Complaint / Review
Pep Boys #0715
Ripoff, Replaced timing belt with wrong pulley fastener, causing engine to be totaled

Pep Boy's mechanic recommended timing belt replacement, when I bought my Eagle Talon in for another repair. He replaced timing belt with wrong pulley fastener. The fastener came loose, causing engine to be totalled due to valve interference.

Pep Boy's refused to honor warranty on the work and demanded that I have the vehicle towed from the premises.

I sold the car to another mechanic for a loss of over $3,000 due to Pep Boy's incompetence and breach of warranty contract.

The vehicle had only about 80,000 miles on it at the time.

Incidentally, the timing belt was also improperly installed on the dual overhead cams, causing a previously smooth running engine to run very rough. I pointed this out to the shop manager, who denied the possibility that his mechanics could have possibly made an error. That was prior to the catastrophic failure of the engine.