STAR smog check
We are a California licensed STAR certified station, station number 161485. That means we can test the directed vehicles and high emitters the state sends to STAR stations only, and we can do the repairs to get them through as well.
Old Town Tustin/Independent/STAR station 161485
The smog test otherTustin shops send you away for.
Galaxy Automotive is a California licensed STAR certified station on El Camino Real. If the DMV has directed your vehicle to a STAR station, or your car failed badly somewhere else, this is where it has to come. We do the test and the repair work, so a fail does not mean starting again across town.
4.3 from 121 Google reviewsBBB rated A+Open six days a week
STAR station 161485
Licensed by the California Bureau of Automotive Repair to both test and repair.
4.3 from 121 reviews
A public Google record going back years, not a handful of recent ratings.
ACDelco and Interstate
Batteries stocked on the shelf, so a dead battery is a same day fix.
Old Town Tustin
On El Camino Real, a short hop from Santa Ana, Irvine and Orange.
What STAR certified actually means
Not every smog station can test your car.
California directs a portion of the vehicle fleet to STAR certified stations only. If you have had a notice telling you your vehicle must be inspected at a STAR station, a regular smog shop legally cannot help you. Neither can they help if your car failed at very high emissions levels, because those have to be certified by a STAR station too.
We hold a test and repair license, station number 161485. Test only stations can tell you that you failed and nothing more. We can diagnose why, fix it, and re-certify the car without you driving it anywhere else.
- Directed vehicles the state sends to STAR stations
- High emitter vehicles that failed elsewhere
- Standard smog checks for registration and renewal
- The repair work in between, under one roof
The STAR certified placard on the front of the shop, El Camino Real.
What we do
A full service shop, not just a smog booth.
The smog license is what brings people in. The everyday work is what keeps them coming back.
Engine diagnostics
Proper diagnosis, not a parts lottery. The fee is quoted before we start and it goes toward the repair if you have the work done here.
Oil and routine servicing
The unglamorous work that decides whether a car makes it to two hundred thousand miles. Scheduled in and back to you the same day wherever we can.
Brakes
Pads, rotors and the hydraulics behind them, inspected properly rather than just the corner that squeaks.
Batteries
ACDelco and Interstate stocked on the shelf, tested and installed while you wait.
Tires
New tires in stock, installed and balanced. If you have picked up a nail on El Camino Real, come in.
The shop
Same bays, same faces, on the same corner of El Camino Real.
Two bays, a desk you can actually talk to somebody at, and a waiting room with a Pepsi machine in it. Adrian is usually the one who will call you back about your car.
We are not a chain and we do not want to be. Ask a neighbor in Old Town who they use and Galaxy comes up more often than you would expect for a shop this size.
In their words
What customers say
“I have been going to Galaxy for a few years now. They are honest and helpful in getting just what is needed. They are very good at diagnoses. Their prices are fair. They have helped me with small things in between repairs with friendliness. I trust them and not my dealer the latter of which have messed with me numerable times.”
Nextdoor recommendation
“Galaxy Automotive on El Camino Real in Tustin (Old Town). Been going there for over 15 years. Honest and reliable.”
S. S., Tustin
Nextdoor recommendation
“Recommended Galaxy by name and number when a neighbor asked the group for an honest mechanic.”
W. L., Tustin
Find us
695 El Camino Real
Tustin, CA 92780
- Monday
- 7:30 AM - 5:00 PM
- Tuesday
- 7:30 AM - 5:00 PM
- Wednesday
- 7:30 AM - 5:00 PM
- Thursday
- 7:30 AM - 5:00 PM
- Friday
- 7:30 AM - 5:00 PM
- Saturday
- 7:30 AM - 4:00 PM
- Sunday
- Closed
Look for the red roof and the blue sign.
We are on El Camino Real in Old Town Tustin, minutes from Santa Ana, Irvine and Orange. Someone is at the desk from half past seven, six mornings a week.