ttime

I will try to make this quick, although there is a lot.....I got a brake job last Aug. from Pep Boys, right away there seemed to be a problem where they would go out occasionally. I needed new brakes again in March. They did not charge me for the labor for the brake pads, but charged me for the calipers which made this their second time doing the calipers. About a month later, the brakes were going bad again, this time I decided to take it to the dealer (I got a tune up from Pep Boys in April and that was a nightmare as well). The dealer said that I needed a complete brake job. Because Pep Boys put in after market brakes, the proper hardware was not there and basically, my rotors got runied. They charged me $1395, does that sound right? I am working on getting my money back from Pep Boys.

Thanks

Vaudeville Villain

Jesus dude, what are you doing letting Pep Boys "mechanics" touch your car????? That was the worst decision you could have made. And why did you go back after your tune-up fiasco?

EDIT: I didn't pay attention to the months mentioned and now see that you went back for a tune-up after the brake job.

ttime

I learned the hard way. I haven't been back since the tune-up.

optimus310

iTrader: (1)

dude is time for you to buy the do it your self book and start learning how to work on your own car. Brakes are really easy to work with specially if you buy new calipers and rotors. You could have save your self about 700 or more dollars

|Bijan|

iTrader: (12)

.....

NEW2DAGAME

iTrader: (1)

Dude, it maybe a costly lesson, but hopefully you learn from it. Most of the things you can learn to do yourself. Get a Chilton or Haynes manual. You can and will learn a lot from being on here. If you have a question or doubt about something, ASK before you get something done.

Pteryx

Yeah.. I don't go to the dealer unless I absolutely have to. They wanted to charge me $99 to pull the ECU codes, something that AutoZone does for free.

Vaudeville Villain

You don't even need Auto Zone -- you can pull the codes yourself in 2 minutes with just a small flathead screwdriver.

Pteryx

Actually I can't. I have a '99 with a '00 ECU(as far as I can tell). There is absolutely nothing that I can turn inside that hole(I checked with a mirror). The self-diag feature was no more after '99.

datguyclark

iTrader: (1)

"Jesus dude, what are you doing letting Pep Boys "mechanics" touch your car????? That was the worst decision you could have made. And why did you go back after your tune-up fiasco?"

to the idiot who said this...**** you *****..dont stereo type...there are ase cert master techs and L1 master techs at pep boys...dont be a dumbass

second off...the lack of "hardware" wouldnt be **** but shims..so pretty much you got ripped the hell off...and besides that almost all pads on cars more than a couple years old are aftermarket...that had nothing to do with it

Vaudeville Villain

Oh yea ... whenever automotive enthusiasts think about top notch mechanic work they think PEP BOYS. Ferrari is now recommending them for all scheduled maintenance, I think. Don't get on a high horse just because you work there ... his story alone says a lot about the average Pep Boys. My local PB is usually staffed with high school girls (who know nothing and thus, can't answer questions) who are only there to meet dudes with tricked-out Civics that can never have enough neon, and mechanics who can't even keep their own cars running. You can find good mechanics in unassuming garages, but let's be honest here - the three heads usually don't staff the cream of the crop.

99automax

i was just in the nissan dealership today and one of their machanics didn't know a car that they were working on even existed that was a scary moment and will never go to that dealer for anything/questions ever again

nostrixoxide

I'll tell an ASE certified L1 master tech. That he doesn't know **** & can lick my ball skin. Especially if the only work he could find was at the local pep boy's?

vvslavavv

My rear brakes were overheating, and PepBoys was the closest shop. I took the car there. Basically, they said i need new calipers, new rotors, new brake pads. I asked how much, the guy said $900. So I started asking how much parts, how much labor. It ended up being over $600 in parts, and like $250 in labor (the rest taxes, fees, etc). I told him I could get parts myself for around $150 (answer, we don't use customer parts). Ok, understandable, a lot of shops don't. So I asked him what are the $600 in parts. Apparently they are charging $200 per remanufactured loaded caliper. I wasn't too familiar w/ loaded calipers so I asked, the guy was rude, and told me they include brakepads. So I asked him what about non-loaded calipers, how much are those. He looks at me, and with a straight face goes they don't make non-loaded calipers for that car. To hell they don't! I make him check on the computer, and what do you know, they have non-loaded calipers for $84 ( $120 for brake pads wtf?).
Anyway to make the long story short, I told him to put the car together, give me an estimate, and i'll think about it. He was being just a tid bit rude about it.
I ordered parts from autozone ($135 for both rear calipers after core returns), got my local mechanic to replace calipers, rotors, brake pads, and two wheel studs the "mechanics" at pepboys stripped for $150.

Don't go to PepBoys. I have yet to have a good experience at that store.

{-_-}

iTrader: (2)

at least pepboys takes the recycled fluids that i've drained after a DIY.

ttime

Well, needless to say, my brakes still aren't working properly so I called Nissan and they told me to bring it back in. When I say they weren't wprking properly after that almost $1400 job, hte pedal would still go to the floor, not all of the time, but for sure everyday at some point for the 5 days I had it before I took it back. They told me that until I get my coils and injectors fixed (a screw up by the the tune-up I got at Pep Boys) my brake booster will not work properly! What???? After that much money they need to do whatever it takes to get my brakes right or tell me that they won't work right until I get that done. At first they told me that job would be $450 and a week later said $1400 to fix that! So, now I'm more than ****ed. So I call the manager and he is no help, he tells me there is nothing wrong with my brakes, so a technician tells me there is and the manager says there isn't. By the way, the techncian that I have been talking to told me he worked for Pep Boys! The manager then tells me that I should just get a new car and I told him to give me my $1400 back and maybe I will, but the nerve! So basically I am getting nowhere! So I called about 6 other Nissan dealers and acted like I got a $1400 quote from somewhere else and they all said that the job would cost no more than $900! The manager said he charged me correctly after I brought that up! Anywayy, I am not leaving this alone and wanted everyone to know the latest.

nostrixoxide

I can't stress this enough.
"If you do not have the technical/mechanical ability to do your own work, then it is absolutely critical that you find a trustworthy mechanic & build some kind of customer/friendship relationship with him".

These types of mechanic will take care of you if they can rely on you for repeat buisness or possible buisness referal's from you. It is your best bet & getting the best quality work & sometimes the lowest prices on replacement parts.