Pep Boys Auto

My check engine light came on and decided to take my vehicle to Pep boys lakeside. First I paid for a engine diagnostic, then they said it was electrical and recommended a electrical diagnostic Which I agreed to .So now my bill is over $ 300 and they haven’t fixed anything. A full day later (next morning), they told me the main computer was no good and would cost $ 1500 -$ 2000 dollars to replace and they could replace the part which would cost around $ 1600 but could not program it, I would have to go somewhere else to have that done. Well I decided to take it somewhere else and it turned out to be a simple hose was loose and the mechanic reset computer for $ 100.Carlos at Pep Boys just wants to run up your bill and increase his stores sales. Dont trust him he will try to sell you services and parts you don’t need. I finished going there!

I had them align my truck because I replaced the upper control arms. The alignment was already good, I just needed them to adjust the camber angle. I got it back 4 hours later than they told me, and they left my upper control arms and lug nuts loose, and my alignment was way off. I will not be back for any reason, ever.

Who would have thought pulling into pep boys I would run into an old buddy who would take time out to look at my car, prioritize what needs to be done and fix the problems! Thank you so much Joshua Perkins for taking such good care of my baby and I will definitely be a lifetime customer! If anyone needs any car work done he’s yours guy! Honest and trustworthy!

Good service reasonable price will definitely take my car back for some other services it needs

I was concerned about bringing my vehicle to Pep Boys. I was afraid they were going to push additional services. Mario S. Was very professional and customer service oriented. His team only performed the services I’ve requested and did not push any other recommended services. I am extremely happy with the service I received at his location! We will come again! Thank you Pep Boys for restoring my trust in a service chain again.

All the employees are honest and great. I drive from Del Mar to come to this location because they are very quick and don’t mess around with problems with the car. I will always come here because their lines are shorter and the staff act like they really enjoy their job compared to other locations where I can’t even get the attention of the staff. Good Job boys! And thank you to Chris for the amazing customer service. 5 star all the way.

I walked in for a no appt oil change on a Saturday. Quickly completed, no hassle and on my way. Couldn’t ask for more.

So I’ve been driving by this place for months now and never noticed it until Sunday when my car decided not to start. I assumed I needed a battery but I had a bad experience at a different Pep Boys about a year ago so, not a fan, but this place is right down the street from my house and it was Sunday so I didn’t exactly have a ton of options. Anyway, I was amazed at the difference. Tom the store manager was very friendly with a good personality and he explained things really well so that I didn’t feel like he was trying to wow me with technical talk. He personally checked my battery for me because his other guys were busy and he noticed one of my cables was loose and tightened it and then offered to charge up the battery for me. My battery was only a couple years old and he said that whoever installed it (my boyfriend) probably didn’t get it tight enough and it came loose.
Anyway, the car has started for me ever since. What struck me was that it was the first time I felt like an auto shop wasn’t trying to rip me off or sell me something I didn’t need, or talk down to me because I’m a woman. I went in there ready to buy a battery and left with my money and the feeling that they didn’t want to cheat me. The shop was clean and organized, Tom was very professional and respectful and honest, no one «darlin’d me» like another reviewer claimed, and I will definitely be going back there for my services now. It proves to me that it isn’t the name on the building that’s important but who works inside it.

I’ve had my cars serviced at Pep Boys in Lakeside for a couple of years. I’m giving them a four-​star rating primarily for customer service.
During an oil change on my last car, the technician dropped a bolt and the car had to be taken apart to get to it. I was without the car for a couple of days due to their schedules and other issues. Fortunately, my neighbor was able to lend me her car. Accidents happen, and I give the technician the benefit of the doubt. I figure someone else might not have been honest about it and would have sent me on my way without retrieving the bolt. I’ve had other service there without any issues.
I recently purchased an older used car to replace the last car. I expected that there would be some issues, but it was what I could afford at the time. After driving it for six months I heard knocking and took it in. They did some advanced diagnostics in order to try to save me some money on engine work, consulted their super-​duper tech line for additional guidance, and felt very confident about the diagnosis. It was a correct diagnosis — the problem was real. But, it was just one of «those» situations where one thing lead to another, then another…
My car was in Pep Boys’ possession for a month. But they did communicate with me every step of the way and I felt well informed. Due to various issues that weren’t the shop’s fault (holiday season, had to wait for a special tool, then waited for other parts) they had the car for two weeks. They did their best, but there was a problem putting Humpty Dumpty back together again. Ultimately, they had it towed to another shop to have a master tech deal with it. While it was there they discovered another issue that required machining and quite a bit of additional work that would require the car to be in the bay for another two weeks.
The Lakeside shop stood by its original diagnosis, and I didn’t have to pay more than the original estimate for the additional work. They also rented me a car for 15 days (I had borrowed a friend’s car for the first two weeks).
These guys lost a lot of money on this repair. It was just one of «those» situations. Even though everyone was frustrated, I was treated respectfully, politely, and I believe honestly. We even shared a couple of laughs throughout the adventure. Whether the second issue was a misdiagnosis or something that happened along the way, they «owned» it and did what it took to make it right. The car runs beautifully now and I am happy with the final outcome. I will continue to take my car to «The Boys» in Lakeside.

Fantastic over the top service! Absolutely went out of their way for me twice for service issues at no cost because I get my synthetic oil changes there frequently. They have made my day! I am loyal to this location, very personal and hardly ever have to wait more than an hour. I have a BMW that needs constant attention and I do not want to take it to the expensive BMW dealer :)

I recently needed all 4 tires replaced. Chuck worked with me to get good tires on my limited budget. He was upfront on what needed to be done and called to keep me updated on my car’s progress. No it wasn’t done in an hour… but I would rather have it back correct than fast. They are a small shop but they seem honest and easy to talk to.

Worst service ever!!! They strip my husband’s bolt and he had to pay $ 50.00 because they are screw ups and tried to blame my husband. Never will we go back or recommend this place to anyone, ever!!! Ill go to Nissian for anything, more money but at least they do the job correctly.

This is a small service center. No fancy store or glitzy displays. I have been taking my 56 Chevy and 86 Van to Chuck for years. I won’t trust my cars to just anyone and as a woman look for a respectful mechanic who is knowledgeable about my cars and talks to me as an equal. Chuck really knows vintage cars and I’ve always gotten a honest diagnosis and quote. No trying the ‘ol up-​sale speech. The only down-​side is that sometimes I’ve had to wait, even though I had an appointment, because a mechanic didn’t show up on time.

Chuck refused to help me with my battery warranty issue. Then he had the gall to call other pep boys and tell them not to help me

I came in for a quote on an oil change for my wife’s car. Although the price for synthetic was a bit higher than usual ($ 79 – 90!) I chose to go with the regular oil ($ 38). What sold me most was Jesse, simply put dude was awesome. Extremely personable as well as respectful. He immediately made me feel welcome. The oil change itself was pretty quick 30 – 45 mins and not to mention the free wifi… all in all this place was pretty awesome, I recommend checking them out.

Great Service! Would definitely recommend coming here for an oil change. Jesse is awesome!

This is a much-​needed update after my third, fourth, then fifth and final visit. So, i stopped coming to Pep Boys Lakeside with my boyfriend… he’s busy, I’m busy, whatever a girl’s gotta run some errands. Boy was that a mistake. I was ignored, talked down to, and got «darlin”-ed. I ended up having to walk out the last two times for lack of anyone veing interested in changing the oil… or offering me an appointment.
I’ve now happily purchased two full sets if tires and a not-​insignificant amount of money on various repairs with another big franchise auto shop. I even got tickets to a water park free with my tires. Pep boys can’t hold up.

I went in this morning, so my review is mostly for customer service. I thought Chuck was as nice and friendly as could be and was very helpful. The technician arrived after my scheduled appt at 8:00am, which is the only reason why I am giving it 4 stars. It made me a little late for work, but I guess that was my fault for assuming it would take exactly half an hour from the time I arrived. I’m a little concerned from what I read about people’s car breaking down after being here, but I have my fingers crossed that that won’t be an issue!

Ive been meaning to update this but have been busy. A few days after my post someone from corparate called and wanted to make things better for me. Im keen on second chances so I gave it to them. Jessie took good care of me. He met me at the door. I told him what was wrong and he said hell fix it and even gave me a ride home. They were able to swap out the plugs and replaced my light. Overall they did a good job. Ill probably take my car there onky for oil changes but nothing else.

I took my 2002 Camry in for an oil change here. They told me that my water pump was loose and noisy. I hadn’t heard any noise coming out of my car until AFTER they tinkered with it. Plus, the water pump and timing belt are linked so you have to actually deconstruct it to diagnose the problem.
In any case, my car broke down less than 48 hours later and I was left on the side of the free way. CHUCK told me that it would be an 800 dollar repair. After complaining and some harsh words, he told me he would cover 300 of it as if it were chump change.
Don’t go to this Pep Boys, one of those «Got you coming and going» places. On my tow to Miramar Rd. (where my personal mechanic is ‘Victors Automotive’ check it out) the tow truck driver told me I was the THIRD unhappy customer getting TOWED out of this Pep Boys. Yuck…