Blue Ribbon Automotive & STAR SMOG

This is a top notch shop. The diagnostic specialists are first rate. I don't believe these negative reviews. In fact, I saw them and thought, "I gotta take my next smog check there to see what's going on." Sure enough, looks like their competitors are playing dirty and making up stuff. I took an old beater van in there with over 300k miles. It would have been a gold mine for a crooked shop. But Blue Ribbon passed it, no problem. "It's still got a few more miles left," the technician told me with a smile. As a mechanic, I've learned that you're a lot better off to go to the best outfits if you don't have the equipment to do it yourself. That way you don't get taken advantage of. The thing that kills me about some of these reviews is that if your car does fail the smog test, a good shop gives you a list of what is needed and provides you with an estimate that has to fall within a 10% range, I think, if you want them to do it. You can have anybody do it! You can do it yourself, if you're handy. The first thing Blue Ribbon does is help you with the California financial assistance program to save you money - up to $500. They've got signs on the wall telling you about it. And no, I've never been in there before. Don't know them personally. I can recognize a good shop when I walk in, that's all. I just get pissed off when I see negative reviews running down a good shop with honest, hard working mechanics.