Pep Boys

Called me within minutes of my car going into the shop. Gave me a reasonable price and time when it would be done

There is something going on here. Cars don’t get aligned right, oil doesn’t get changed, breaks are further tinkered with to cause more nebulous repairs and the icing on the cake is you are handed over to slick calm negotiators who send you home thinking it is all in your head. Terrible place even more terrible is Big George the service manager, like talking to a brick wall. Save your selves stay away.

I went to this place a couple of years ago, and the experience was so bad that I still remember it and I thought of warning other customers who are considering this place for their auto repair.
I took my car for new tires and alignment. Spent a couple of hundred dollars. When I received the car, the steering wheel was upside down. The mechanic who did the lousy work was too arrogant and would not admit his error. The management was even worse. When I picked up the car I immediately requested from the manager that they fix the error. They said they were closing and there is nothing they could do. I never went there again nor to any Pep Boys store, ever. Stay away!!!

Gone there for oil change. Got the vehicle delivered in parking lot with hood open. Who is gonna check the bonnet is it properly closed or not before start driving. But luckily when I tried to search my vehicle by pressing the key twice, there was no horn sounding. Complained the front desk guy regarding this and he said that might have happened when they reset the settings. What settings. He started googling it. Finally he reset the settings to factory default still its not locking properly. Then somehow when I checked hood is open. Terrible mistake. Again checked the vehicle insdie, there lies the mechanic mask, filled with grease and dirt in my seat.
Overall I felt pathetic. Thinking to check the engine oil cap properly closed or not.

I took my truck to Pep Boys in Germantown last tuesday. Got a wheel alignment, oil change, and a new tire replacement. Its always been my opinion, that if you see a mechanic, inform him/​her what you need done, they will always find «something else» that you need completed to make your vehicle run better. In my case, at the time I was there, they informed me that I needed a new tierod on my left front (as the wheel had alot of looseness to it). I agreed for them to do the work.
Thursday was the first time I actually had a chance to drive over 40mph. While driving, I’m hearing a loud noise. Becuase this was the christmas weekend, the earliest I was able to get my truck back to Pep Boys was Sunday morning. I get there and they informed me the wheel bearing (on the same side as the tierod replacement is making that noise. The first question I had, «could this have been something that was caused by you folks because of the work youve done previously». A quick response was no. I have a hard time believing this because this sound started happening AFTER I LEFT!
The initial work cost me $ 400. They tried to get another $ 350. A lottle perturbed, i just asked that they kindly get my truck off the lift and I rode home.
Just really disappointing!

Took my car in for new front tires and an oil change. They recommended an alignment so I got that too. When I got the car back I started driving and it did not seem aligned at all. I also looked up at the sticker and it said they put conventional oil in when my car takes synthetic. I took it to another mechanic to check the alignment and they gave me a note saying the alignment was off. I am going back tomorrow to ask about getting my money back on the alignment and ask if they actually did put conventional oil in and will update after that. I also noticed they charged for a road hazard warranty which I asked to opt out of but I expect I won’t get that back since I did sign the receipt. :(
Update: they took the warranty off no problem and assured me they put synthetic in but refused the alignment. Pretty disappointed overall, but one bright spot was an assistant manager named Mr. Singh. Although he couldn’t help me, he was polite and professional the whole time.

I suspect they do not always perform the service you pay for. I had been taking to cars to them for oil changes. After running into problems with one of them after a service, I took them to an independent mechanic who said that based on the look of the oil and oil filter he guessed neither car had an oil change in at least 10,000 miles. (I take them in every 3,000 and one of the cars I took to him right after an «oil change»).
Also, last time I was there they told me my car would not start and needed a new battery. I told them not to replace it, and they said to let them know before I came so that they could jump start the car and have it running for me since it would not start otherwise. Sure enough when I got there the car was running, and waiting on me. Never had a problem with the car starting before or since even after a few months of driving it.
Strongly advise to stay away from this location.

I waited 4 hours for them to change the tires after they told me it would take 2. The prices seem good

I cannot thank you enough! I came in to get a battery and was ready to install it myself. The sales associate Kris and general manager Kamar, took action and graciously installed it for me. Saving me time, effort, and worry that it was done correctly. Great team effort and customer service!

People need to make sure they only bring their vehicles in to Pep Boys for specific things that need to be repaired. Bring your vehicle to Pep Boys if you have something minor that needs to be done such as an oil change, tire rotation, new tires, etc. Don’t bring your vehicle to Pep Boys expecting them to properly fix your transmission or replace an engine casket. You must go to other reputable mechanics to have that type of stuff done. Not saying an independent mechanic or dealership (I would say far far away) would do a better job with the repair, but most of the Service Technicians are only ASE Certified. That means they only have the basics of auto repair, along with their life experiences of working at other shops or their own vehicles. You can go online and take a test to be ASE certified. Not taking anything away from them, but people have to be realistic.
I used to hate walking in to have simple stuff done to my vehicle like an oil change because the wait times would easily reach 2 – 3 hours. Sitting in those hard chairs for hours and watching the same TV channel can literally be a pain in the butt. The good thing is they started offering WiFi awhile back. It’s a little spotty, but it’ll get the job done. Now maybe perhaps they should put some nice leather chairs out there to spruce up that wait area. If I have to wait a couple of hours until my vehicle is complete, at least allow me to be comfortable while I’m waiting.
Anyway, I had an issue a few years ago where I contacted the Service Dept to check on the availablility of a tire I needed to have replaced. They told me over the phone that the tire I needed was in-​stock. I told them I would arrive the next day to have my tire replaced and the Service Advisor told me he would put a tire aside for me. I show up the next day and another Service Advisor informed me that someone had sold the tire the day before. I couldn’t understand how the same tire which was placed on-​hold for me ended up being sold to someone else. Mind you I was irate because my tires were under warranty through Pep Boys and I thought they would look after someone who was trying to get the warranty honored. I contacted Pep Boys corporate office via email and literally within a couple of hours, the Service Manager contacted me and told me that they located a tire and that I didn’t have to worry about paying for anything. I commended their swift response to the situation and was glad that they owned up to their mistake.
I just went back recently to purchase a new set of tires for a different car. When I called to see which tires they had in stock, the Service Advisor quickly identified the correct tires I needed and I was able to drop my car off and have the tires installed. They were installed in a flash and when I arrived, they informed me that the Service Technician who performed work on my vehicle had accidently cracked the wheel lock inclosure piece. I was happy that they were upfront about it and they ordered a new one with no issues.
The wait times are still a bit long, but I’m glad that the service has gotten alot better from where they were a few years back.

Do not trust those people. They checked my brakes and purposely tighten a valve and bolt so that my brake pad would fail even faster. I noticed it when I decided to change them myself with the help of a good neighbor. I can’t believe how they staged my brake failure in order for me to come back. Never trust those folks to even take off your tires without you being present. Matter of fact, I will never return there again. They will mess up your car if you don’t recognize what they doing. I will be sure to let everyone know. Don’t do business with them.

Do not take your vehicle here for anything more than an oil change or tire rotation. We had an oil pump replaced on one vehicle, only to have to have it replaced again one month later, and were fortunate that no engine damage occurred. Earlier we had a belt replaced on another vehicle. As soon as winter began, the belt squealed like an injured sheep. Not true mechanics IMO.

GREAT, AMAZING, and SUPER HELPFUL Customer Service!
I need 4 new tires and initially I went to Wal Mart for a cheep price. However, when I got to Wal Mart they told me that they didn’t have the tire pressure sensor needed. They asked me to go to Pep Boys in the same shopping center to get it and come back. Too bad for Wal Mart, the Pep Boys manager, Kamal won me over with his helpful and positive personality. He help me find a good tire brand in my price range and printed out a check list for me of tip for when to get my car serviced. Not only did eh print it out he reviewed it with me! That is huge for me because I know very, very little about cars, including my own. Also, I mentioned to him that I had to be out of here by 10:00 AM to make it to work on time and he promised he would get be out of here by that time and he did. Major bounce points for that as I’m quite impatient.
I felt very important to him as a customer and I have already got a quote for my next visit!
Thank youu!!!

Had an appointment for oil change, vehicle inspection, tire rotation. We were given a time frame of 1 hour and «we’ll text you when it’s ready.» Two hours later, no text message.
Returned to the store, front desk said, «We had a customer that put us very behind, we apologize. It should only take another half hour or so.» The car hadn’t even moved from its spot in the parking lot where it was dropped off two hours prior.
It was obvious from the look on the mechanics’ faces that they forgot about the car when we asked why it wasn’t done yet. A supervisor/​manager came out a few moments later and comped the service for us due to the mistake.
Bad service, but a nice gesture by management at least.

If I could give this place less than 1 star I would. I booked an online appointment at 1pm to replace the brake lights in my car. First off when I came there was no one waiting at the service desk and I had wait for someone at the register to go find someone. Next I drop off my car and came back 2 hours later and my car hasn’t moved. It’s only next. What’s the point of making an online appointment then??? If they were that busy why didn’t attendant or whoever tell me they were behind. Finally to make things worst they end up only changing 1 of my brake lights instead of both. The next week I went to Precision Auto and they serviced my car on a Saturday in 20 mins. Long story short DO NOT come here!

I went to Pep Boys in Germantown, MD to get a set of new tires. The young lady and gentleman at the desk was very polite and professional. I got the exact tires I want for the price I saw online. They only reason I have it 2 stars was the long ass wait I had to get my car back. My appointment was at 3 pm on a Tuesday and I got there a little early. I didn’t get out of there until 6:30 pm. WTF! Totally unacceptable and ridiculous. I was the only person sitting in there at one point, so I thought I’ll be outta here in no time. But no. that didn’t happen it seemed like people who came in after my left before I dude. Insane! I don’t know how I kept my coolness. maybe it was Judge Judy I was watching… that kept me entertained. I’m not sure if I will be returning to this store.

My most recent experience here was great. Particularly because of one employee Edwin. I don’t expect this to happen all the time because I feel he went above and beyond what they employ employees do.
A notification light went off in my car about a headlight being out so I decided to immediately bring my car in because I couldnt see what was going on. Initially I was notified there were some people ahead of me and they were closing soon so they may not be able to look at my car that night. But Edwin stepped in and just asked what was wrong. After a brief conversation he closed out the customers ahead of me and walked out with me to my car in the parking lot. The other employees were clearly trying to close waiting at the door to lock it behind us. I told Edwin if he couldnt look at my car today I’d just bring it in the next day but he insisted.
In the parking lot Edwin diagnosed my car and found that one of the light bulbs just became loose and showed me how to replace it if I ever needed to. At that time Pep Boys was closed and he told me to have a nice night. I wanted to tip him but he just politely declined and went back inside. Need I say more?

I came here for a oil change and to have a routine maintenance light removed from my vehicle. The day I came in, I did so without an appointment because my fidelity insurance told me that Pep Boys was affiliated with them and that they would cover my insurance. When I arrived, I didn’t have an appointment so the clerk told me to make one and come in another day. Wasn’t their fault, I should have checked, but just a heads up that an appointment is necessary if not required. The process took about 2 hours, however when I went to register when it was done, I was shocked by a few things.
1. They told me that they were not affiliated with fidelity insurance and as a result I had to pay for the job out of pocket. I ended up calling fidelity and explaining the situation to them and they said they would reimburse my payment if I sent them my receipt. I should have asked ahead of time, but I didn’t want to hold up the line.
2. The worker who performed the oil change wasn’t able to reset the maintenance light on my multi-​informational display and said I’d have to take it to the dealer and have them reset it even though they had the instructions to do so with almost all cars.
The service usually takes unusually long since if I were to do it myself or take to another shop it would take around 30 minutes for an oil change, but it dragged on for over 2 hours here.
The store itself is very nice, and the workers are very friendly, so I will still be shopping here, I just might be finding another place for my service needs.

Two weeks after alleged repairs my AC stopped working again, so I can confirm my first review — Pep Boys is nothing but a fraudulent operation.

The service can be friendly, but the execution and timeliness is AS BAD as the reviews state.
Here is the one upside to this Pep Boys location– The service counter was well staffed and you could always find someone to talk to, listen to your gripes, and check on your car. I’ve been down the road at NTB and there is usually only one person at the counter mostly ignoring you and trying to look busy.
I stopped in for an alignment. I had an appointment. I was told when I came by there was only one car ahead of me that should finish in 45 minutes and appointments (me) get priority so I would be next. My job was only expected to take 25 minutes after that.
I was there 4 hours.
In the end (after a screw up and a long delay) the car was aligned as expected. Don’t come in here with any expectations of things getting done when they promise. I’m not sure if it’s best to leave it or stay, though. If you walk out, you will definitely get bumped by another angry customer who is shouting at the service desk. You will also find, as I did, that if you leave for an hour expecting the car to be completed when you get back… that no progress has been made because you were not there to say, «why is my car still not in the rack?»
You can tell a place is used to giving bad service when the folks at the counter just take it in stride… they are so used to angry customers that it doesn’t even phase them. It’s just part of the job. Dozens of people come up to the counter pissed off every day (is the impression I got). There was another customer yelling at them while I was there. In a mis-​step on my part (not staying on top of them) his car got put in front of mine because he was shouting louder.
This is comparable with the service I have experienced at any chain auto service counter. You do not get the most experienced or mature technicians who are great at their job or great at prioritizing their time. The techs are sheltered from the customer. The service counter blames any problems you experience on the techs. It is nobody’s problem but yours! And if somebody comes in and buys $ 1000 set of tires, they will get put ahead of your $ 80 alignment.
You may have a good experience here if you set your expectations accordingly. And be careful about the up-​sell on other service items when you come in for something else.
This would be a single star, but the service counter was accommodating to my situation. I’d still rather have those 4 hours of my life back, though.