Reviewed : 09/16/2025
Comment : I normally don't write reviews, but my experience at Valley Smog & Auto Repair was so bad and stressful, I feel obligated to warn others.
On August 8 and August 12, 2025, I paid Valley Smog & Auto Repair to replace the EGR sensor, oxygen sensor, MAP sensor, manifold gasket set (intake) and to clean the EGR ports on my 1998 Chevy S-10 4x4. After all of this, my truck was still hesitating while driving.
Last week, when I was still having the speed hesitation issues with my truck while I was driving it, I specifically asked Matt, the manager, if my truck was safe to drive because I had to take it to Pasadena to deliver a painting for an important California Art Club exhibition at the Old Mill Museum on September 15, 2025. I stressed the importance of this trip and the deadline. Matt assured me with great confidence that my truck was completely safe--not only to Pasadena but "even cross country."
That turned out to be false, reckless and misleading.
On September 14, 2025, the day before my delivery, while driving, the Check Engine Light came on again.
I brought my truck back on September 15 at 8 AM to have Matt run a diagnostic test on my truck to see if there was a major problem that would prevent me from driving my truck and if it was unsafe to do so.
Matt made a check and he told me that the Check Engine Light was "just a bad part," even though he had just had it replaced a few weeks ago, saying it was probably a bad part.
That seems to be Matt's excuse all the time when something goes wrong after his mechanics do any repair work and doesn't say that it could be the mechanic's error, it's always the "cheap parts." fault. With that, Matt again told me it was safe to drive my truck to Pasadena.
Trusting his professional judgment, I attempted to drive to Pasadena.
As I reluctantly started my trip, I noticed that my truck was still hesitating as I started out on the freeway. As I approached Banning, California, about 30 minutes from Palm Springs, the speed of my truck was fluctuating wildly with the cruise control set at 70 mph.
Thankfully, I was able to exit in Banning and found a mechanic, where AJ at Jasso Auto Repair looked at it. He ran a diagnostic test and confirmed that the EGR and oxygen sensors were bad and the EGR ports had probably not been cleaned properly, as they sometimes need to be cleaned more than once, to get rid of all the carbon build-up. He told me bluntly my truck was not safe to drive to Pasadena.
When Matt ran his own diagnostic test just 30 minutes prior, he told me the only issue was a bad check engine light and my truck was safe to drive and failed to tell me that if fact, the EGR and oxygen sensors were bad and the EGR ports had probably not been cleaned properly.
When I made it back to Cathedral City, I stopped by Valley Smog and Auto Repair and confronted Matt to tell him what happened.
instead of taking responsibility, he became defensive and blamed me for supposedly choosing cheaper aftermarket parts "from China." This is absurd--it is HIS job as a mechanic to recommend reliable parts. That's why I paid Valley Smog in the first place.
Matt even added that he "understands because I am a fine artist, that I can't afford much and need to buy cheaper parts." That statement was presumptuous, condescending, and insulting. Not only did he blame me for supposedly choosing inferior parts, but he conveniently ignored the fact that he supplied those parts himself. It is a mechanic's job to recommend reliable parts and stand behind their work. Suggesting that my profession somehow justifies his use of subpar parts is offensive and unprofessional.
The bottom line:
My truck still hesitates and runs poorly.
Their repairs did not fix the problems.
They assured me my truck was safe when it was not.
They deflect blame and make insulting assumptions about their customers rather than take accountability.
This event caused not only stress and lost professional opportunity but also a potential financial loss from the sale of my artwork...which Matt did not care about or acknowledge.
At this point I am very angry at his callousness and do not trust Matt and his incompetent mechanics at Valley Smog and Auto, because not only did they not repair my truck the first time, Matt's decisions to say my vehicle was safe to drive, when it was not, is dangerous and borders criminal negligence.
I will be Filing a complaint with the California Bureau of Automotive Repair (BAR), as well as the Better Business Bureau (BBB).
I no longer trust Matt or the mechanics at Valley Smog & Auto. Their negligence caused me to miss a major art exhibition event and placed me in a dangerous situation on the freeway. If you value your time, money, safety, and trust, I highly recommend to go somewhere else!