Pep Boys

Awesome and great customer service!!! Will be my go to place to get my oil changes done, thank you again! And thanks to Jeff for your help!

NOT THIS LOCATION !!! Went to Pep Boys today for a wheel alignment. I was told there was someone with an appointment ahead of me, I was a walk in so I understood. I was told to come back in an hour and they would take care of me then. They took my name and information. I returned in an hour and was told that «a lot has happened since you were here earlier» and that they could not do the alignment at that time and offered me a time four hours later! I would NOT RECOMMEND this Pep Boys location to anyone because of the VERY unprofessional way they conduct their business and the disrespectful way they treat their customers.

This pep Boys has been my Pep Boys for years now, ever since my old mechanic left the area about 6 years ago. I’ve gone to Keith, Bill, Jason, and the rest for everything from brakes to inspections and I laugh at people that even remotely think that their time is somehow more valuable than those they are entrusting with their safety as well as the safety of their family members.
If you take 5 mins to run through my inspection I may actually be sort of a skeptic of whether or not any of the work you were supposed to do was actually ever performed. Oh, you need time to pull the wheels to inspect my brakes? OK
Oh, you’re checking to make sure the wipers that keep my windshield clean are working properly? OK
Wait, this isn’t fast food and I am going to wait to get proper service? OK
I actually understand and comprehend that all these things take time and those trained to do this job are the safe net that ensures that as I travel from A to B that I not only get there safely, but they are not or have never sold me something I did not actually need…
How can you say that and be sure of that statement, Carmine? Well, I’m glad you asked!
I had a Grand Am that was my baby as most that know me know, great car, nearing classic in age… and over the years as I needed work done, I went to the boys.
I thought I needed rear brake work done since I had previously had my front everything worked on; pads, rotors, calipers, blah blah blah… So anyway I brought my baby in and was under the assumption I was going to need about $ 300+ worth of rear work done. I told Bill to do what needed to be done and to give me a call when they were done. I no sooner got back to my house when my phone rang and Bill told me that if I wanted to that I could come pick up my car anytime. I was surprised with how soon they had called and he told me that it needed a simple brake tuneup that would cost me less than $ 30 instead of the $ 300 or so that I thought I was going to spend.
Yeah, this is why I go to this particular Pep Boys, because the guys here have always taken care of my needs and have never gouged me on a repair I did not need.
I just brought a friend of mine there with a 1997 Town Car Limited Edition… beautiful car with some rare and discontinued parts (the thing apparently has multiple cables in the emergency brakes alone), the boys had to hunt and search and are still seeking out one cable that Lazare Lincoln can’t even get because now they must search salvage and used parts to be able to complete the inspection… these guys are currently on the hunt to complete a job and to make it right. THAT is a quality work ethic… trust me, I could save time and distance going elsewhere but I’m willing to travel a little to ensure it’s getting done right.

3 years ago we moved from NYC to Albany and as everybody agrees getting a mechanic that you can trust is like a doctor in the family well since then Gene has been our doctor for our cars, I never question anything that they say, they are honest reliable and competitive, they understand the stress that is not to have a car when you have to commute the following day to work.
We don’t have new cars, so we understand there is always going to show up in the middle of summer or winter, and I must say they have always been there for us.
On top their rewards progam has given us a good brake, and with this economy who can say no to safe some dollars or a lot of them when is a more serious problem.
Thang again Gene and your team for been there when we need you!
Aaron & Matthew Israel Finn

Do not go here! We dropped our car off for an oil change and when we picked it up, it was very clear that someone had gone for a joy ride. The mileage was significantly different, the fuel tank less full and the trip gage had been reset. We aren’t even sure that the oil was actually changed. DO NOT GO HERE!

I was there in the early afternoon on ¹²⁄₂₄.
There were about a half dozen employees in the store looking bored. I walked up to a desk, but the employees were too busy chatting to do anything useful for me. An employee wandering the store saw me and directed me to what I was looking for.
The oil there is about double the price for exactly the same stuff at Walmart. We’re talking over $ 50 for 5 gallons compared to under $ 30 at Walmart for the same item. Same size, same brand, same packaging, same contents.
One register was open. The dude checking out had issues.
Did I mention there were lots of employees there?
Instead of taking me at another register, I waited. And waited. While watching other employees continue to hang out rather than opening another register.
Considering the price and service, I’m not going back.

My experience at this particular Pep Boys location was not good. They special ordered two parts to install on my car. The parts took five days to arrive. They got them both wrong. Then it took another four or five days to get the right parts. So, an extra few days without my car.

So there’s this story one hears in Philosophy 101 classes. A guy sees an ad for a hardware store that is offering hammers, guaranteed for life, but they cost $ 100 each. He goes in, looks at the hammer, which looks pretty cheap, and asks the store owner, «$ 100 is a lot for a hammer, is this really guaranteed for as long as I live?» and the owner says, yes, he’ll replace any part of the hammer, forever, if it breaks. So he thinks about it, decides, well, it will last me my whole life, it’s worth it, so he buys it.
The guy then takes the hammer home and starts pounding a nail THWACK THWACK and on the fifth or sixth THWACK the handle breaks. So he takes the hammer back to the store, and the owner of the store replaces the handle for him, free of charge, no questions asked.
The guy goes home and continues to hit the nail he started, only it bends, and he decides he has to take the nail out of the wood using the claw. He pulls on the nail and the head of the hammer splits into two pieces. The guy takes the hammer back to the store and the store owner says no problem, and fits the hammer with a new head right then and there. The guy then takes the hammer home, finishes pulling out the nail, decides to call it a day, and puts it gently in his toolbox, whereupon both the handle and the head crack open.
Really agitated, he takes the hammer back and demands a replacement for it, and the store owner refuses, saying «That’s not the same hammer I sold you.»
Is that the same hammer, or not?
Why am I bringing this up reviewing a mechanic?
Well, I stopped by the Pep Boys today to get a quick state inspection done because (a) I had to get it done *today*, in a limited window, and (b) they said they could take me right away, no waiting.
So they completed the inspection very fast, in about the time it took for you to read the above Philosophy 101 anecdote, and I was impressed. The car passed, except it needed one new wiper blade. OK, I said, I’ll buy a wiper blade and put it on myself. Oh, no, they said, if you do it yourself you’ll just have to get the car inspected again. We’ll put the wiper blade on for you, no extra charge other than the part.
Great! I thought. I’ll be out of here in 5 minutes and back to work before you can say «epistemology».
And then: I waited for about as long as it would take to fill up a blue examination book on your Philosophy 101 final to answer the question, is it the same hammer, or not? Like, close to an hour and a half. I asked several times — three different guys at the desk — and was told once it was probably a «slow computer» uploading all the test results to the DMV’s computers. The next time I was told they were just bringing the car around.
And it’s sort of a relevant question when you have a car, like mine, that’s nearing 200,000 miles and has had almost every moving part replaced at least once — is it still the same car? Should I be treating this like I should get another 150K out of it, or it’s a junker? What kind of money should I put into it? If you’re in the car repair business you probably don’t want to give your customers as much time to think about such philosophical matters as this. Pep Boys gave me plenty of time to think about that hammer today!
In any event, I think my time was worth more than the cost of the part, or even the cost of having the inspection done twice.
I will make lemonade out of lemons by proposing this game to you:
If you think the answer is «Yes, it’s the same hammer» click on the «Funny» button below.
If you think the answer is «No, it’s not the same hammer» click on the «Cool» button below.
If you think, «Boy, I’m certainly going to avoid THAT Pep Boys» click on the «Useful» button below.
If you would like to click on all three, say aloud, «MANNY, MOE, AND JACK» as you click each button.

DO NOT USE! This is quite possibly the WORST car repair shop ever. It’s a shame for Pep Boys that locations like this have forced me to NEVER use a Pep Boys again. This location is deceptive and will lie through their teeth about what is wrong with your car. Sadly, they perpetuate the idea that car repair men will screw you out of every cent you have. Unless your idea of a fun Saturday is being wallet-​raped while you sit helplessly in an uncomfortable chair watching Telemundo, go somewhere else.