DEKRA Smog Check Station

(777 reviews)

I got the dreaded letter to get my car smog tested when I renewed my registration. I had bought a…read morenew car a couple years ago, so I had avoided the smog test for a few years, until now. It was a busy time of the year for me, and I was looking for a place that was quick and easy to make an afternoon appointment at since I do not have a flexible schedule. I highly recommend this location! They are efficient and reliable.

Moved here from Hawai'i and we didn't have to do a smog test for our cars there. I recently went…read moreto the DMV spent almost 2 hours to renew my registration to find out I needed a smog test. We have used AAA Smog several times. They switched owners but they still offer the same great customer service as before. All the employees are knowledgeable. Corinna helped over the phone and with registration. The manager Sam helped as well. I was also helped by another female staff member who helped me with my smog I didn't catch her name. She was polite and had to explain to me that I had to drive 50 miles more to be qualified for the smog test. There was an extra fee for this. You have to pay for the smog and registration separately. You have to pay extra to get your registration here but to me it's worth it. You get it right away and don't have to wait for it in the mail.

Smogs N Tags

4.4

(8 reviews)

Smog check was needed. No appointment needed. Drove in a Sat afternoon and was taken care of…read moreimmediately! Took less than 30 Minutes. Moderate price at $65 for a SUV! Looks like you can get your car registered, notary, and other things. Super convenient.

Fast, clean, efficient. Excellent customer service. The price is good for smogs. I confused my…read morecoupon with another business and they honored the price of the competitors coupon They were busy but I was in and out in about half an hour. Very hassle free! There's plenty of parking. You can always call them and ask questions. I've also been going here for years. Consistent!

Daisy’s Auto Registration Services

(5 reviews)

Amazing service great for when your pinched for time and need your paper work fixed fastread more

Friendly staff, very helpful. She answered my questions with no hesitation, very helpful.read more

EZ Auto Registration

4.3

(37 reviews)

I had a difficult situation with my car registration and I wasn't sure if they were going to be…read moreable to help me out. First of all, Lili went ABOVE and BEYOND for me. She was very patient, kind, and informative! I expected to spend all day at the DMV and I'm so glad that Lili was able to help me with everything I needed AND more! Way more pleasant of an experience than the DMV. I was in an out in WAY less time than I would have ever expected. I will definitely be coming back here in the future and I will be recommending this place to everybody. Thank you again Lili, for your hard work, customer service, and patience truly meant a lot to me!

I want to say thank you to Lily for being so amazing!!! I had come in with a problem with my car…read moretitle. After purchasing the car through Navy Fed the dealership did not fill out the paperwork and title correctly and the bank was not happy. Instead of waiting hours at the dmv I called around a few shops and NO one wanted to help me. Until I called these guys Mark ( also owner of the dump shop) told me to come by that they would help me as best they can. As I was being helped some issues popped up but lily didn't let that stop her she waited on the phone for me with the dmv and made sure it was all handled correctly also saving me money and time!! Anytime I need anything related to the DMV I will be stopping in before. Very professional very helpful. Highly recommended. Thanks Lily !!

California Registration Services

3.8

(102 reviews)

First off I would like to state Jessica has serious mental issues, If I could give Jessica zero…read morestars I would, this lady made me drive down over a hour and when I arrived she changed her pricing and doubled it to $1000.00 after I tried to negotiate she called her other employees and told them to "Escort" me off the property at which point I left and told her I'm going to leave a bad review for her then she started yelling and throwing a tantrum saying your asking me to do illegal things,l and I will report you and your car to the dmv and I said there's nothing illegal about a 1923 hot rod with a souped up engine as I walked out the door, I'm very upset with the way she talked to me and went about things so I will also be reporting her business to the BBB and in addition to the DMV seems like she does many illegal activities for the right amount of money and she should be investigated by the DMV Overall experience was extremely hostile and Jessica has some serious anger issues, do yourself a favor and just go to the dmv or find another registration service

I wish I would have read the reviews before I went here. They have the WORST customer service I…read morehave ever seen. Mine started last August. Jessica screwed up my Transfer and registration, Blamed it on the State. Wouldnt take responsibility for the error. I brought the paperwork in to get it fixed, she took all my paper work and said I will call you in a week, That never happened, That happened several times. I went back in about every month to find out the progress and I would get the standard answer, we're still working on it, still waiting on the state. (without checking her computer to even look at my issue) The more questions I asked the more she would stonewall me. Today I went somewhere else and got everything taken care of in about 30 minutes. I feel she totally ripped me off. Do yourself a favor, Go anywhere else than here.

El Cajon City Smog Repair & Auto Registration

(178 reviews)

Scammer - do not take your vehicle here. Had a misfire code I was struggling with and told him I…read morejust needed it to pass smog. Told me I need a new head gasket, a job worth more than the vehicle. Code cleared on its own the day I picked it up from him and took somewhere else and passed the smog. Try again, buddy.

What a find! Alan was friendly, professional and efficient! First time there, telling my friends…read moreand family about this gem. Burt

The Tag Stop El Cajon DMV

4.4

(115 reviews)

This is the one, this is the best tag spot in SD. Mayu was so gracious helping me handle all my…read moreregistration issues! Go here, from straightforward to the slightly more complex registration issues they've got you covered. Thank you again Mayu for the excellent customer service with a smile. I'll be going here from now on!

When it comes to skipping the line at the dmv and being at a place where there's communication and…read moreunderstanding this is the place. The upmost patience is given and all kinds of help has been offered and they have even been by my side answering my calls until my transaction is completed. I have never had better customer service and would recommend this place to anyone !

Happy's Registration Services

(1 review)

I am in in the military and I have been deployed over seas for two years. I walked into the El…read moreCajon DMV to renew my expired registration; I was shocked and disappointed when the DMV technician quoted me around $2000 to renew my registration even though I have been over seas serving my country. Likely, my credit card declined because of the large transaction. So I decided to smog my car first and went to the happy car wash. I soon realized that they also register vehicles. The young gentleman, Ary, helped me gather my deployment orders and sent in my registration to the dmv. He called my the next day and to my surprise he had finished registering my car and waved all the years my vehicle owed. I'm so grateful he was there to help me with the process.

TAG AUTO REGISTRATION

(2 reviews)

They make what is usually a time consuming, frustrating job so easy. No waiting in long lines and…read moredealing with the chaos of the DMV. We purchased a used truck and they handled everything quickly and efficiently. They collected the sales tax and all other transfer fees. They even sent us to an affiliated smog test station with all the proper paperwork as the truck was over 90 days since it's last smog test. Done and done!!

Fast response, thank you for your notary services, great customer service. We needed a quick…read moresignature to be notarized at the last minute.

Magnolia Test Only Station

3.8

(75 reviews)

I get my car wash here and needed a smog so I thought I would try it. Very impressed. Fast. Great…read moreprice and felt very comfortable. I have a 20 year old car and get nervous but nothing to worry here. Hard to find honest business these days

Overall, good service and completed everything...BUT…read more I called ahead, asked about having time to do a smog check (lunch hour) he said sure thing, come on down, great! be there in 10mins. I get there and two cars ahead of me, both been there a bit...well ok, waited about 15mins (lunch hour) So completed smog check, passed, good! Payment, see the coupon here on Yelp? well guy says "that's the old coupon" shows me a plastic laminate on in hand, here's the new one...$5 bucks more..then proceeds to wave over the charges, smog check, cert, tax etc.. so end of story, it was total $55, i wasnt in mood to haggle over $10 bucks..but you think they'd honor whats on their site..yes/no..

East County Lube Center

See more unrecommended reviews

(408 reviews)

Employees are available, and very friendly, super knowledgeable. They have gone above and beyond…read morefor my service, and has helped more than words can explain.

EC lube takes great care of my car. They are friendly and helpful. My go to for oil changes.read more

Discount Tire

4.1

(428 reviews)

Wow Kenny and his team made me feel great. Bought a set of four new tires and price matched the…read moreInternet price. I drove home and got a screw stuck in my tire the same day. They fixed it the next day. Always go to discount over Costco in my opinion. You will save $ and have better customer service. Pro tip: always get tread wear rating above 500 If you want your tires to last.

After being made aware of my concerns. The Discount team worked to make sure I was…read moreMade happy. They refunded me and all is well:) Thank you Rich:)

Sparky's Transmission

4.4

(29 reviews)

Had to buy a used tranny from pick a part. When removed from the vehicle the mechanic I hired at…read morethe junkyard parking lot pulled the transmission for $150 (cheap). Cali, did a decent job but did not know the trans had a drain plug installed. Smashed my overdrive. John and his crew put me on the road and i'm still running strong today 5 years later. Professional& prompt, Worth the extra dollar for quality work. When it comes to transmissions don't 2nd guess, call sparkeys!! Thanks John.,

My friend Matt was storing his vintage F150 pick-up truck at my house for a while until he was…read moreready to start the restoration process. That time came and the first order of business was the transmission. Matt wanted Sparky's in Santee for the job. Matt lives in north county and I live in Santee, so he called Sparky's let them know what was up. I was to call to arrange to drop it off. Matt said the gentleman he spoke with, John, I believe, was super cool I called and spoke with John and he was indeed super cool. I made arrangements to drop off the truck the following day. The next day when I arrived I was greeted by John and he was as super cool in person as he was on the phone. I immediately knew why Matt picked Sparky's to take care of his truck. Fast forward about a week. I received a text from Matt. "Please give Sparky's a 5-star Yelp. They were f***n' awesome!" Next up is engine work and Sparky's even delivered the truck to Roy Wheeler Automotive where that will take place.

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Ciarra P.

9 years ago

Wow! I thought I was coming here to say something that hasn't already been said. I guess to concur with everyone, the painful smog checks we must get are made a little less painful with the folks at Derka! A special Thank you to Jessica and Victor! What an amazing team Derka has with these 2. Extremely professional customer service, the waiting area was so clean and comfortable-didnt really feel like I was sitting in a smog station. From water, tea, coffee to free WiFi, it was an all around great experience. It's worth mentioning, I walked in a little shy of 5:30 and they took me in with great vigor and sent me on my way within 10 minutes. Even tho I know they close at 6! Great attitudes guys! I thank my friend for referring me to such knowledgeable professionals. Again thank you! I hope business blooms for you guys! I'll definitely pass on the referral! read more

John K.

8 years ago

Wouldn't trust this place. I'm an ASE master tech with 25 years of experience in the industry I just took my diesel truck in here to be smoged and they say it passed everything no check engine light no codes but it didn't pass the visual smoke test. Unfortunately this test is open to human interpretation, and this human that did the test clearly needs his eyes examined. Again the truck is 100% stock and there's no way to fix what this guy is claiming. So he basically gave me a big shaft of California. Here's the cool part I immediately drove to another station and it passed. So let's see if they monitor this and I get my 50$ back. read more

Tyler H.

1 month ago

Just got my smog check done at DEKRA in Santee and it was honestly the easiest one I've ever had. Walked in, friendly guy at the front said hi right away, and they had me in and out in about 10 minutes. The technician was really chill and took the time to explain what he was checking. Even threw in a couple quick maintenance tips without trying to sell me anything. Super straightforward, fair price, and my car passed no problem. Ill never go to smog n tags again. read more

Barik D.

7 years ago

The crew at DEKRA will work with you to take care of your smog test needs. I have a 1980 RX7 that requires some old school know-how to test for the tight California standards these days, but this crew was willing to figure it out (In case you didn't know, test centers could be suspended for too many failures). Great job guys! Located in the Fletcher Hills area of La Mesa/El Cajon. read more

Fred G.

2 years ago

I witnessed a customer stating he didn't want to turn off his car b/c it sometimes results in a CEL. So what does the jack*** tech do? Promptly turns it off and restarts it. I grabbed my key and split. NOT b/c I feared a failure (stock BMW), but folks like this have NO PLACE in my neighborhood. Total jack***es. read more

Stephanie M.

10 years ago

I was initially worried because the tech was also the in store admin - I thought it was going to take forever - but he was AWESOME! I was in and out in 15-20 minutes for my smog check and they were super efficient, communicative and friendly. I will definitely come back here for all future smog checks! Thank you! read more

Donald L.

1 year ago

Came in for routine smog check. They were polite, professional and fast. My vehicle is a little beat up but they gave me respect and serviced my car no problem. Cool thing, they gave me an unexpected discount. I recommend this shop to everyone. The price is great but they gave me a discount on top. Excellent! read more

Susan R.

10 years ago

What a super easy way to get your smog check and registration all in one stop! I did not have an appointment and they took me right in. Very professional and friendly...sorry, I can't remember the man's name who helped me but he was awesome! Even put the registration sticker on for me! 5 stars! read more

Dominic H.

3 years ago

My Truck needed a Smog! I took my Truck in and they did a great Job it was Fast and Ready within minutes! The guys are Awesome and know what they are doing if I was you go and check it out trust and believe this place is the Spot! read more

Barbara B.

10 years ago

Dekra Smog Check was recommended to me by my neighbor. Excellent service, friendly people, efficient! I will be going there again, whenever my car needs a smog check. read more

Krammer H.

1 month ago

Great place to get your title transfer and smog done. I highly recommend anyone who wants a stress free smog or title transfer to go to Dekra smog. read more

Mitch L.

342

9 years ago

Beautiful Job! In and Out in 20 minutes on a busy Saturday afternoon for a smog check as a walk in:) I will bring all my cars here!

Linda S.

8 years ago

Great experience. Fast, efficient, friendly and they even put your tag on for you. Highly recommend Dekra for all your smog needs.

Joni T.

10 years ago

Very quick service. I made an appointment the day before & was in and out in under 10 minutes. Very clean and nice waiting area.

Stefani P.

7 years ago

First time here, they came highly recommended and did not disappoint. Very friendly, and quick. I would definitely recommend

Max M.

2 years ago

Charging double what everyone else charges taking advantage of people, doesn't seem like a good company at all

Ed S.

7 years ago

Great customer service, and very quick. I showed up with no appointment and was finished in about 15 minutes.

G R.

8 years ago

Great, fast service. Would definitely recommend this place. Dog friendly and they do DMV renewals as well

Dino R.

5 years ago

Always quick in and quick out. Never any hassles. I've been bringing my vehicles here for years.

Carol F.

1 year ago

They were clean and polite, and I was out in 30 minutes! I would recommend them highly :-)

DEKRA Smog Check Station - smog_check_stations - Updated August 2026

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AAA Smog & Repair Center

(88 reviews)

Found this place on Yelp after having moved into the area. Went there on a Wednesday afternoon with…read moreno appointment, and got help right away. Very great customer service and quick turnaround. Will be coming here for smog when needed again.

This automotive repair facility is honestly, in my opinion, the very best auto repair facility in…read moreSan Diego County. Let me explain.. Back in April, when I serviced my 2012 Ford Fusion for a synthetic blend oil change at El Cajon Ford, I was told I needed front and back brakes. I was quoted $600.00 for the front brakes and the.same amount for the back brakes. This amount to me seemed extraordinarily High. I discussed this with an old college buddy and he recommended AAA Smog & Repair Center on El Cajon Boulevard. I had utilized this facility in early May to smog my Ford Fusion. The smog check took a total of 5 minutes to complete and of course my car passed with flying colors. Incidentally, the technician at El Cajon Ford had told me to make sure I get both brakes front and back done in May, as I risked the possiblity of damaging the rotors. Needless to say, I wasn't happy about this as shelling out $1,200 for brakes just isn't in my budget right now. I took my vehicle in for brake servicing at AAA Smog & Repair Center on Friday, June 12th, 2026. Mike, who runs the facility quoted me $375.00 maximum for front brake disc replacement. The work was done in about 2 and 1/2 hours, and the total with tax came out to $394.00. Mike inspected my back brakes and told me there is no way that the back brakes need to be replaced right now. As a matter of fact, he told me the back brakes have at least a year's worth of life left in them. And he explained, as we all know, that the front brakes handled about 80% of braking requirements. I left this facility having paid out a total of $394.00 as stated above.Wow!! On a one to five star rating, if I could give this auto repair facility 10 stars I certainly would. Mike and his wonderful crew got the job done in just a couple of hours and didn't try to break the bank. And unlike other facilities (like El Cajon Ford) he doesn't recommend work that doesn't need to be done. Mike is the most honest service technician/manager I have ever met. This is the kind of auto repair facility one finds in small sleepy towns, located far away from the hustle and bustle of the big city. For example, windshield wiper replacement at this facility runs $11.99 per blade in contrast to Discount Tire, who is selling their wiper replacement blades for around $35.00.. Auto Zone comes in at a few dollars less and El Cajon Ford is off the charts for even a simple replacement part such as windshield wiper replacement blades. This price of this one part serves as a metaphor regarding the fact that this facility cares about us customers in charging the fairest priced for parts and labor possible. They truly care about the customer. This auto repair facility has earned my very highest recommendation. As referenced above, they are not out to break the bank And as a matter of fact, Mike and the crew are trying to save the consumer as much money as is humanly possible in this day and age. Additionally, this facility offers DMV registration renewal, allowing the consumer to skip the long lines at the DMV. They also offer body work and basically anything can be done under the hood.The one thing they don't specialize in is oil changes, though the facility will in fact order the oil and filter required if an oil change is absolutely necessary when other work is being done. Let's face it, all companies are in business to make a profit, of course. The problem, with so many companies out there, is that they gouge the customer, to make a huge profit and are charging prices that are probably 500 to 1000 percent above what should be reasonably and morally charged for parts and services way above what most consumers can actually afford. This company is different. They are charging an extremely fair price thereby saving consumers a ton of money that those other huge companies love to just swallow up with their overinflated high end prices. My warmest thanks and "hats off" to Mike and his gallant crew!! I'll be back at this shop for electrical work in August or September. I wholeheartedly recommend everybody out there consider utilizing this auto repair facility before shelling out those big bucks at those other well known large facilities. Thanks again!!

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3.8

(59 reviews)

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