Pep Boys

I dropped my car off at Pep Boys, 4571 McKnight Road, 15237? for a state inspection. The car was well taken care of and I didn’t expect any issues. An hour later Ricky from Pep Boys called to tell me that the "check engine" light came on and it will cost me $90 to diagnose it. He was extremely rude, tried to educate me on “Pennsylvania laws” regarding state inspection, and even implied that I lied about the condition of the car when I dropped it off. I asked Ricky what is the error code and all I got was a sleazy response that "it gives us an idea where to look at" and that I really need to pay for it. I refused to pay for the diagnosis but was still forced to pay ~$30 for the failed inspection. When took the car home and googled the error code I found out that it is a coolant temperature issue, which could have a number of possible causes, none of which seemed worth $90. Long story short, I checked what I could myself (temperature sensors, thermostat, etc), couldn't find anything wrong with it, cleared the errors triggering the "check engine" light, used the car for about 2 weeks / 500 miles, and took it to another place for the state inspection. It passed the inspection without issues and 2000 miles later the "check engine" light has not come back on. I can't help but think that Pep Boys mechanics triggered the error code somehow - maybe just by being clueless but possibly deliberately (unplugged the sensor perhaps?). Such attempts to coerce customers into paying for fixing nonexistent problems are disgusting. Even though my financial loss in this interaction was small (the cost of the failed inspection), I will stay away from Pep Boys from now on and will advise anyone I know to do the same. more

I recently took my vehicle to Pepboys for a Pennsylvania State Inspection and Emissions Test. During the course of the inspection, the mechanics found that the parking brake was not tight enough. Repairs were required and allegedly performed according to manufacturer's specifications. Upon the return of my vehicle, I found at least one of the locking lug nuts with a visible crack along with the other lug nuts being rounded off on the corners. I have returned to Pepboys on four separate occasions and spoken with the Manager (Rob) and Assistant Manager (John) to seek resolution. As of the date of this post, Pepboys has not corrected the damage to my vehicle to my satisfaction. ***Buyer beware. If you choose to take your vehicle to this shop, you do so at your own risk. Use the Pittsburgh Better Business Bureau to find another shop.**** If you check out the reviews on yahoo.com...scroll to the bottom of the reviews, there is a post by "Rob" on 3/7/11. Hmmm....the shop manager's name is Rob, and the poster's name is Rob....could it be the same person? Quite possible. Anywho, he claims the following, "sometimes things dont go smooth and usually it is the customer who doesnt understand .... usually these places have very good service getting your car fixed is not like going through mcdonalds". Really Rob? There seems to be a definite trend of customers seeking a simple inspection which results in hundreds to thousands of dollars in repairs. I agree with all prior posters on here and at yahoo.com, this is an awful company. I will never go to another Pep Boys again, I will communicate this to all my friends and colleagues, and I will go out of my way to go to a different shop/mechanic. more

I go to pep boys all the time for car cleaning supplies and service. I don’t have any problem with the parts section but the service area is where all my problems are. I brought my car in for service and was told I needed over 1000 dollars in service needed. I decided to get a second opinion on it and my dealership said it was only a leaky hose and not a bad head gasket. The work at the dealership cost only 100 dollars. I would stay away from their service but I would continue to go for new parts. more