For a quick smog I can only say good things! After reading some of the negative reviews I was a little worried, but after being pleasantly greeted by the cashier who told me to wait for the mechanic (which only took a few minutes) I handed him my DMV renewal paper I received in the mail. He was extremely appreciative that I did as it saves them time and can expedite the process. I handed the mechanic my car key and he told me to come back in forty five minutes to an hour. It only took about twenty five before I received a phone call stating my car had been completed. I went back to the cashier side of the shop, paid with my phone and had a kind chat with the attendant about how I am new to the area and how he enjoyed growing up in this part of the Bay Area. If you need a quick no-nonsense smog, go to these guys! If you're worried about time they appreciate a quick call and weekdays are less busy. read more

SmogPros-Arco - Photo pulled from google street view to accurately display the shop - Smog Check Stations Near Me - Palo Alto, California

L-A-Z-Y !!!! This guy! I've been taking my cars to him for years (I have 4 now, used to have 5). I would watch him as he worked. Super slow and as I said LAZY. One of my cars is a classic 1978. I know smog guys don't like doing them because they have to do a little work instead of just plugging a car into a computer. But the law says I have to get them smogged and the state says these STAR stations have to test. There is a workaround to that to just be an ass. I pulled in and parked at approximately 9:30 am. The owner(?) came out and said the smog guy wouldn't be back for a while. I said I'd wait. He pulled in another car that came after me. Smog dude sauntered over to me after about 45 minutes. He asked what I wanted (Ummm, a smog check. I have been bringing this car there for years. He also said he knew the car and I reminded him it always passed). He said I'd have to leave it and pick it up later. I told him i'd wait. He said that I couldn't wait because he had that other car was taken after mine. I told him I am disabled and didn't have anywhere I could go. I said I was fine with waiting. He said he wouldn't allow me to wait. He then said I could pick it up the next day. I was not going to leave my classic car on his unsecured lot overnight. He then said I could pick it up at the end of the day. I said, "And Uber home?" He said "I don't care what you do". Once it was determined that he wouldn't allow me to wait (what????!!!!) and my only option was to leave the car I started pulling out never to return. The owner (?) walked out. I flagged him over and said that I won't be bringing the two other cars that are due to get smogged there and he waved me off like a big FU because of his partner's "policies" - which I don't know what are besides laziness. I will also not buy gas there anymore. I have two other neighbors that used to use them that I told about it who were shocked about their behavior and will not go there again and hopefully some yelpers won't go there ever. I am a kind person. I interacted with both of them pleasantly as I do with everyone orginally until this went south. This came at me way wrong. I was not asking them to do anything outside of their business. If They had an appointment model, I would have used it. read more

This shop was recommended by Response Motors as a trusted place to get my newly purchased used Porsche smog checked. It was quick and easy, and I appreciated that he let me move the car, start it as needed, and remove/install the engine cover. Thanks! I will be back in 2 years for the next check. read more

Worst customer service I have experienced. Both the mechanic and the little older man who claimed to be the owner verbally attacked me. I will be reporting it to their Corporate office, they represented Arco in the worst way. If you have had any encounters such as mine with any of the employees here, send Arco corporate your experience. ARCO Corporate Office How would you rate your experience with ARCO ? ARCO Corporate Office AddressAtlantic Richfield Company 4 Centerpointe Drive La Palma, California 90623 Contact ARCOPhone Number: (310) 549-6204 Fax Number: Website: https://www.arco.com/ Email: Email ARCOARCO FactsFounder: Robert Anderson Date Founded: 1966 Founding Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Number of Employees: 6000ARCO ExecutivesCEO: Mike Bowlin CFO: Roberto Otero COO: read more

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I have a 1995 car with OBD-II. This is on a short list of cars that are pre-1996 with OBD-II engine management. If you know cars, you know this can mean that a smog shop won't know what to do and how to test the car. It took me five years of ownership to find a consistent place that isn't overpowered by this situation. The team at SMOGPROS-ARCO handled the STAR-Inspection flawlessly. They are courteous and up-front. I have now done 3 inspections here because they will tell you when they are busy and provide realistic estimates of wait time. The location is also excellent for doing other stuff while you wait; it is situated near stores and restaurants. This team is also careful and efficient when manipulating the car doors/hood/hatch etc. around test equipment. My highly custom interior is exactly as it was after the test as it was before. read more

SmogPros-Arco - Ol' Red with a calm & classy dyno run - Smog Check Stations Near Me - Palo Alto, California

Scammed. This place is unfair and should be reviewed by the better business bureau. I was charged a 2.00$ tobacco fee when I only purchased a pack of smokes. On top of the tax this place is dishonest. I wouldn't get my car smogged here, pump gas, or buy a candy bar here. Be sure to ask for your receipt. read more

SmogPros-Arco - Charged 2.00$ for tobacco. This is an unjust charge and a scam. - Smog Check Stations Near Me - Palo Alto, California

DO NOT GO TO THIS PLACE. The testing person is very rude. He is very unprofessional and responds rudely when I asked for an explanation. I have a perfectly running car. Jeep Grand Cherokee 2014. The engine light will simply not turn off, even the dealer said it is nothing significant. The car passed all smog tests but this place failed me because of they see an engine light on the dashboard. They still charge me $50 for crappy service. read more

We had gone here for years, usually my husband would get the smog checks. I was surprised to see one person say that the testing person was a great guy when he is not a friendly guy, doesn't say much, and is not what I would call friendly. That said he was never rude. The last time I went the car didn't pass and he asked my something about the gas cap being replaced and I said No. I wondered about the gas cap question and then googled it. The smog test can fail it the gas cap is not tight. I tightened the gas cap and went to the mechanic and he tested it saying it looks ok but that he could see the gas cap error in the history. I had to drive it around to erase the history (apparently) and took it back to the tester. It passed but the tester said it was over 30 days so I would have to pay again. What a scam. He knew it was the gas cap all along so why didn't he just tighten it. Then when I brought it back a little over 30 days later he charged me again. A good tester would have tightened the gas cap and not make me go to the dealership to find out that's all it was. At a minimum he should have retested for free. I told him I wouldn't be coming back- no customer loyalty here. read more

The guy in this shop has an attitude and the worst customer service. I went there for a smog inspection and he told me it will take 30 mins and ask me to get out of the shop till then and I left, went for a walk and when I came back it's still not done. Asked me for another 30 mins and asked me to to get out again. When I simply asked a follow up question and he gave me the key and asked me to get out of the shop. read more

Been getting my smog check here for the last 10 years and the owner is down to earth and very helpful. He always takes care of us no matter what. he always sends all the papers to DMV and process is n ie and easy. read more

Quick and friendly smog service, but I feel like I certainly could have paid less elsewhere for less than 15 minutes of smog testing. I paid ~$75 bucks to smog test a 2008 Toyota in great condition. On the plus side the staff was friendly, and they had a nice waiting area with a lawn table and chairs in the sun in their parking lot. I have certainly paid less than $50 to get my car smog tested before, so I'm going to price search next time rather than simply finding the most convenient testing center. read more

Made me real happy to hear the guy mumble quirky little remarks about how old and crappy my car is while he worked on it. I almost got deluded enough to think I was driving a Rolls Royce, thank you! I needed to be reminded that I drive a POS salvaged vehicle, otherwise I would have started referring to myself as the Great Gatsby, so thank you. Beyond making me feel like a total bum, he vaguely explained what I need to do to fix my smog, and overly was not all that helpful. All I know is I will not be going back to this place for smog or any kind of work. I will say the second time I went there to finalize my smog, there was a different guy working and he was more professional. So I guess you just gotta get the right guy. read more

They are really good honest people! Highly recommend :) -fast service read more

Face it: if you have a recent vehicle and you maintain it, a smog check is just a biennial inconvenience. You know you're gonna pass; the real concerns are, can it be done quickly? Is the price not a gouge? These guys meet those criteria. Quick, price as low as can be (and lower than most of the shops in SF), friendly. I didn't give 5 stars only because they didn't do anything heroic... but then, how heroic can a smog check be? read more

I passed! I think these guys are good people. If you are looking for easy in easy out transaction this is a good spot. I was thumbing through some of the old reviews(most are pretty old) and it seems people had trouble when their car wouldn't pass. I can't speak to that. Cheers to one of the dumbest laws California has schemed up, Revenue Collectors! read more

There's something VERY fishy about this Gas station!!! So, when you swipe your debit card, please make sure you check your account - the card detail gets abused, fraud occurs!! I'm dealing with fraudulent charges - the one day I use it at this place that's not routinely a place i get gas from, this is what I deal with!!! https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=arco%20gas%20station%20on%20san%20antonio%20road%2C%20mountain%20view&rflfq=1&rlha=0&rllag=37410692,-122107989,1343&tbm=lcl&tbs=lf:1,lf_ui:3&fll=37.42047790340568,-122.09795393640138&fspn=0.037287782201062214,0.08119734958003733&fz=14&oll=37.4100477,-122.11211600000001&ospn=0.16145390165560514,0.2623198815084322&oz=11&qop=1&rlfi=hd:;si:17594982262748188179 read more

Been getting my car smog check done here for year s now and never had any problems at all. They don't take credit cards but it's better for us that way we end up paying a much cheaper price for gas. Cross street takes credit card and price is always 30 cents higher for a single gallon of gasoline. So it makes sense to use cash and debit card to save few bucks for beer read more

Nice guys staffing the place. (2 of em know me by name) Good prices on gas and it's located just off the freeway. I wish they were open later. Not much else to add except....I'll be back! (cuz we all need gas) read more

The smog techs there are top-notch. The shop is well organized and clean.

One of the cheapest gas places in the area but they charge an ATM fee, would rather go to the Valero across the street.

It's this simple: 1) I called and made an appointment. 2) I showed up on time. 3) They were ready for me. 4) They smogged my car in 25 Minutes as promised and for the price quoted! 5) I wish all things in life could go as smoothly as this did today. read more

Courteous and quick. I called 10mins before I arrived for a smog check. It was an easy-to-take-care-of task. They even offered me a chair for sitting in the sun while I waited the 10 minutes (I'm from SF - sunshine was a plus!) $58.20 all in read more

We had a HORRIBLE experience at this place. Our Jeep failed the smog test, so they told us to drive around a few days to reset some things. When we returned, we failed again and they then sent us on a wild goose chase to figure out the problem. They recommended a mechanic, who in turn sent us to the Jeep dealership for a recall. When we took our Jeep into the dealership, they told us there was absolutely NOTHING wrong with the Jeep. They ran all of the necessary tests, and then some, to determine why it hadn't been passing. Everything was up to date, and the problem that had been noted was, in fact, a problem with the scan tool being used for the smog test. We were furious, and went back to Smog Pros Arco to deal with the problem. They were completely unresponsive to the trouble they had caused us. They were very rude, unsympathetic, and unhelpful. I will never bring another vehicle here again. read more

Gurdip Singh is a rock star. And thank you Dave's Auto Repair for turning me on to these guys. They are living in modern times. Last smog check I went to they were using equipment from the stone age. Today's experience happened in about 5 minutes and I was still absorbing the experience when Gurdip said we were done. read more

Came here back in 2012 for a smog check since my car needed it to renew my registration, they got me in and out in a good amount of time and my car passed with flying colors, they are a little pricey but after all, they are in Palo Alto where it's mostly rich people so they are going to charge a little more for their services but I came here since I had an Arco gift card. They did a good job but I probably won't be back here for my next smog check since it's out of my way, I live in San Jose. Thanks Arco Smog Pros! read more

Stopped by for a smog check on early nineties car that some other places were literally too afraid to even look at (I guess I look like a state undercover smog check guy or something). When I stopped in, I wasn't sure where else to turn - it is weird having your car turned away because the smog test people are afraid! There is nothing weird about my car - it is just not a familiar brand. Smog Pros was very professional, and very knowledgeable, and had no trouble at all doing the test (it passed with flying colors). Thanks! read more

STAY AWAY from this place- they rip people off! I stopped here for gas. Gave the guy $10, and he supposedly set the pump to give me $10 of gas. As I was getting ready to pull out, I noticed the pump had stopped at $9.65. Yes- it shorted me only 35cents worth, but it definitely gave me less than I paid for! I said something to the guy that his pump wasn't working right, and you could tell by his reaction that he knew it had shorted me. He didn't apologize, and said if I wanted to come inside he would give me my change. I was late, so I left. This place probably does this all the time- and with hundreds and thousands of transactions, it adds up. And it's DISHONEST and WRONG!! read more

It was years ago. The mechanic botched the valve job and I had a nasty oil leak (a cup of oil every time I turned off the engine!). It was a bad gasket on the valve cover, confirmed by Dave at Barron Park Shell, who fixed it cheaply after the Smog Pros Arco mechanic refused to fix it stating that it was a warped head, which was my problem and not their bad workmanship. Very untrustworthy. Bad service, with no responsibility for screwing up. If it is now under new management, my experience may no longer apply. But if it's the same management, and you want a trustworthy mechanic, go elsewhere. read more

I saw this place on my way to Costco, and since I needed to smog my car, I decided to stop by. I arrived without an appointment, and was greeted quickly. There were two other cars ahead of me (pretty busy place I guess), but they still managed to get to my car quickly. The technician was friendly, and the whole smog was done in about 10 minutes. I would definitely recommend them, and I will be going there for any future smogs. read more

I came in to get my car smogged - and was told it would be nearly $60, including the certification. I objected to the high price, and I was offered a $10 "discount," which I took, but WTF? Then I was told to go next door to Taco Bell or OSH and come back in 20 minutes or so. Huh? Three guys had been standing around with nothing to do when I drove up. So I insisted on staying, and I was out of there in 10 minutes, including paying. But I won't go back, two years from now. read more

Saw a review on Google exactly my experience. I phoned since I had read the bad review. I asked the price. He asked me the make and year of my car and quoted $58 (not sure if that included the "extras") you always seem to get. When I got there he said I had said a different year and it was now $78. Not sure why the year matters but I left. He was very surly. Smog checks have become a boon doodle for these garages. They are unnecessary. A much better system is to have a laser at a traffic light linked to a camera. Such a system would have found out VW immediately and all those that drive around without registering. Attempts have been made to get rid of them but the garages lobby. read more

I have been getting smog checks here as long as I can remember. These guys provide excellent service and are nice, professional people.

I have been coming to this gas station for last 7 years and their prices are the best in area. Cashier's are awesome and always willing to help in need. They also smog check all kinds of cars and price is just right and the smog tec is well experienced and honest man. Love to go there all the time. read more

My regular smog place's machine broke down that day. I did not want to take another day off work so stopped by this place. Total price of smog + cert. was $79. Most places charge $40. Now I see their ad for $29.75 + $8.25 for cert. Seems like a ripoff. Go anywhere else for a smog check unless you want to pay double or have "their" coupon. read more

Jagdeep Sidhu did a smog check done on my 1988 Toyota. My usual place would not do the test. I'm so happy that I went to the Arco. Jagdeep is so friendly and nice. Both employees were very friendly. The place is very professional and I got in right away. I'll keep going there and highly recommend the smog check especially for older cars!! read more

My mechanic recommended these guys for my car, and I was glad he did. I went around 1 pm on a weekday and the car was out in 20 minutes. Apparently, they do not take reservations, so you just walk (or drive) in. Decent price, although there are much cheaper places in Sunnyvale if you're willing to drive the distance. The staff is courteous and friendly. read more

This Gas station is Great. They have awesome candy and good smog checks. The workers here are very polite and will help you happily. This gas station also has very cheap gas. They are way better than the gas station that's next to them. read more

My mechanic recommended this place since he was too busy. Dropped vehicle off at lunch without notice (had bike, rode to work), told them no hurry, was ready when I left work at pm (I'm sure they can do it fast when needed or with an appointment, etc). Good phone communication when it was ready. Still had my camping gear in back, but they kept it secure. They got my old truck to pass, reasonable price, good location (for me at least). I'm pleased and will go back. read more

Took my car in for a smog test and told them the battery was almost dead. The tech said let me see what I can do. Started the test and after about a minute said, "There is a problem. The battery is dead so can't complete the test." I had a coupon for $29.75, and so they charged me $29.75 and said I could come back after the replacing the battery and they would charge me the regular price $60 and credit the $29.75. Of course, there are lots of coupons out there for a $30 smog test, so they are offering nothing. At a minimum, the tech should have warned me that the weak battery might lead to no result, so at a minimum poor communication. Certainly not at all consumer friendly, and they will never get more business from me. read more