Man these guys helped me out big time. My tire flew off my jeep and I was legit driving down the freeway with 3 tires. I got towed to pep boys on a Friday night and they were able to get me in and fixed my car within 48 hours. I got my jeep and it ran like a champ! Moral of the story is they cared for my situation and were very fast on completing my car ASAP! read more

We went to a Pep Boys in a different city to get my brake pads replaced a couple of months ago. They also replaced the rotors and such, but there was a squeaky sound afterwards that only occurred AFTER all that work was done. We took it back to that same Pep Boys and paid another $150 to replace the shoes, which they said was the problem. After THAT, there was a slight vibration and the brakes would squeak when bringing the car to a stop. Took it into this Pep Boys to have it fixed. They said that they would have the car ready by noon, and then called later to say it would be done at 1:30. At that point, I did not have a ride so I asked my roommate if she could drive me there. When I get there, I was told that they would have to replace the shoes again and that it would be done by noon the next day and that they were keeping my car overnight. Why couldn't they have said this over the phone?! Had to call my roommate back, but she was already somewhere else so it was a huge mess. Called them after noon the next day, and they said the car would not be done until later that day or the next day. WHAT?! Luckily, my coworker was willing to take me to get the car if it was done by 4, and it was. She was kind enough to stay to make sure I got my car. They had a hard time getting the system to accept the warranty or whatnot, but at least it was done. Still hearing some squeaking now, so ughhhh why can't they fix this?! Only giving three stars because it was fixed under warranty. read more

5 stars for this location's service department for a new battery and an oil change. Not so many stars for the Pep Boys website. I choose this location as a few stores and a restaurant my wife likes are within walking distance. The time estimate was 1 1/2 to 2 hours. I got a text and a call just before 2 hours letting me know the car was ready. I had disassembeled the covers over the battery to add a spare battery to get things running. The service tech put everything together nicely. No up-sells or problems reported. (The car had been dealer serviced before being parked for a year. So no trying to sell unneeded brakes or coolant and the like.) The Pep Boys website was a pain. I wanted to use the website as there was a 25% discount on Champion batteries if purchased online and an additional rebate through RetailMeNot. The website only listed an Optima for my 2012 Prius. When I plugged in the Champion AGM battery that fits, it was not found. I experimented with another year and was given a non-AGM Champion battery. But when plugged in the Champion AGM battery, it was available. When I went to schedule the installation, it pushed the installation back a day. I called the service manager and explained the problem. He said that his system confirmed that the battery I ordered was correct and that he could schedule the install that afternoon. But he said he would have to cancel and redo the order with the correct car info to make things work on his side. So I may lose that $17 rebate. Oh well... read more

"Go away, you person who wants to use our free battery check service!" Grant at the desk wanted me to leave my car for 4 hours to get the free battery check. That's just crazy. Myself & family have always gotten free battery checks at Autozone in Poway, they wheel the cart to the car, put the test clamps on the battery then 1 minute later a computer report prints out. Pep Boys has this same testing cart but to wait 4 hours? Yikes! UPDATE: As I'm standing in line, they are telling another customer she can get her auto work done today (Friday), but if she wants to use the coupon then she must make the appointment online, and book the next appointment avail thru the online system which is for Monday. Very snaky way to do business. Thought I'd try this Pep Boys cuz it's a few blocks from my new house, but I'll just continue using the old reliable Autozone read more

Pep Boys - Pep Boys on El Camino Real in Encinitas. - Tires Near Me - Encinitas, California

Service is so unprofessional, my wife fired them on the spot! So get this, my wife makes an appointment to get a brake job. She comes in as scheduled, Friday 8am, for a job that takes two hours, and she's going to wait for it. Easy! But what happens? The service manager says "oh my brake guy isn't coming in today until 10am now and there are other jobs now too." My wife asks, "what about my 8am appointment?" "Oh well I wasn't in when you made the appointment as I really needed a day off, and the guy who made the appointment didn't know what he was doing." Nice job Pep Boys. Can't manage. Can't schedule. Rude. The store manager agreed that the service was unacceptable and they blew it, but the fact is this is how they do things at Pep Boys Encinitas. Was offered a discount because of their poor service but my wife wanted nothing to do with these clowns. She got great service elsewhere. Avoid. read more

Didn't have service but the review is for the poor customer service. Came in at 6pm looking for an oil change, was told itd be at least 1.5 to 2 hours wait or cine back around 8 because it's slow. Came back at 820p...20 minutes too late I guess. Same guy said "bummer were closing up. We close at 9 and it takes too long for an oil change at this time. ..then finger snap oh shucks" all while snacking on his sandwich. What has happened to good customer service these days. Always trying to hope other yelpers are wrong but in this case I should have listened to their reviews! read more

Pep Boys - Looks busy - Tires Near Me - Encinitas, California

I went in with a completely dead vehicle absolutely ready to buy a new alternator when I called them up they said it sounds like an alternator but they did a bunch of test in the car completely works for the time being I was absolutely surprised. They did not charge me for an alternator when they totally could have because the test showed otherwise mad respect to the people who actually do this thank you so much guys for your honesty and integrity read more

I brought my car in for some new tires in March earlier this year. The service managers Grant and John let me know that I had a bad wheel bearing and that it needed to be replaced as the vehicle was unsafe to drive. They also let me know that they would check the hub and that it might also need to be replaced. They ended up telling me the hub was fine and so they charged me around $630 for 2 tires and a new wheel bearing. Immediately after I received the car I noticed a screeching sound coming from the front left tire that the bearing was said to have been replaced on. I brought it back in and they told me I was wrong and it was the back left tire and the sound was bad brakes. They said the struts were also bad and they quoted me $2000 for all this work. I let them know I would do all that work myself because I felt cheated that they had sold me on a $700 charge only to come back and quote another $2000 for my car to be road safe. I ended up changing the struts and brakes/rotors myself and yet the front left tire was still grinding on rotation so I brought my car back to Pep boys a third time and let them know it was still happening. They told me they'd look at it and got back to me saying that it was because the axels were bad and that I needed new front axels for $600. I went back and ended up replacing the axels myself and then the grinding noise continued to happen. Not trusting Pep boys at this point I ended up replacing my rotors and brakes a second time thinking that maybe I missed something. After doing the front brakes a second time the rattling grinding noise was still coming from my front left tire so I finally decided to take it to another mechanic. Drive AUTOCARE in Solana Beach diagnosed my brakes and let me know they were completely fine. The problem they found was a damaged wheel bearing and hub. I let them know that Pep Boys Encinitas was paid to fix these and they let me know it was completely damaged, and unsafe to drive. I am now paying Drive Autocare to fix my Wheel bearing and Hub after Grant and Pep Boys Encinitas stole $400 from me, claimed they had fixed the problem, put me back on the road in an unsafe and dangerous car, and lied to me and tried to fraudulently upsell me to get more of my money. DO NOT TAKE YOUR CAR TO PEP BOYS ENCINITAS Grant and his guys are THIEVES, and could care less about putting a UNSAFE car back on the road that could potentially ENDANGER THE LIVES OF THE COMMUNITY THEY SERVE. read more

Pep Boys - Damaged hub that pepboys team machined down creating an unsafe fit. Ok put me back on the road and refused to inspect it 3 different times. - Tires Near Me - Encinitas, California

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SERVICE DEPT REVIEW - Gary and Alex have ALWAYS been fair, honest, and friendly. I've gotten quotes and advice from numerous shops and dealerships. Pepboys Encinitas has always risen to the top. They explain "why" which is rare as well as being willing to find the best "solution" for the best price. Often Dealerships (perhaps by protocol) MUST repair back to factory specs which often leads to BIG bills at the end. I've been coming here for 10 years and often feel like they've led me to a solution that has SAVED me money...VS. most shops try to ADD ON services/parts that are unneeded just to make a buck. Nowhere else I'd go. read more

Anytime I need my car serviced I always come to this Pep Boys location. They always provide me with excellent service and they do a phenomenal job on my car. They are friendly, professional and good at what they do. Here I know that my car is in great hands. I have never had a bad experience or any issues with my car whatsoever. I definitely recommend getting your vehicle serviced here if ever in need. You will not be disappointed. These guys are awesome! read more

My daughter scheduled an alignment there for 5 pm on Saturday. She got a call to come in earlier and they would get it done sooner because they close at 5 pm. She went earlier at 2 pm. They checked her in and she waited an hour. Car didn't move. She asked how much longer. They said in a couple of hours. She got her keys and left. She wasn't the only customer upset. I know help is hard to find. They could have canceled her appointment and rescheduled for another day instead of the way she was treated. read more

Meh. It's not as big and varied as I expect from a Pep Boys. Too much bling - lighted skull-shaped gear shifters, etc - not enough useful stuff. Now that I have a car that runs, I'm glad I don't have to shop here much anymore. Whenever I do, I wish I'd gone to a specialty store, instead, or ordered online. read more

Gary was a pleasure to work with. Scheduled me quickly to get an alignment on my truck and made sure I understood what was making my vehicle pull to the right. Nothing but a great experience and even better prices; thanks Pep Boys read more

I ordered a part online for pick-up in store, then realized that I would be gone and unable to pick up that part myself. No problem, my mom could do it, right? Except that the same credit card would need to be presented at the store, which I desperately needed to take with me on my trip. Pep Boys customer service originally told me that I could cancel the order online, and submit a new one with a different card. Only problem: after I hung up, their website was down for maintenance and by that time it was too late to call again. So I call the next day, and I'm happy to hear from a manager that sure, you can pick up the item without presenting the card in person, just let us know who will pick it up. Yay! I confirmed with my mom that she could, and then called back. Talk to someone different whose answer was: "I don't know." Why am I talking to you if you don't know? And then he said he thought it'd be fine. Then he said maybe not because sometimes credit cards only charge a dollar. At the end as I'm trying to get a straight answer, he was clearly just trying to get me off the phone. I'll find out tomorrow from 1500 miles away which one it turns out to be. Really regretting the whole thing. TL;DR "Don't knowers" shouldn't answer company phones. Caveat: Others I talked to were more helpful. read more

Getting something for free is rare these days. Having a tire I bought on the Internet mounted by any shop is usually expensive, if they will do it at all. I was quoted $26, which is reasonable, and I needed a new valve stem. When I went to pick it up, Gary said it was free because the couldn't balance the this type of tire/rim. I said I asked them "not" to balance it because its a small RV and needs a special alignment and balance. I needed only to remove the existing tire and mount the new one. Gary said, "still free". I heard later it may be a state law about balancing but what about the stem and tire disposal charge...so I'm giving a positive shout out to Gary for not nickel and dime'n me. Thanks for the good service. read more

I'm sitting here listening to the manager talk about his colonoscopy in graphic detail. These guys are seriously lacking professionalism. I gave 2 stars because they usually don't rip me off and get it done quickly. But my advice is NOT to wait for your vehicle unless you want to hear about medical procedures and the manager talking trash about all of his employees. Newsflash: your voice is loud and no one wants to hear about how you got a tube shoved up your butt yesterday. Needless to say, I'll be going to a different location next time. read more

Another new experience at Encinitas pep boys today. They let me down again. A service manager, their best one, Adrian told me that my tires would not be covered under warranty. These are 65K warranty tires, with only 23K miles on them. The tread was pretty good, but the tires are separating and are now becoming dangerous. That was their opinion when selling me on replacing them. When I asked if they would give me any credit on a warranty for replacement they said a firm no. Their reason is that they are old. The date code is Nov 2016. I purchased them in September 2017 which makes them 5 years old. It seams that they have prepared reason to say "no coverage". The service writer said the warranty is based on miles only and that the tires splitting down the middle would not be a warranty issue. Go figure. I recommend discount tires, that's who will replace these tires. That firm is full of pro's that build confidence. I am now giving up on pep boys. Sad. read more

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STAY AWAY FROM THIS PLACE THEY ARE TOTAL SCAMMERS. BEWARE DISHONEST LOCATION... SCAMMERS Wow. These guys are swindlers for sure! The repair shop, not necessarily the store. Wow ok so they told me they did a diagnostic for $90 which Included taking apart my engine to find exactly what the problem was... They said a piece had broken off of my intake manifold and that the entire intake manifold had to be replaced and would cost $1900!!? They said just the intake manifold part was $1200. They said it was much more expensive at the dealership.... However a quick look online reveals that the dealership price is 1200, and everywhere else on the planet sells the part for $400-$450... Ok so they marked up the part by $800... Right? Big deal...ok... They told me I needed to wait a little while before I can pick up my car because they had to put my engine back together since they did this intensive diagnostic that I had just paid for. WOW.... Really??! They never even took my engine apart to confirm that this was the diagnosis. The reason I know this is because all of the factory white dots are still exactly aligned on my engine because the engine has never been taken apart. Not ever! Furthermore I had an honest local mechanic take a look at it and all I needed was a tuneup. Spark plugs!!!! That's it!!!! It solved the problem. How could they have lied... She straight up lied to my face and told me they took apart my engine to confirm that the diagnosis was correct that there was missing a flap out of my intake manifold... Only to find out that they never even took apart my engine, it did not need an intake manifold it only needed spark plugs. Oh and let's talk about spark plugs... They say they charge what they charge in the store but they don't they mark everything up at least 30% from going and getting it off the shelf just like you could when you go in by yourself. When I pointed this out to them they said "oh... Well if you do the work here will match that price for you"... Oh. Really?... You'll match the price that you just told me it already was... But you marked it up thinking I wouldn't notice? That price... The price in your own store ....is that the price that you will match? Gee thanks If you are a FEMALE and have a somewhat nice car even if it's 12 YEARS OLD... STAY AWAY FROM THIS PLACE THEY ARE TOTA SCAMMERS. BEWARE read more

Customer service is terrible. I got a routine check up about a month ago including oil change, tire rotation, etc... this past week I noticed one of my tires was deflated. So I took it in to get it patched due to the proximity to my house. Quick assessment, which I was grateful for. Set up an appt. for today at noon. I asked how long it would take and the guy said about an hour. I got there about 5 min ahead of the appt, and John was talking with a customer ahead of me. John seemed very upset and almost disgusted by his job. Gave the guy a quote, which the guy said, "wow, that's expensive." John, with no empathy, replied "yep"... Then I got up there, and he took my car in... he seemed extremely confused. Told me he'd call me and let me know how long it'd be. I called in an hour later after I finished lunch, and John said they were going to need a few more hours.... PEOPLE, we have a life that we need our cars for!!! He also proceeded to tell me that I should check my air pressure more often. I responded, "John, my car was in here a month ago... you guys rotated the tires... maybe you should check my air pressure. You're literally getting paid to do that. TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE! I will NOT be back. It's been 3 hours and I still haven't received my call saying that my car is done... hopefully I have no additional negativity to add to this review. Go elsewhere! Customer service, I don't need a canned response or free oil change. Please fix the problem for future customers. I will not be one... Maybe John, and people like him should be working on cars not with people. read more

How is this place in business? Horrible service, rude employees with an I'll get to you when I feel like it attitude. I've given this place multiple opportunities and never again will I walk into their store. O'Reilys Auto Parts is just around the corner in the Khols, Chik-Fil-a shopping plaza and were polite. You're better off visiting anywhere but this Pep Boys. There should be negative stars for places like this. read more

Woke up on Christmas Eve with a flat tire. Pep boys was able to help us out and fix our tire quickly. Thank you Pep Boys for saving Christmas! read more

I've had multiple cars serviced at the encinitas location for years so I didnt hesitate to take in my VW Vanagon for a simple rear brake job. What a nightmare. First don't bother using the online appointment service, its not connected to anything in the service department. This is the first thing the service writer will tell you and then make you wait. Second, after they finally finished by brakes, my rear half shaft came off because the bolts holding it were not tightened. Luckily I wasn't on a the freeway or a major street when this happened. After towing my car back to Pep Boys, they agreed to "look at it." I speak to John one of the older service writers and he tells me that they didnt cause the problem. Excuse me? He then proceeds to yell at me over the phone trying to intimidate me when I asked to speak to a real manager. This guy John, needs to understand that his job is dependent on customer service. Customers may not always be right, but they do pay for your salary, so show some professionalism please. Lastly I finally did speak to a manager Grant, and he apologized for his staff but I doubt "John" got the message. Lesson learned; if you live in Encinitas and want reliable, competent service go somewhere else like Hugo's on the coast or Encinitas Auto Repair just a block away. ... And please read the current Yelp reviews and dont rely on prior experience with this location. You will save time and money in the long run. The service "discount coupons" are worthless when you factor in the wasted time and cost of having your vehicle fixed multiple times because they didnt fix it right the first time. I'll bet I get a canned response from Pepboys about writing a detailed letter. No thanks and you can keep your free oil change coupon. I cant afford to waste any more time and risk having one of your staff do more damage to my vehicles. read more

This location was great. Both Kyle and Grant did a great job of getting our "special needs" vehicle brought back up to factory specs. Master Tech Derick went above and beyond by being extremely thorough putting the finishing touches, repairing, and aligning a 26 year Camry after a complete suspension upgrade. I'm really impressed with the way this team conducted themselves. They are real pros. I wouldn't hesitate going back again. read more

I've generally had good experiences at this location for batteries and tires but today the treatment was terrible and totally avoidable if they had made just a small effort at customer service. I had an appointment for them to check and reset my tire pressure sensors. After waiting an hour, I went to see how much longer and was told that their tire sensor checker was broken and it had been broken for several days probably even when I made my appointment. This was on top of the fact that I called to see if they could perform the work, They told me to come by the next day and they would get me in. When I got there they said I would have to leave it for 2 days because they were busy. Since I didn't have a ride I made an appointment. How long would it have taken when I was standing at the counter making the appointment to check that they could perform the work they were scheduling. Now I understand that things break, but I don't understand the incompetence of a Manager who doesn't communicate that fact to his employees, or get the equipment working, or at least call customers to tell them not to come in, or at least tell them when they show up, not after an hour of waiting. This Pep Boys location has a problem, it is very busy, and apparently they believe that means they don't have to worry about "customer care". I hope reviews like this help them solve their problem so that they can actually take care of the customers that they have. read more

Just wanted to point out an awesome experience I just had at Pep Boys- Encinitas When in to purchase a headlight as mine was not working. I had to replace the other headlight a while back as it was clearly at end of life after examining it. So I went in talk to a great young guy named Andrew. Instead of just ringing me up he wanted to make sure he gave me the right bulb. He came out to my car check it out and low and behold it was just a loose connection and light was functional. Aside for feeling like a knuckle head for not checking that myself first, I really appreciate his honesty and saving me some money and time on a nice sat. Thanks Andrew! read more

If I can out negative stars, I would. Service advisor Stuart was not friendly at all until the end when he graciously took the money for the services. He was very rude and spoke to us as if we we're bothering him. We definitely did not feel wanted. Technician Makana? He did not work with urgency in fact working so slow. Tech "forgot" to torque down the lug nuts to spec. When I had mentioned that to the service advisor he said they normally do which I had watched him install it back onto the vehicle. Contacted the tech and he did in fact admit in fault for "forgetting". The location was not busy at all. It was a late Sunday evening and I am not sure why they wouldn't want to get the sale until the end. As a retail manager this act of service was very unprofessional. My wife and I were rudely spoken to and the craft behind it all was a mess. If I hadn't told him what to do, we would probably have drove down the freeway and cause an accident because a tire was not tighten to spec. Also, they claim to sanitize the vehicle. That is also a lie. This whole transaction was a joke. If I didn't have to drive an hour and a half away from my house. I would have rolled on my spare until I can go to another trusted tire shop. I do not recommend. You get what you pay for over here. Complete trash. I really hope this gets straighten out for the future customer this establishment would be lucky to have. read more

I had issues with the quality of service (oil change) in the past, but the recent oil change service was unacceptable. Instead of unscrewing two pieces of engine protection underneath the car, the mechanic (Derek P.) was literally tearing them off with force until he realized that the pieces overlapped and needed to be unscrewed one by one. After eventually taking off the engine protection plates, he kicked them out of his way with his feet. When it was brought to the attention of the person at the front desk/cash register, he smiled and said it was ok, since it's plastic. It's intentional negligence for the body shop employee (or manager ?) to smile while watching the mechanic vandalize a customer's car. After changing oil, the mechanic did NOT screw on the lid. He just left it on the top of the oil fill port. Additionally, the oil level was 7mm above the maximum limit and the engine protection was attached improperly. I was greatly disappointed with the PepBoy mechanic's aggression, him vandalizing my car, and not completing his work properly that had to be fixed. read more

0 stars! I made an appointment online. When arriving, I was told their online booking system does not work and they could not fit me in that evening. I then scheduled my oil change for later in the week and was told they added a note re my online booking and they would for sure take care of me later in the week. Upon arriving for my appointment later in the week, I was told they could absolutely not fit me in, they were too backed up. They tried to call but had the wrong number, apparently. Get it together, Pep Boys! I won't be coming back for yet another cancelled appointment! read more

The men who work here are amazing! Each of them has gone out of their way to help me, explain complicated car problems (I'm in medicine, so don't know much about cars), and do excellent work on my car. The manager, Grant, is an outstanding person, and Gary and Alex are also incredibly knowledgable about all aspects of cars. I am SO happy they are available and near-by to help me and my car! THANK YOU! read more

I brought my car in because the brakes were well on their way out. For $9.99, they checked the brakes out and gave me an estimate. This took a day, not that long, but not that short either, just average there. Their descriptions of the problem and necessary fixes were OK at best. It was obvious that the person explaining the issue to me was just passing on information from the mechanics, and had no clue about the specific condition of my car, my brakes, or my issue. This left me skeptical about the diagnosis, as his explanation didn't make sense when taking the symptoms into account. Also, while the problem was with one caliper (and it is generally best practice to replace both calipers at the same tame), they would not allow me to replace only one caliper, it was both or none. Lastly, they said it would take a week, thats a long time for a caliper change. The price offered was very reasonable, though. I took the car somewhere else for a second look and they confirmed that I did in fact need a new caliper, but for a different reason. The second place explained it well and it completely made sense when taking everything into account, unlike the problem Pep Boys explained to me. Furthermore, they were willing to replace only one caliper, saving me $300. The kicker is that Pep Boys somehow knocked a wire loose by my engine. The engine worked fine before, but after picking it up, the car was bucking like mad, like it was trying to shut off and then immediately firing up and jolting the transmission. The other place hunted down the issue and fixed this for me. This is the second big name auto shop I've taken my car to, and I will never do it again. Both times have been less than stellar experiences and left bad tastes in my mouth. Somehow, both times, they've managed to break something else while incorrectly diagnosing the original problem. The people there were nice, no attitude, and their prices were very competitive. It was a little impersonal, and I don't agree with some of their policies. I'm sure this place is fine for very minor issues and oil changes, but I don't recommend it for anything more extensive. read more

When my car battery died in north county, I called around and this store had the correct size battery but was asking at least $75 more than the other stores that I called. My car has a fubar battery thats long and rectangular so I had to buy the one thats designed for the vehicle and it sucks. I had a buddy call up AAA. read more

These great guys charged $850 for an alternator. Since they put in the wrong alternator 3xs, I missed three days of work. They did offer a free fluid change though. If you feel the need to pay 40 % more than market price then feel free to book an appointment here. They will be glad to take your money. This was the military discount. Cheers to helping your military families!!!!!! read more

My car wouldn't start a couple weeks ago in the afternoon. I called AAA and they came out within 20 minutes and gave me a jump start. The guy suggested that I probably needed a new battery since my car is almost 5 years old and still has the original battery. I decided I would stop at Pep Boys on my way home and see about getting the new battery. When I walked in I was not greeted by anyone. I am kind of clueless when it comes to cars but I saw the Parts area in the back of the store and walked over there. There were two people in line and only one person helping out a customer. When it was finally my turn the phone was ringing so the sales associate told me to hold on for a minute. I could see two other guys in the back talking and then one of them came out and clocked out but he still asked me if I needed some help with something. I told him I thought I needed a new battery for my car and he looked it up to make sure they had it in stock. I told him I also needed assistance putting the new battery in my car since I do not know how. He walked me over the service section and told me they would take over from there. The guy in the services department told me it would probably be about 30 minutes until they could have someone help me and I decided that didn't seem like too long of a wait. He told me to pull my car around up to one of the garages and someone would come out to check it and make sure a new battery is what I needed. I pulled my car around to the garage and I was sitting in my car just waiting for someone to come over and check it out. I sat in my car for about 15 minutes and no one came over. I got out and went back inside to the service area to see what was going on and I had to wait at least 20 minutes until I could talk to someone. I told the guy that I was told to pull my car around and someone would come check my battery but no one has come by yet and he said ok I can go check it right now. It took about 5 minutes and then he came back and said that my battery was fine, but that he needs to have a mechanic check because it might be a bad alternator. He said to just wait about 20 minutes or so and he will have a mechanic check it out for me. I waited about 40 minutes in the waiting room but I could see my car and no one had gone to check it yet. I was getting very frusterated and felt like these people kept putting me off. I was also getting upset because I alternators are much more expensive then batteries and I only came in here thinking it was my battery that needed to be changed out. I had been talking to my dad throughout this whole process and he got very upset when he heard it might be the alternator and thought maybe Pep Boys was trying to take advantage of me since I'm a clueless girl. My dad lives about 5 minutes away so he drove down to Pep Boys, where I was still waiting and no one had looked at my car. The original guy in the service area who told me it would be about 30 minutes was now standing at the front and he asked my dad if he had been helped yet. My dad told him that his daughter has been waiting for a mechanic to check out her car as they told her something might be wrong with the alternator. He said oh lets go take a look at that right now. He looked and said my alternator and battery are both fine and it was probably just some sort of fluke that my car didn't start up right. It took less then 5 minutes for him too look at my car and let me know this! My dad had been in the store for less then 5 mins and I was extremely upset because I had wasted more than an hour just waiting around for a process that took less than 5 minutes!!!!! My car has been working fine ever since, thank g-d! However, I would not recommend taking your car here for service. They basically ignored me and pushed me aside until my dad showed up. There customer service skills were horrible and I felt like crying while I was waitng. They were extremely rude and inconsiderate. No one even thanked me for my patience or for waiting! DO NOT TAKE YOUR CAR HERE FOR ANYTHING! read more

I'm bummed... I basically forced my mom to go to pep boys after my pleasant experience the other day, and her experience wasn't nearly of the same caliber. Her car had been mildly overheating for a week or two and I finally managed to convince her to take it in to pep boys in Encinitas. She brought in the car at 9 for a scheduled diagnostic and after waiting for over an hour, we decided to grab a donut and shop around the connected complex. 2 hours later, she began to worry... We hadn't gotten a call or anything, so we headed back to the auto shop. The car was still up in the pit, over 3 hours after she had brought it in, and after waiting a whole we decided to ask about it again. They claimed they'd tried to call, but neither of us had missed calls or voicemail. At any rate, they wanted to show us what was wrong with the car, so we followed them out to the pit. Apparently, her resistor wasn't connecting properly to the fan, but they advised us that we would need to purchase a resistor, fan assembly, and piggy tails as they all came as one dealer stocked package. Not only that, but they couldn't even give us an estimate... Which was a bit worrisome! So we had to leave my mom's car overnight and await a price quote until they could hear back from the dealer. We head home and promptly google the part, finding out that it retails for about 100 bucks (and is, in fact, sold on its own), which is great news. We expect that the quote will be about $300 with labor. Well, the next afternoon my mom receives a quote of nearly a grand... 980 something I believe. Understandably so she is flabbergasted! Why would the price be over 3 times more than we thought? Long story slightly shorter, we went in that evening to reclaim the car (obviously not going to pay so much for such an inexpensive job & part). Now here's the kicker, ever since we brought the car in (it's been a couple of weeks), it hasn't overheated once! We were holding our breath at the beginning, but now it seems clear that the resistor just wasn't properly connected! Now her fan is kicking on fine at normal intervals, and the temperature gauge is resting right where it should be. So they weren't just charging us triple for extra parts we didn't even need... It seems they were going to "fix" something that wasn't even wrong to begin with!! I'm very disappointed with this experience, as my previously one was so amazing! It's a bummer because I was planning to come in for an oil change and a stereo install in the next couple of weeks, and now I have to find a new auto place! Like anyone, I don't want to go in for something simple and have it inflated into something ridiculously expensive! Too bad! read more

Manny, Moe and Jack do not hire very helpful employees. I just wanted help selecting an oil filter. Not so much help. Actually, I got no help. They had an ad in their own store advertisement - Buy a certain brand filter and 4 quarts of oil and get the fifth quart free. Well they were out of that filter so I couldn't get the deal. Not that I care much but it was their own promotional ad. I'll still occasionally shop here for engine cleaner, spark plugs, colored tape when my tail light breaks etc... You know, those not so hard to find things. But when I need something special for my car made with quality American made components, I'll have to go elsewhere. This is a low budget auto parts and accessories store. That's about it. It serves it's purpose. Average! read more

These guys always set me up with what I need. They let me wander around a bit if I want, but if I go in and need, say, a battery, they look it up, tell me the options, and I'm on my way in a jiffy. Yesterday I was in buying said battery. Got me the little felt doohickies to put on the posts so they don't get all gunky. Carried that 50 pound block up to the cashier for me. Even made sure I had the $10 rebate coupon. Yay! My only complaint is that all the employees are so young, they don't realize when I'm cracking a joke. Old ladies make jokes? What? Sigh. But they fulfill all my automotive needs. For that, they get 5 stars. read more

Made an appointment on PepBoys website for an oil change for a Tuesday at 12N. I arrived 15 mins early to check in, waited for probably 15 mins before someone even checked me in. I figured that I should be in and out of there by 1p. That's 1 hour for a 20 minute oil change. My car was finally done at 215p. Really ?? And no explanation as to why it took so long. Not even an apology. Not only did it take them way too long for this service, somehow they also managed to get the paperwork mixed up with another car. The license plate, mileage and veh info on my paperwork is not that of my car. Also the little sticker they place in the windshield telling you when the next service is due shows a different mileage that what my car is at (way higher..) I didn't even bother to go back and let them know. For what? I just wish I would have read the reviews before going to take my vehicle to them. Never again!! read more

How convenient, you can make an appointment online for an oil change at this place....actually, don't bother! I booked an appointment for an oil change + tire rotation for 1 p.m. Dropped my car off at 12:55. Had lunch around the corner, anticipating a phone call notifying my car would be ready... Came back and sat in the waiting area until 2:15, when I asked the guy at the counter what the status of my car was. Come to find out, my car is still in the freaking parking lot where I dropped it off at!!!!!!! I received a half-hearted apology/excuse that a lift wasn't ready at the time I dropped my car off. Umm, ok, how about a heads up?! This guy I was dealing with obviously doesn't get paid enough to care, so he sheepishly left to get a manager to remedy the situation. Remedy? $20 off + "Sorry, it's the best I can do." STAY AWAY FROM THIS PLACE. *edit* as I'm standing in line to pay, a lady tells me she's been waiting for her car since 11!! It's 3:20!! unbelievable. I should have read the yelp reviews first. read more

Hmmmmm... I made an appointment over the interwebz for a same day oil change. When I get to this location, the front desk guy told me that they never received the appointment. Come to find out, Pep Boys only transmits the list of appointments to the stores every morning? Weird. Anyway, the front desk dude ends up finding my appointment. He says hes "doing me a favor" and ends up fitting me in around the same time I had scheduled the appointment for. Not a bad experience, but Pep Boys needs to invest in their IT staff. read more

I got a call today from the Assistant VP of Pep Boys for Southern California. Seems he read my rant. I was very impressed to have received the call. He called to get more info on my experience and apologized for the service. He shared with me their corporate values, none of which had been on display last week, he said, with my visit to their Encinitas location. He emphasized their commitment to customer service and promised to do what was needed to correct what wasn't working. He then offered me a few free oil changes to get me back in the store to give me a few chances to shift my view and potentially instead be a satisfied, returning customer. I was floored. Now that is customer service. The Asst VP calling me? Good work, guys. I take back what I wrote at the end of my review. I will be back. I will give the Encinitas Pep Boys a chance to earn my business again. Thank you, John, for your obvious commitment to offering great service and leaving customers satisfied. I look forward to a 5 start review next time. read more