Whew! So my car failed the Smog Check. I'm new the area and didn't want to drive all the way back to Cerritos for repairs, so I checked out Yelp and found Ray-A-Motive. I applied for CAP afterwards, and was pleased to find that this place was also Gold Shield certified. I did consider Harold T.'s post, because I didn't want to exceed the $500, and the fact that it's really easy to rip me off (considering I'm a tiny Asian girl with no concrete knowledge about cars), but I decided to give it a shot. And thank goodness that I did!The lot is usually pretty full with cars, but there's always been a space or two for my car. Shows how busy this place can get, so you should come fairly early. When I came in the afternoon for my last smog check, there were 6 people in the waiting area, but when I first came at 9AM, it was empty.I was surprised by how clean this place is. I'm more used to grungy auto repair places, but this place was squeaky shiny. The waiting area is spacious and cool, with awesome racing decoration. (Look at the photo of the place!) If you get bored, you can look at magazines or look at the mini car models all around. There are also complementary coffee, cookies, and muffins, just as the other reviewers said.On the first visit, I was greeted by Jorge. He told me that I would have to leave my car for up to two days, because there were a lot of cars to be worked on. He explained to me what would happen (diagnosis, repair, then smogging the car again). I okayed it, so we went through the paperwork (for the CAP program, license verification, etc.) then I left.Two days later, I got a call from Jorge saying that my car was repaired, but that I would have to drive it around to reset the system. He explained to me what was wrong with my car and showed me the purge valve that he replaced. (At the time I didn't know it, but apparently it's good practice to ask your mechanics to show you the old parts to verify that it was actually replaced!)I drove it around for two days and brought it back in on Friday. I was greeted by Larry, because apparently Jorge was out for lunch, so Dan checked on my car. The system wasn't ready yet, so he told me to come back on Tuesday (Monday was Labor Day).So I come back Tuesday, and pull into the lot. Before I'm out of the car, Dan is already over with his machine thing ready to check if my car is ready! It's ready this time, so I go inside to the waiting area again while he smogs the car.And guess what? It failed again, but this time it was for emissions. (The old problem was fixed, though, and the Check Engine light stayed off.) Turns out it BARELY passed emissions last time, so I left my car, expecting it to take at least a day. A couple hours later I get a call from Dan, and it's already fixed and smoked! This time, it was the catalytic converter. So I pick up my car, and Dan told me he noticed my motor oil was low, so he filled it up for me. And it passed! Yay! :D So I paid up for the motor oil and my CAP co-pay, and was out.My main concern when I visited Ray-A-Motive was the cost. They did the repairs without really updating me on the total cost, but the reason was that because I was under the CAP program and well under the limit, they just didn't want me to worry about the cost. Which was really appreciated, but because I wanted to know how close I was to the limit, I would often ask them, and they would tell me.The invoice was very clear. Parts on the left side, labor on the right side. I think the descriptions are pretty self-explanatory for the auto-literate, but they would give me explanations so that I would understand what exactly they did. On the bottom are the original estimate and any revised estimates (with the time and the reasons clearly written), so you know exactly how much you are charged for each thing, as well as who verified. When my car failed the emissions test, they told me that there is another state program that kicked in, so passing the $500 limit was okay. I would not have known if they hadn't told me.Wow this review is long, but I really wanted to share my entire experience with Ray-A-Motive, because it was a very pleasant one. I would definitely recommend, especially to people who are under the CAP program. Everyone that I've talked to (Jorge, Dan, Ray, Larry) were very friendly, and all the mechanics are ASCE-certified! You could check out everyone's certificates in the waiting room, too. :)(Oh, and a tip, the front sign is a bit small coming down Artesia from the direction of Lakewood Blvd., so keep your eyes peeled after you pass Bellflower Blvd. on your right side.)