Pep Boys Auto Parts & Service

Reviews 4

RE

Rebecca Gavin

This place is shady as heck. its been a couple of years since I have need a brake job and I first noticed there was a trend toward ridiculous upselling when I called another place for a quote and was given an extravagant number, and then when I balked, the number started coming down "well that quote is with premium parts, which I do recommend, but you could get less expensive parts" and "that price would include new rotors, which you do not necessarily have to get, though I do recommend it". This did not impress me very well. So I got online and noticed that Pep Boys has a coupon for a $99 brake job after a $50 rebate, that included machining the rotors if needed. So I made an appointment for an oil change and the brake job. While I was waiting, there was a young woman who had brought her parents car in for inspection. An associate came into the waiting area (where i had to sit on some sagging old futon, eww) and told her that the car did not pass inspection and would require a $600 brake job in order to pass. She was quite surprised. I imagine if her parents thought the car was going to fail, they would have come themselves. After I had been there an hour and a half (with an appointment, remember) I was called to the front and told that my car was going to need, you guessed it, a $600 brake job (before any "discounts")!This surprised me, as my vehicle had just passed inspection somewhere else 6 weeks earlier. I smelled a rat, and rather than question why all 4 wheels needed new rotors and pads, etc or what discounts would be available, I just asked for me keys and left. I had waited an hour and a half, with an appointment, for an oil change. If I had agreed to this work, who knows how much longer i would have had to sit on that ancient swaybacked futon. I had what I had thought was a good experience at this Pep Boys a few years ago, when they told me I needed some really expensive work, and then gave me a bunch of discounts that brought the price down to a manageable level. Now I realized the price was inflated to begin with and it wasnt kindness that led to the "discounts." No way will I ever bring my vehicle there again. Dont even waste your time. I rearranged my entire day and ended up being away from home way longer than I should have, all based on a loss leader coupon. UPDATE: Took vehicle to garage that did inspection 6 weeks ago. Rear right caliper stuck, with rotor and pad destroyed. All 3 other rotors fine.A three other pads fine, but had him change the left rear so they would be even. So not only were they recommending work I didnt need, but they didnt, apparently, even correctly diagnose the real problem. Ugh.

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DA

Dawn Yurescko

My father in law gave us a car, that admittedly needed work to pass Virginia inspection. I took it to pep boys get inspected and get a list of neccessary repairs. It needed brakes, exhaust work (which we knew about) and a part in the frame needed a new spot welded in, which we did not know. The big problem was the front passenger side strut. They originally called me and said the mount was broken and it was a danger to us and others on the road and should not be driven. I said ok, Ill get a tow truck because my husband will fix it. On the way over they called back and said that since the strut went through the hood when they lifted it back up it was just dangling there and they cant get it off the lift without an $800 repair. When we got there the spring and suspension was all sprung out and the wheel was tilted out. He said he couldnt drop it without the weight tearing out the entire suspension. I said Im not paying 800 for a free car, and he got kind of nasty with me and asked how I planned on getting my car off HIS lift. I said I dont care, just drop it down and Ill call someone to drag it away, Im not going to pay 800 dollars for that. Then he said he couldnt do that because the spring would fly out and take someones head off. Then he said, well, I could fix it for 300 and I said Im not going to pay 300 dollars for a car that is going to be towed away to a junk yard. It wasnt like that when I left it so figure it out. Then suddenly he said no, it will be perfectly safe with that part and even pass inspection. After that I was just done with them. I let them do the $300 fix and left. They seem like nice guys there and Im sure that one piece needed replacing, but I know for a fact I would have noticed a piece of metal sticking up out of a section of my hood that I touch every time I drive it. I do know they tried to convince me I needed an $800 repair when a $300 repair would do. My suspicion is that after they dropped it off the lift, the strut THEN went through the hood, which was the first time they called, and the second time was when they lifted it back up and it sprung out. I like to think it was just them trying to cover their a** and not trying to jack up the cost on a woman.

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A

A Private User

My experience with the Winchester "Pep Boys" location seemed initially to be a pleasant one, as I needed only a replacement rear tire on my Mustang.. Long story short, I ended up going to Pep Boys to have a new lug stud pressed into the wheel, and the tire replaced. They did both for a great price, and in a reasonable amount of time. Soon after this encounter, I had an exhaust problem on the same vehicle. Remembering my aforementioned positive experience, I hastened to take the car straight back to Pep Boys. They told me I would need to replace my exhaust manifold to fix the problem. (A job totalling roughly $500). I assented, and they proceeded to replace the manifold. Afterward, immediately following the "Scnick!" of my Visa card passing through the card reader.. They told me all I had REALLY needed was a weld.. Oh well, better luck next time. Its been 6 months since this experience, and my car suddenly snapped the weld AGAIN.. So I took it back and asked them to fix it under the warranty I purchased from them. They began to turn me away, and I insisted that they fix it. One of the white-shirted managers overheard and told me that it was no problem, they would patch it up, and to leave it overnight. So I left the car, awaiting their call at noon the next day. Finally at about FIVE PM the next day, after having no word from them still, I called and they told me it was done... So I went, collected my keys, and was about to leave when they confessed they hadnt done anything but look at it, told me to go to an exhaust shop, and sent me on my way. Unfortunate, as their prices ARE very reasonable.. I guess you really do get what you pay for.. Or what you DONT pay for.

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AN

Anonymous Imposter

I saw some people are actually speaking out against this place, and I must say the stories are real, Avoid this place if you are considering auto repair in Winchester. These people are worse than a sleazy car salesman. They are all toothy smiles/politeness when you walk in, but they will steal your money and will fabricate issues with your car for a chance of making an extra 60 bucks. Unless youre also a mechanic I HIGHLY SUGGEST you know the condition of your car inside and out before you bring it in, they WILL fabricate issues with your car on the gambit that you wont be able to call them out. Either you pay them to fix the extra issues they caused, or get left with the damage they caused to your car. My husband is a mechanic and regularly does the maintenance on both our cars, so when they tried to cheat me into fixing a problem that I suspected my vehicle did not have, the first thing I did was call him. Long story short, nothing short of threatening a lawsuit will get these crooks to go back and fix what they did. Not everyone has a mechanic in their family who can call out sleazy garage tactics, so if youre in Winchester and need auto repairs AVOID these people, save yourself the headache. But if you MUST use them, then I suggest you know the insides and outs of vehicle before bringing it to them.

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