take our cars here for smog checks, and we thought they were pretty great. They were fast with the smog checks and other work. Then we noticed a pattern, all of the cars we had taken to this guy ended up with leaky radiators. Cars that didn't have radiator problems before. We didn't really think much of it, but when it happened to our third car, and it actually need to be towed out, the tow truck driver informed us that he tows a lot of cars OUT of this shop. I suppose I don't have hard evidence for you, but this has been my experience. I'm going to take the hint from the tow driver and avoid this shop. I don't need to go to a shop that might be messing with my cars when I could take them to a shop that is definitely not. read more

I had to have my truck smogged. I went to a station on MacArthur Blvd. I waited for well over an hour only to be told that I needed to go to a special "smog only" station to have the check performed (some vehicles are randomly selected for that, I'm told). Well, the fact is that the place that I went to could have punched in my info earlier and saved me all of that waiting time--they lied and told me it would only be 15 minutes anyway. I asked for a referral and they gave me a flier for the Bear Safety Center on San Pablo. I went there and told them that I was in a big hurry--I was already late for several appointments. They not only had me in and out of there in less than 15 minutes...they were nice, courteous, and gave me the same $17 discount coupon....so the prices were good as well. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! read more