Smog check in Los Angeles, where do you go and what are you actually paying?

General Discussion
1

Registration is due and I still need a smog before the site will let me finish. I keep seeing Pasadena Test Only & Smog Check on Walnut, which is close, but I do not want a two hour wait. Where are you going, and what are you actually paying out the door?

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2

I go to A1 Smog Check on Westwood Blvd and I have not waited more than twenty minutes. Test was straightforward, they take the registration at the window, and I was back on the 405 before lunch. I paid cash last time because the line moved faster that way. Not a social experience, which is exactly what I want from a smog shop.

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3

Kim's Smog Test Only on Olympic is my K-town default. It is test only, so they are not trying to sell me a repair while the probe is still in the car. I walk in, sit on my phone, and I am usually out in about fifteen minutes. Bring the registration, they ask for it right at the counter.

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4

A&M Smog on Washington in Mar Vista is the one I drive to from Inglewood. Walk in, no speech, I was in and out, and it did not feel like they were hunting for extra work.

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5

Westside Smog on Sepulveda is the one I keep using from West LA. I pulled in without an appointment last month, handed them the registration, and they had me back in the car before I finished answering emails. It is a test, not a conversation, which I prefer.

I failed once years ago at a random place that immediately wanted to start repairs in the same bay. Here they just run it and hand you the certificate. I pay cash, I keep the printout in the glove box, and I do it a couple weeks before registration so I am not scrambling on the deadline. That is the whole system.

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6

I used Beverly Smog Check on Hollywood Blvd last round.

Walk in, no appointment, and I was back in the car before I had time to get annoyed.

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7

Choi Smog Test-Only Center on Olympic is the one I use from Koreatown. Test only, so they will not start selling you a repair if you fail, which I like. I walk in, it is quick, and I pay cash because the window was simpler that way. Bring the registration, they ask for it at the counter, and I have never needed an appointment.

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