I took my car to Pep Boys on December 19 to repair an oil leak and was charged $1,198.67. I was apprehensive about using Pep Boys because through word of mouth, its commonly said that Pep Boys cheats customers. However at this time of emergency, Pep Boys was the nearest car repair shop to my home.
Three long, carless days later, I was hit with a $1,200 charge. I know almost nothing about cars and of course, and I paid the total, as having a reliable car is an absolute necessity. A service man tried to get 3 more dollars from me for the gas he put in the car to test drive it and also informed me that I needed a tune-up.
I wondered why after $1,200 worth of business, the tune-up was not done for free if it was so needed. It was a terrible experience that put me in a serious financial bind right before Christmas and at the start of a six week pay period. Im still trying to catch up on bills behind this.
Family and friends were stunned that fixing oil leaks costed me $1200 and advised me to never go back to Pep Boys and to always have a friend look at the car before I ever go to another auto repair shop. I was extremely upset! Now, this first week of February, I find my car running hot after driving fairly short distances! I wondered how this could be true after just pouring $1,200 into it. I checked the coolant and found it to be EMPTY! I looked under the car expecting to see coolant on the ground. There was none. I filled the car with coolant and drove a short distance expecting the problem to be resolved. It still ran hot. I asked a mechanic/friend to look at the car for me and showed him the itemized receipt from Pep Boys. He found some very shocking things.
I was charged for 3 containers of antifreeze when it only takes at the most ONE and A HALF to fill the car considering that water is also mixed in. And yet, there was no coolant in the car when I checked.
I was charged for replacing 3 sensors, when it was obvious that only ONE was actually replaced. I was charged for replacing an R&R thermostat. It was NOT replaced!!! He stated that the bolts that hold it down had obviously never been removed. He also stated that he is not aware of any dye that can be used to trace leaks in the oil system. The car is overheating because the fan does not cone on. He showed me that the fan sensor had NOT replaced.
I was charged for Engine Brite. The mechanic stated this is used to clean the engine, then showed me that the engine was filthy. He was not able to further investigate the other charges that he thought might be bogus, with without removing parts from the car, but I would not be surprised if other things I was charged for were not done!
I am thoroughly disgusted and wary of allowing Pep Boys to even look at the car again, in light of my charges, but I will be contacting the manager of this store by phone and in person. It is outrageous that this car is running hot after $1,200 of repairs and 3 days of not having a vehicle.in addition to that, if the repairs had been made that I was charged for, running hot would be the least of my worries.
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