I am writing to explain my dissatisfaction with Pep Boys.in January, I had to replace a catalytic converter. Pep Boys on Cobb Parkway in Marietta, GA charged me an over $550 for that service. Two weeks later, I had to take my car back again because I had identical symptoms. According to the service department, my mass-airflow sensor had gone out, costing another $250.00. Under normal circumstances, I would not have an issue paying for the replacement; however, I have spoken with multiple mechanics who believe that was caused by another issue which is explained in greater detail below.
Three weeks ago, I was driving down the highway and had a great loss of power. I have had random incidents of power loss since I had the catalytic converter replaced, but this was very different. As I was pressing on my gas pedal, my speed was going down instead of up and all of the sudden I heard a loud pop followed by some hissing sounds. I quickly took it to a local mechanic and got it fixed, as by this time, I was distrustful of Pep Boys. The EGR valve had blown a hole in it. Not just a small hole, a hole that told the mechanic that there was a substantial amount of pressure coming from somewhere and needed to escape. The valve looks as if a bullet has been shot through. This repair cost me an additional $320.00. I still had a noticeable loss of power after taking my car to get the EGR valve fixed, so I went for a second opinion at Gordy Tire, a recommended local total care auto shop. They showed me where the catalytic converter had been put on incorrectly and the faulty piping was causing the airflow to not flow through the pipes correctly. They also showed me where the bumper had been melted to my tailpipe due to the substandard installation. I immediately returned to Pep Boys to get it fixed right away. They did fix it, and also informed me that they are going to pay for the bumper replacement. I raised an issue about the EGR valve and they denied it saying “The EGR valve was more than likely caused by when your catalytic converter went bad in the first place, " which is possible, but not likely because the massive hole in my EGR valve occurred 2 months after the catalytic converter was put on incorrectly. I have included a picture of the valve for your reference. After Pep Boys fixed the improperly installed catalytic converter I no longer experienced a loss of power.
I currently have a claim open with their customer service department. I have not heard from anyone in over a week, and would like to get this resolved. I spoke with Scott Hedrick at the service center and knew that the bumper claim was being filed. However, I do not think that replacing the bumper is sufficient, and I contacted their customer service department on 3/17 at 10:26am to make my case for the other issues. The last contact I had was 3/23 at 1:05 pm stating that my claim was accepted for the bumper. As for the other issues, I was told to contact their claims person. I have tried to reach her multiple times, and her mailbox is continually full.
My vehicle could have suffered much more internal damage from putting the catalytic converter on improperly. I was informed that all of the pressure that was caused in two months of driving could have blown my engine or worse. I was lucky that during this time I often worked from home. This is not what I consider good customer service. When service is requested, it needs to be done correctly and with the customer's utmost satisfaction. Pep Boys has failed to deliver on both parts. If this is not resolved to my satisfaction, I will not hesitate to contact my attorney, as well as the Better Business Bureau.
To add to this, I again have a check engine light, and the diagnostic code reads that it is to do with the catalytic converter. My car now has two bad catalytic converters. One is the one that Pep Boys replaced and the second one is an expensive one that Pep Boys would have charged 1000.00 for (the mechanic is charging 550.00 for it). The store manager does not want to deal with it anymore, so he said to get it replaced at the muffler shop that told me about the catalytic converter going out and he will refund the price. He said he does not want to deal with it anymore. He was a bit frustrated with me saying “You have been taking it to other mechanics to get estimates and not us. We are the experts at emissions inspections and repairs. Not them. You have gotten everything you came in about reimbursed and you want more. I want the catalytic converter issue out of our hands at this point. Replace it with your mechanic and I will refund the whole price of the catalytic converter once you bring the bad one back to me. Your mechanic can deal with the guarantee." I said to him, rather angered “We would not have this issue if you put it on correctly in the first place. Some F^&@$#@$# expert you are."
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