Best of 2000: Best Smog Check

Hai's Auto Repair #2
4040 Park Boulevard, Hillcrest
(619) 542-0922

Located on a wedge-shaped lot on Park Boulevard that used to be a Shell station, Hai's is a diploma-mill for cars that need their credentials. Tai Diep, the owner, is like a Vietnamese Santa Claus. He's jolly, hardworking, and loves children. Angie, his wife, will fill out the paperwork and explain the state regulations while Tai tries to get you in and out. There is no automotive double-talk, and they will do everything they can to keep you from visiting a state test center, where tests and repairs are more expensive. Angie explains, "You don't want to have a test and fail it. Then you will go on record with the state as a 'gross polluter' and you can only have your smog check at a state test center." You can have your car pretested to see if you are a gross polluter without any state record. Smog tests are $19.95 and the DMV Certificate is $8.25. The average wait is 20 to 30 minutes.