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| - One of the worst experiences I've ever had in dealing with a business. I don't even use Yelp, but I literally signed up for an account so I could write this review. So you know how strongly I feel about this establishment. If you're thinking of taking your car here, even for a basic oil change or a quick inspection, don't. I know you're thinking I'm exaggerating this out of proportion, and maybe it's not so bad. I present some evidence: my car overheated the other day and boiled some coolant out of the overflow valve. I played it safe and got towed to the nearest garage, which of course happened to be Pep Boys East Liberty.
It arrived in their lot late Tuesday night, and they stated they'd begin work Wednesday morning. Noon on Wednesday they called and said the fan wasn't running, which is a simple five minute diagnosis anyone can do in their garage. They asked my permission to inspect the electrical system which they said would be about $40 in labor costs. I gave the go-ahead and receive a call five hours(!) later stating that the problem was the module controlling the fan. He said this part was normally around $700 but he tracked one down for $75. Wait no, he misread, it's actually $138.75.
Labor would be intensive he continued, and the total cost including diagnosis was around $650. I may be young, but I'm certainly not naive, and so I researched this mysterious module myself before going ahead with the repairs, as something seemed awry. Turns out it was actually about a $40 part including shipping when all is said and done. Hell, the entire fan assembly is less than the "list price" for the module. At this point I smelled fraud and so I asked for them not to do the work and to return my car. The attendant at the counter rang me up for $138, and the work sheet showed that it was all for "diagnostic services" (plus a $10 mechanic warranty fee of course). I have never argued the price for any service in the past, but I figure it was warranted here as that cost was frankly insulting and predatory considering the work performed (they didn't even replacing the coolant that boiled out of the reservoir from overheating before running the car to diagnose apparently...) The supervisor and I discussed this point and I walked out only paying the $40 for electrical diagnosis (which to their credit is fair imo).
TL:DR Even though I got away with minimal damage, this experience shows that Pep Boys is not afraid to lie to and mislead anyone they think won't know any better in order hike repair costs. Businesses like this one are why the dishonest mechanic stereotype is so prevalent. But hey, they'll be ripping off poor saps for years to come, it's Pep Boys after all. I just hope this review can save a couple headaches for a couple people. Happy repairs everyone!
EDIT: I was contacted by a Pep Boys manager the next day. He said that there was a misunderstanding, and that I actually required an entire fan because the module was not sold separately, which is why it was so expensive. Also, he said the labor costs were quoted as worst case and could be much lower if only the module had to be replaced and not the entire fan.He also apologized for my experience. I appreciate that Pep Boys does seem to care about their reviews, and the manager seemed like a nice enough guy, but that still doesn't excuse the fact that the mechanic wasn't upfront about any of that on the phone. Ah well, I'm upgrading my review by a star since someone seemed to finally be upfront with me. That doesn't change the fact that I will continue to avoid this place like the plague when my car breaks down in the future.
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