A TRUE HIDDEN GEM. My mother and I have both been decade long customers of this establishment and the service has always been amazing. They are always so helpful and honest and have really showed up for us over the years. They are meticulous, thorough and always manage to give the fastest and most convenient service. Literally the most professional automotive service company through and through. I was raised by a single, immigrant mother and we lived just right around the corner from this shop, this was literally the most convenient location for any of our car troubles, we were able to drop off the car and walk back home. I remember sitting in their waiting room with my mom who is not the easiest woman to please on any day, and Juan was always able to put her mind at ease. Now in my 30s with my own children it is PRICELESS to feel the same peace of mind. It wouldn't matter how far I lived, if I am residing in Sacramento this is the only place I will EVER go to for any automotive need. Just brought a vehicle in a few weeks ago to pass smog for registration, and as always they were incredible. Sent my best friend over to fix a broken trunk door latch a few days after, that she had been going around in circles with her dealership about and they took care of it painlessly, she said she wished she would've just gone with them to begin with. read more

I came here for smog check. Front desk was courteous and even offered some water or coffee while I was waiting. I had a great experience in this place. Very professional and cared about customer service values. Highly recommended. read more

Smog Diagnostic Specialists - Front desk - Auto Repair Near Me - Sacramento, California

What great service! Took my vehicle in for a smog test and I was in and out within one hour. Juan is very professional and really knows how to run his business. His mechanics are excellent at what they do also. I say that because I went back for a second visit. I had seen that he advertises electrical services on a car. I asked if he could convert my rear turn signal's to LED. He answered yes they do that service, so I left my car and they were able to do the job thoroughly and with no problems. My previous turn signals were out of order and now they work perfect. The communication with the customer is above average. As you can see by my photo, they text you a picture of your car throughout the process. You will get a text message or an email telling you the status of the service as it progresses through the day. That is top-notch service! read more

Smog Diagnostic Specialists - Photo is a copy of the text or email they sent me to communicate the process. I blacked out my license plate. - Auto Repair Near Me - Sacramento, California

Took my car here for a smog and brake check (brakes still in good condition) They were nice professional and honest. I previously took my car to north star across the street which told me I needed to replace my brakes and it would cost over $700. Glad I got a second opinion read more

It's that time where registration needs to be renewed and a smog test has to be done, yadda yadda. My dad mentioned about a place in this area and told me I'll know what I'm looking for when I drive down northgate. Guess I did! Quick. Easy. Friendly. The man said it'll take up to 25 minutes and it was more like 10! Smog Check - $49.95 After tax and fees, it's just $60. Not too bad after all. read more

Smog Diagnostic Specialists - The "office" - Auto Repair Near Me - Sacramento, California

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I feel like they take way too long to do a smog check. I heard them tell everyone 30 to 40 minutes, but then I waited two hours. They weren't that busy, I think they forgot about my car. They were there only place doing smog checks in Natomas on a Saturday, and during the plandemic I feel like they are gouging people knowing that other places are closed. I paid $70 but I've seen half that price elsewhere in Sacramento for much faster service in the past. If I had more time to work with I would be going somewhere else read more

2ND REVIEW ANOTHER 5 STARS!! Thank you for your continued excellent customer service. For ten years, Smog Diognostic Specialists on Northgate has smogged all of my vehicles. Everyone is so friendly, super fast, under 30 minutes, offer online appointments (but you don't need one for fast service), updates by text if you leave your car there and kuereg coffee or tea if you decide to wait. A coupon for $20 off your smog mailed to you 4 months prior to your DMV deadline. Thanks to everyone at smog diagnostic Specialists on Northgate!! Karina Dickerson read more

Unfortunately these guys are as crooked as they come. The whole idea is to test the vehicle and ensure that it passes smog. These guys are more about getting a quick dollar than they are about doing the one job they're supposed to do. They tried to have me replace a PCV hose, I literally passed smog at another location. When I asked about the PCV hose, the other smog shop said no problem. This is not an issue there's no hole in the line, nor is there a vacuum leak, nor is there incorrect flow. Beware of these guys read more

**Beware Women** For those who don't know much about cars such as myself. I specially told them I was getting my car repaired at Brake Masters next door when I made an appt to get smogged. They didn't bother to tell me the car needs to be driven 100 miles after a repair. My car failed because the monitors were not ready due to the repair. That didn't bother them to take my $60. And they DO NOT Retest!!!!! Smh. Very unhappy customer!! read more

I took my car here on a recommendation from a friend and I'm glad I did. Friendly staff and great work. Yay, I found my new auto repair shop! read more

I recommend this shop for more than smog checks. They are what an auto repair shop should be. I initially took my car to a big company store because it was open late but that was a big mistake. read more

Great, speedy, friendly, and reasonably priced work! I'd been frustrated with the corporate auto parts/mechanic place down the street that upsells all their services. My friend who has 15 years as a Dodge dealership mechanic recommended Smog Diagnostic Specialists. I figured you take your car to where the mechanics take theirs. Boy was that good advice. It was an airconditioner repair job and they got it done the same day without having to replace the entire system. They will definitely be mechanic from now on! read more

Worst place I've ever taken my car to. Had to take it in for a smog but the check engine light was on. They said they could repair and pass for smog. Well it passed for smog and they charged me plenty for the repair, but a day later the check engine light comes back on. I thought I got this fixed... The only positive is they scanned it again for free which is great and all, but they still wanted to charge me almost the same amount of money to do "more repairs" because "those things can go out at any time, even the next day." Yeah... They told me an 02 sensor was out among other things that didn't register the previous time I brought it in because it was apparently working fine. And just to be clear, everything was reset in the car, clocks and whatnot, so it appears they simply disconnected the battery to turn off the check engine light so it could pass smog. I'm just glad the DMV accepted their paperwork, because I can almost guarantee if I had taken it somewhere else to get it smogged after they "repaired" it, it would have failed. Took it someplace else. They fixed it for nearly half the price and said there were no errors on the 02 sensor at all. It was a temp sensor making the car think it was well below zero and flooding the engine because of it. Will never trust this place again for repairs, or even smog for that matter. read more

So it's smog time for my car, and I look on the dash and see that my check engine light is on. Luckily I see a coupon in the local penny saver that's for a free check engine light diagnostic, with repair A $90 dollar value. This coupon led me to Smog Diagnostic Specialists. I called them and the guy on the phone told me that they could get my car in that afternoon. I'm thinking, this is great I'm going to get my car fixed. I dropped my car off and told the tech that there was a check engine light on, and that it was emissions related, most likely a vacuum hose, but it could be the o2 sensor. They called me a couple hours later and wanted to replace a vacuum hose, an o2 sensor, and my oil dipstick. The total for this estimate was almost $500. They were charging $220 for an o2 sensor, and I guess labor is quite expensive to unplug the old one and plug in the new one. They also wanted to replace the oil dipstick because the one I had was broken. I denied the o2 sensor, since I have seen them online for sale for $27.50. Even if the one on ebay is not an OEM part, I figure I could buy like 10 of them for what they wanted to charge me for one. I know that when you buy parts from the autoparts store they cost more, but 10 times more. That seems excessive. I decided to get the vacuum hose, and the dipstick fixed. I stated that I had a coupon for a free diagnostic with repair and that since I had decided to get a repair that then the diagnostic should be free. He said that since I did not agree to all of the repairs, that the coupon was not able to be used. The coupon said Free Diagnostic with repair. It didn't have a minimum amount, It didn't say, with all recommended repairs, it just said see store for details, which I guess in legal speak gets them out of ever accepting this coupon. So instead of costing me around 100 dollars to repair a vacuum hose and install a dipstick, it was closer to 200. Here's the kicker: To remove and replace an oil dipstick, it cost me $26.92 in labor. This is a job that probably took 30 seconds or less, and somehow cost me $26.92. Let's say it took them twice as long as it takes me to remove the dipstick and replace it. Call it a whole minute. That would be 60 minutes x $26.92 per minute for a total of $1,615 dollars an hour. Not sure how I just paid 1600 dollars an hour for a mechanic. But that's what happened. Needless to say. I won't be back. UPDATE: I have now driven the car more than 2000 miles, the check engine light is still off. It has been over a month since I took my car here. I even passed smog at a different shop with no problem. So, my vehicle did not need the O2 sensor they tried to sell me. Car drives fine, and I have not seen the check engine light come on at all. This seems like a scenario where I learned a 200 dollar lesson, instead of learning a 500 dollar lesson. Just thought I needed to update here so, people can save themselves the time and money that it costs to deal with these guys. TL:DR The shop tried to charge me for an unnecessary O2 sensor, quoted a price that was close to ten times what the part can be bought for, charged me the equivalent of $1,615 dollars an hour labor to replace an oil dipstick and wouldn't honor my coupon. These are not the mechanics you're looking for. read more

Don't smog here!!! No free retest and you will fail visual inspection, timing and gas cap!.They tried to sell me services from the CAP program which is welfare. They also broke my gas cap. Trying to milk the state cap program by failing peoples smog. Not a good deal, not honest sales. Go somewhere else for cheaper. read more

Still the only place in Natomas that I will take my cars! Their new text service is fabulous - lets me know how far they are in repairing my car, what they've found wrong with it, and when it is ready to be picked up. The guys in the office are awesome - very polite and never talk down to women who know NOTHING about car repair! Trustworthy, reliable, affordable - Smog Diagnostics! read more

If you're looking for a quick, convenient, friendly place to get your smog check and certificate done, then look no further than the folks at Smog Diagnostic Specialists! They usually have $10 off coupons in the Natomas Shopper, and the Pennysaver sometimes. I got mine in the mail in the form of a postcard because Hubby had just gone there to get his biannual smog done. Basically, $50 out the door for the smog check and certificate...awesome! They got me right in, and the whole thing was done in less than 15 minutes. So cool! If y'all need your smog check done, I highly recommend these guys! :) read more

Don't ever go here! Had a coolant leak and took it here cuz I live in the neighborhood. They diagnosed it as bad hoses going/coming out of my radiator... I payed like $600 to them to fix it and 1 day after picking my car up my heater core went out! They said bring it back in we'll fix it for $1400 more should've diagnosed it right the first time. F*ck this place the owner is crooked AF. Take ur car literally anywhere else read more

Juan was excellent with his level of customer service. Very professional and up front about what the diagnostic would entail and how it was done. Prices were reasonable. I'm glad AAA recommended this shop (as they are an affiliate) after I took it to another shop 1.5 miles away at first and they wouldn't even touch my car because they said the engine was making a noise and that I needed to take it to an Acura dealership because I may need a new engine. Nonsense! It ended up being a faulty radiator cap that wasn't sealing properly due to a broken spring which caused all my anti freeze to leak and evaporate slowly. A hose to the reservoir was missing too. It only cost me $304 out the door and my car was running like a champ again. I paid for a diagnostic fee and service, a new cap, new hose, all new fluid as it was all gone, 5 qts of synthetic oil, new oil filter, and the labor it involved. Again, I'm cool with that after fearing thousands of work would be needed. Definitely will keep this shop in rotation. read more

I've had a coolant flush and transmission fluid flush done on my camaro here, these guys know what theyre doing but unfortunately are overpriced. I took my friend's ford escort in for a diagnostic and they said the oil pan gasket leaked and needed to be replaced for like $270. I then took it to another place and they found no leak whatsoever, she checks it often and it holds every drop of oil. They will overcharge you and they might tell you something is wrong when it's not. On the positive note, they have several guys working there so you won't have to wait too long for a job to be finished. read more

We have been going here for years. Always receive outstanding customer service.. They keep in touch on the status of your vehicle.

You've probably driven past this place multiple times BUT you really need to stop and check them out. I swear it will be worth it. From the friendly greeting from staff at the counter, to the check in procedure (complete with text notifications of the progress of your car), to the many services they provide (oil change, tires rotated, smog check, lights, etc). Oh, and their hours of availability are great and accommodating to any one with a working schedule. I've already scheduled my next appointment and really appreciate the reminder email and text that I know will be coming my way! read more

You know, I wasn't going to review these guys because I felt like the service was very middle of the road and I didn't want to tick down their ratings, but my feelings have changed. The one time I did a smog service here it was fine. The one time I had a car serviced here it was okay. The work wasn't bad and the prices were relatively reasonable. I felt like it took way longer than necessary, especially after I specifically asked them to check certain things and they just held onto my car for multiple days and didn't get around to it until I really started pushing them. However, after the car service I started getting texts asking me to come in for more services that I had to unsubscribe to multiple times. And finally, the icing on the cake, I started receiving mail. This would be relatively innocuous if not for the fact that the most recent piece came in the form of a fake department of treasury check attached to a letter stating "this isn't a real check but you can use this fake money toward a discount at our store" and I'm just appalled. Really guys? In the middle of a pandemic where everyone is struggling, EDD scams are prolific, people are missing their stimulus checks, and just overall extremely concerned about their financial situation you thought it would be cute to send a fake treasury check out to people as a marketing campaign? I can't tell if you're tone deaf, or genuinely being cruel, but either way you've lost my business forever. read more

I have been bringing my vehicles to Smog Diagnostic for over 6 years, now. I have had the absolute worst luck with my 2005 Grand Prix. I have had these guys do everything from a simple smog check to a new transmission to most recently replacing the whole front bottom of my car (subframe replacement, oil pans, steering rack, lower control arms, p/s pressure line, etc) over $4000 worth of work and they always do a great job. Here's the thing about them-they're honest. I have had them replace all of my wheel bearings (a couple of them twice) and once i drove off with a similar noise that I had brought it in for. I took it back the very next day and they checked and replaced the faulty part without any trouble. They are reliable, honest, and don't overcharge. They make recommendations, but don't push repairs that you don't need on you. They take our car in and make little accommodations for us every time. I come here so often, they are almost family..LOL. I always feel comfortable bringing my car and driving my car out of the parking lot. I know that if it ends up not being a perfect job, I can bring it back and they will make it right. I hate that I have to spend so much and bring my car so often, but I am grateful that I have such a reliable and honest place to bring it. Shout out to Juan. He's always sweet and helpful! read more

I'm literally writing this review for well deserved score boosting. Dunno if it'll make a difference, but that's beyond the point. Here's what I'm getting at: came in for a smog test, they guys treated me and my car well, they gave me a time expectation and they fulfilled it. Best part is my car passed smog woooo~!! Now who wouldn't like that? read more

Car trouble is one of the horrible things life has to offer. I am glad that I have found a place with people I can trust. I know that I am getting quality work and a fair price with an honest diagnosis. Thank you for the peace of mind. read more

I drive an old Chevy truck that I love. Usually she runs great and I drive her down to the Bay Area to visit family often. This year was the year for a smog test and since she is an old truck, she needed to go to a test only station. Well to make a long story short, after several failed smog tests at other locations, one trip to the referee and a new catalyic converter, I came to see Juan at his shop on Northgate last Saturday. I was hoping the truck would pass the smog this time after the new cat, but I was not so lucky. After a diagnostic and a minor repair, my beloved truck finally passed the smog with flying colors! Juan was friendly and helpful. I would recommed this business to anyone that is having trouble passing smog and they need a reliable mechanic to diagnose the problem and let you know what the bottom line is to get your vehicle legal again. Karen Natomas read more

I've been going to Smog Diagnostic Specialists for a few years now, and they do some great work. I can take my auto in for Smog and I'm out in less than 30 mins. I just had repair done on my Lincoln truck due to faulty gas, and they have to replace all our Injectors, Fuel Filter, Flushed out Fuel Lines, etc. My truck is running like new. You can't tell it's even running while idling. They are very professional, courteous and gives me a quote prior to service. They called me before they serviced my truck to let me know what they needed to do and how much it would cost. I recommend this shop. They even honor coupons for certain jobs they do. If I took my autos to the dealer they would have charged me much, much more for all the work they have done on my vehicles. Another great thing is, when I pick up my truck/car, I don't have grease and oil all over my steering wheel or door handles, and my seat and mirrors are not adjusted. They are just like they were when I took it in for service! Great Job Guys! ;) read more

Amazing service!!! I've taken my car to several places to get fixed and have only come out with more problems over and over until I brought it here! I came in on a Saturday and they really took care of my car. They fixed several problems with new parts and even did an oil change and my car was ready to go the same day! The whole staff is very welcoming,kind and truly cared. read more

Hands down The best niggas I know to turn a wrench and bang a hammer or two in town. If you got a leak or some other bullshit they won't dick you around they tell you what the fucks up. Go get your brakes done so your able to stop and pull in to the best mechanics in Sacramento before you crash the Honda Odyssey van into the back of a 1998 ford ranger and you gotta file an insurance claim cause you just blew two hardworking foreigners backs out! read more

I recommend this place to anybody to get their vehicle fixed. They are very nice and they get the job done. If you need to get a honest good job done go here. They won't tell you to do anything with your car unless you need it done unlike those other shops. read more

Worst place I've ever taken my car to. Had to take it in for a smog but the check engine light was on. They said they could repair and pass for smog. Well it passed for smog and they charged me plenty for the repair, but a day later the check engine light comes back on. I thought I got this fixed.. When i took it back again they are saying this was not diagnosed, this is problem with speed sensor. When i asked why it was not diagnosed, they are saying it is a different problem. Now they are saying i have to pay more amount to get this repaired. They dont do their job properly. Will never trust this place again for repairs, or even smog for that matter. Never ever take your car here. Very bad... i would say there should be negative rating for these guys. read more

Horrible service! A smog station should advise you that there aren't free re-checks and the price of re-checks before accepting your vehicle for a re-test! I have never used a smog station that didn't do free re-checks and if I had known this place didn't, I wouldn't have come here!!! Never going there again read more

They will only give you a re test if you have them do the repairs. Also, they were $14 more than the shop down the street that does give a free re test with no catch. read more

I really like this place. All the people here are cool. The owners Manny and Miguel are really nice and helpful.

Needed it done right and within my budget. It's all about budget these days. These guys got it done quickly and there's plenty of food places within walking distance if you don't want to sit and wait. read more

I bought a Jeep from someone who neglected to smog it prior to the sale so I went over to Northgate Smog who was the closest to my work so I could do it over my lunch break. I went there dropped the Jeep off and went across the street for lunch. I got a call when it was done and when I got there I was told I had a list of things wrong and the total bill for the repairs from them was over $800. I was told I had to get the repairs done by them in order to get the "free retest" and that he had already called around and found the exhaust manifold for a low price of $350 and the other assorted parts for a total of $500 and it would be $300 for labor. I then looked online for the parts and found that they were around $250 at autozone and kragen and if I went to a Jeep specialty shop it was around $200 for all of the parts. I don't know where they get there part but it sounds like there is a little bit of mark up going on there. Issue number two is they told me the emissions were failing likely because of the parts that were broken. So I called the previous owner and he said it had recently passed smog (not recent enough for the DMV to let me register it, but recent enough) so he offered to smog it himself. He took it to a different smog shop and it passed with no issue. The parts that I was told were illegal by Northgate were just fine and the exhaust manifold that I was told was cracked was just fine. Moral of the story is find a true smog test only center because these guys just tried to scam me read more

These guys are crooks, they will fail your car on a visual inspection while telling you, you need a diagnostic for $85 and a re-test for $35. after I left their phony smog within the same hour I took my car to Northgate Smog and passed. beware of these crooks...I also filed a complaint with the bureau of Automotive Repair. These guys are using employees to write positive reviews. I dont see how they can hide all the real reviews but i'll just keep reposting. My original post was on 12/16/2015 read more

Nice guys. Quick (EXTREMELY QUICK) service. Ok, they don't do "free re-check". ...So? It's your car that has a problem, their time is sill their time, and you are using it. read more

This place is the most reliable car shop you would ever find in Sacramento. They are always courteous, professional, reliable, and always honest. I take all my cars here and highly recommend it to everyone! read more