Long Beach Test Only Station

OK, the check station is still there, but it is operating under new management and has a new name; «Nava smog Test Only», according to the receipt. He did a smog inspection on my partner’s 2010 Prius for $ 45 flat (the receipt says I got a $ 5 discount, so I suggest you ask him before the test how much your inspection will cost, which is what I did).
It’s still a no-​frills operation, nothing but a place to sit down while they inspect your beast. It passed and I was on my way in less than 15 mins. The receipt has a checkbox for «Credit card» so maybe they can take plastic now too (I didn’t think to ask until I got to writing this).
The new owner is Hispanic and he told me he didn’t buy the business from the prior owner, he opened his business after the prior operator went out of business. There is now a (single bay) car service business in the same building, so there are 2 businesses operating in the same space. I’m guessing if your car fails inspection, the other business would be glad to help you with whatever service it needs… but it seemed as if he was the only guy there, so maybe he just changes hats if you need something… according to the receipt, they «…cannot diagnose or perform any emissions related repairs…» or refer you to any other shop, so I’m guessing he knows how to walk that line.
Bottom line: still fast & inexpensive service, new owner seems nice and motivated in building a reputation for providing good service. Recommended.

I thought I had already written a review for this pathetic excuse for a business, but I guess not. The man who runs this place is a complete scammer and liar. I actually had to call the cops on him while I was here for the 3^rd time because he was falsely failing me. He took my keys from me and refused to give them back until after the police showed up. I came here bc Unilocal reviews were saying pretty good things about the price. He failed me once, I took my car to my mechanic. Back to the smog shop. He failed me again and so I took my car to a different mechanic who looked at my car and said there was nothing wrong with it. I begged him to double check and he promised me I would pass. So for the third time, I headed back to the smog station confident it would be the last time. I paid for the initial test, the retest was free, but then I would have to pay for the third test. This is where I should have left, but no I was confident. FAIL. Seriously!?! I was so furious, I lost it and began yelling at the guy. This was when two other random customers who were sitting in plastic lawn chairs waiting to get checked spoke up. They said they were experiencing the exact same issue with their cars, failing for the timing being off. How the could this be? One lady was so upset, she began yelling with me. THIS IS HOW I KNOW THIS PLACE IS A SCAM. Anyway, there was no getting through to the guy, so I wanted to leave and this is when he wouldn’t hand me my keys and I had to call the cops. I proceeded to tell all his incoming customers to leave while they can. He may have took my money… twice… but I saved about 5 new people theirs. After leaving this place fuming, I called the smog referee to schedule an appointment to contest my 3^rd fail. It was a few weeks later when I visited them at El Camino college. Guess what… I PASSED. The ref who passed me was already so familiar with Mr. Prak at Long Beach Test Only Station on PCH and his shady ways. He couldn’t even count the number of people who complained about him. We need to bring him down! PLEASE HELP AND DO NOT SMOG HERE.

On the corner of PCH & Walnut, across the street from U-​haul.
Always took my car to this gentlemen for smog and been blessed to have passed all the time so hopefully the streak of good luck still reign supreme. My car is twelve years old now and I was a little worried that I might not pass this time. I don’t know much about cars so I feel like it may be getting to the age where it’s going to act up sooner or later.
Drove in on a Monday 1 PM and glad no other customer was there so he took me in immediately. I had a regular smog check. I think he is certified STAR also. The smog check lasted about 20 – 30 minutes. Passed! Gave the Asian gentlemen a pat on the back and $ 3 tip. Not sure if you’re suppose to tip them, but I was relieved I passed! Total was $ 40 CASH ONLY for my car (coupe). Price varies for type of vehicle. For example, minivans and bigger cost a bit more.
Off subject note:
Did my smog and tried to pay for my vehicle registration online the same day, but had to wait at least 24 hours to pay vehicle registration because smog confirmation needed more time to process. Just a warning for people who may try to do it last minute, watch out for that.

DO NOT, I REPEAT DO NOT GO HERE! My story: I came here because this place was the cheapest in town. My car is an 87 Honda and he failed it the first time because of an EVAP leak and because my RPMs were about 50 too high. So I went to Tuneup Masters and paid $ 150 to have the whole system checked and my RPMs lowered. I returned the next day to this smog shop and he passed me on emissions but failed me a SECOND TIME on my timing belt or RPMs are 1° off! WTF!?! What does that have to do with smog?! I also couldn’t understand this man because he has a very thick accent and poor English and he is very brusk and emotionless. So, I go back to Tuneup Masters and Hector said this guy is a well known pain in the a$$ and that he routinely fails cars on trivial matters such as a timing belt that’s 1° off. So Hector recommended LB Express Smog on Redondo and PCH. This place was great! I was in and out in 15 minutes, the technicians were friendly and GUESS WHAT? My car PASSED! All in all, I could’ve just gone to LB Express Smog and spent $ 55, instead of $ 200. PLEASE STAY AWAY FROM LB TEST ONLY ON PCH AND WALNUT! It’s cheap because he lures people in with the lowest price and fails them for minor flaws and collects the $ 41.75 and tells you «you go mechanic come back 2^nd test» (I’m not trying to make fun of his accent that’s just what he says). I hope I just help people save time and money. Thanks for reading.

the last two times I had my car smog tested, it was here and it was a breeze. others had said negative things here but some people are never happy. i gave 5 stars both times. once again needing to pass my smog test for the car registration I knew where I would be going. out of curiosity I checked this again and jac c’s comment left me a bit wondering if what he said was true. after going here this time, I do believe jac c was telling the truth. my car failed. several people told me that a new gas cap was all i needed. apparently not because my car failed again. I went to my mechanic who tested my car in the problem area and said it should pass. I went to a different smog check station and passed the first time. go figure.

****AVOID****AVOID****AVOID****
Mr. Jay Park is dishonest. He passed too many cars in years past, accumulated many state issued citations and lost his certification. Now he got the cert back Feb 2013 and to make sure he keeps the state from accusing him of passing too many, now he fails too many. he fails at least half of all cars when the avg is 20%
Failed my 2007 Audi despite it passing ALL state required criteria. This guy is $ 40 cash only, inexpensive up front, but because he documented his contrived «findings» with the state I had to investigate the rabbit hole of smog inspection. Save yourself the hassle and go anywhere else.
Boooo.
Mr. Park has cars lined up not because his services are good, but precisely because it is bad. Once a car fails a test, it is sensible to check the car with a mechanic and go back for the free retest. And after mysteriously failing that one again, no other smog test place wants to touch it (looks like they might have frauded the results). So where do you go? Back to this place again, into Mr. Park’s house of pain.
There is a good reason his shop has been vandalized. If you don’t believe me, ask any other nearby smog test center. They all shook their heads when they saw the near perfect scores on my smog test coupled with a failure. One mechanic said Mr. Park fails 9 out of 10 cars and was sorry I’d gotten snared in this con, but no he would still not do a smog test on my car.
I did get the smog test passed with no mechanical interventions by an honest, English speaking, friendly shop on Redondo Ave just north of PCH. 1865 Redondo. Cost $ 52 including the certificate. In and out in 20 minutes despite his having a thorough inspection of the previous «findings» including video confirmation.
Never again, Mr. Park.

This is a great place if you pass, but Jay’s limited English makes it difficult to understand what your vehicle’s issue is if you have a problem during the test.
As Jay has become more popular, everyone has got to know about his $ 40 STAR Certified Smog Check. While he has tried to maintain a high level of service, the wait time has increased. I can’t fault him because he is a one-​man operation. When I visited this weekend, I waited about 30 minutes as he worked on a car ahead of mine. Two people showed up after me.
He sent the first guy off with a test failure and a free retest if done within 10 days. Unfortunately his description of the problem he shared with this man was very general. You can tell he knows his stuff, but I think he has a hard time communicating the specific issue into a second language.
Now I’ve been taking the family’s cars to Jay at the Long Beach Test Only Station for years now, and they’ve always passed. Not that I would expect him to remember me, but I give him a fair amount of business. He said about 6 words to me the entire visit. He seemed to be happier when his wife would hang out there.
He got my six-​year old Acura on the machines and took it through the test cycle. He seemed to be unnecessarily rough on my car, revving it very high at a several points during the test. I’m not sure if he was having a bad day, but he did give it the old college try and ran it through two complete cycles.
By the time he was done, he reported a test «Fail» on the function test of the smog check. I got back in my car, and the ABS and the Check Engine Light were now on. I wasn’t too happy, and his explanation to me wasn’t very good either.
I took my car to the Acura dealer who cleared out the fault codes. They weren’t sure why they came on, as the car had no problems when they brought it in. They thought this could have been related to the equipment or how it was hooked up during the test cycle. But in fairness, Jay did try twice.
Later that afternoon, I decided it would be best to find a second place to smog.
Like Neil Sedaka sang «Breaking up is hard to do» but I wasn’t going to risk any real damage to the car during a second time. I decided to pay a little more elsewhere, and the car sailed through the test. Same day.
Cheer up, brush up, and maybe I’ll be back one day. Thanks for trying Jay.

I am searching for a cost effective option for a smog check, and while this place is by far the cheapest price I have come across, they will not see a dime of my money. I called to get a quote, and as soon as the gentleman gave me the quote, he hung up on me. Well, I actually had more questions, so because the price was so attractive I called back. I said that I was the person that called previously, and that I also wanted to know… He said «Yes — $ 50″, and hung up on me again. Again because of the price I tried a third time. This time my caller Id must have shown or something, because all I got this time was» I told you $ 50″.
Really sucks, because I was thrilled about the price.

Funny place. Small n in a so so area.
I found it on Unilocal.People seem to like it so I tried it out
Boo on the girl who just pulled in before me. so I waited after one person since he’s a one man show. The view of signal hill seemed nice but I stayed in my car
The man seemed amusing to me I think he knew five English phrases and barks them a little cuz hes asian ha ha that’s just how we are… no offense
«Paper — sit— forty dollars— pass –internet better » all the words he used during my service.
I got what i wanted at. A reasonable price. Good for him that there were two after me I like when nice people keep there business busy

I’ve come here for the past couple smog tests. It is as no-​frills as it gets. Amenities include chairs for your sitting pleasure and a view of PCH traffic to keep you entertained while you wait.
The whole process takes 20 – 30 minutes, and the total came to $ 50 for the SMOG Test, EVAP Test, and Certificate. This is great as long as you aren’t waiting for someone else to finish their test. But if you’re the first one here, it’s quick and easy.
Now I’ve never passed the first time, but he does his best to break down where you failed and why. And the retest is free within 10 days. I’ve even come a day or two past that, and he has still honored the free retest. And fortunately I’ve always passed the second time.
A good place to visit if all you need is a smog test on the cheap and easy.

Most reasonable rate $ 40 for my 6-​cylinder SUV. Located in a shed/​garage but with all the fumes, you are better off in open air. The owner meant well but don’t try to have a conversation with him.

Went here at 4 pm on a Saturday on the advice of fellow Unilocalers. The guy at this tiny, no-​nonsense, no frills shop was done with my car almost before I could go across the street to get cash from the ATM. Cash or check only. No credit or debit cards.

my car passed!
this guy was super nice and gave me a thumbs up when I passed. i think he saw my ’90 Sentra with almost 300k miles on it and was as nervous as I was.
super cheap, it was quick, and easy!
hopefully won’t have to go back (fingers crossed for a new car!) but I would without a doubt go back here!

I thought this place was the shit but it’s really not. I ended up with a fail on my Mazda and although that’s fine (cars do fail), the owner could barely explain to me what it failed for. Turns out a little rubber part had cracked and it took 3 $ to replace it at Auto Zone. However, since the guy can’t speak English, I ran all over town and spent three times that much in gas and four times that much in a ‘headache’ trying to figure out what the problem was. I’m going to pay a little more and go to someone who can explain to me in English if there are any future problems. AVOID!

Pros:
Cost: It only cost me $ 40 cash. I think it’s $ 50 for a truck or van (one of those, I don’t remember)
Time: The whole process took 20 minutes. There was a guy in front of me
Cons:
None!
Good price, fast service, nice dude, nice business!

This was a nightmare experience. Granted, my car didn’t pass, which is strange since I just got it from my mechanic with a completely rebuilt engine days before; however, when I asked the owner (Jay) why, his poor english and need to get back to his lunch took precedence over his customer service, even after I paid the $ 40. I took my car straight to my mechanic who was just as confused with Jay’s jibberished handwriting. So we called him. He hung up on us. Need I say more?

I’m a fan.
*Quick without an appointment (I came in during my lunch hour).
*Easy. There was a lot of pointing and clapping, non-​verbal communication.
*Cash only ($ 40). Actually, I think they may take personal checks, but definitely no credit cards.
Recommended.

$ 40 FLAT (**Cash only**)
Info is sent to DMV electronically.
Went on a Friday afternoon, it took 10 to 15 minutes.
Owner was polite and friendly.
BEST IN LB.

New to the whole ‘smog’ thing, being from Seattle. Anyway, thanks for the tips on Unilocal,it was fast quick and easy smog check. Now I’m clear to drive my baby all over LA.

Just got my ride smogged here based on other yappers.
Was in and out in less than 15 minutes.
Cost was $ 40 including the cert. Cant beat the price.
Cash or check only.