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Report: #204743

Complaint Review: Pep-boys - Columbus Ohio

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  • Reported By: Columbus Ohio
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  • Pep-boys 1321 Morse Road, Columbus, OH-43229 Columbus, Ohio U.S.A.

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Had a flat tire, towed my car to pepboys. I had a small problem though, I lost the key to open the locks on my wheels. Pepboys told me they can "break" the locks for me. It would cost 37.50 per lock (there are 5 locks). I agreed. I figured since its going to cost me 190$ just to break the locks and then pay extra for a new tire, I told them not to put a new tire. Just break the locks and put on the spare tire thats lying in my trunk.

I'll look for a cheap place to get a new tire. The total amount I had to pay with taxes was 264.20$. After everything was done, I was taking my car back and while I was on the highway, I heard a loud THUD from under the car, near the engine. To my horror, the car started slowing down even though I had my foot on the pedal. It came to a complete stop. The engine was running fine though. The car never moved after that. The engine runs, the transmission doesn't. I towed it to a transmission shop.

They say I can fix the transmission or get a new one. Either way, I'll have to pay more than 2000$. But here's the funny thing, before Pepboys began their work on my car, they made me sign a document which said "I HEARBY AUTHORIZE PEPBOYS TO REMOVE MY LUGNUTS AT THE RISK OF POSSIBLE DAMAGE TO MY PERSONAL PROPERTY". Good job, thanks for letting me know that you will screw my car.

Do auto service centers hire professionals who know their job and what they are doing, or do they hire workers from a cheese factory?

So now, I can't even complain to anyone. I'm just frustrated, I don't know what action to take. I'm only an international student who's trying to make an honest living here. I had to save alot of money to buy my car. Now I don't have any form of transportation. I have to commute by bus everyday. I know I will never ever take a car to pepboys again, and I'll encourage everyone I know to do so too. If anyone is reading my report, BE CAREFUL. STAY AWAY FROM PEPBOYS.

Emran
Columbus, Ohio
U.S.A.

This report was posted on Ripoff Report on 08/06/2006 02:45 AM and is a permanent record located here: https://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/pep-boys/columbus-ohio-43202/pepboys-pepboys-ripoff-columbus-ohio-they-destroyed-my-car-im-really-sad-and-upset-ple-204743. The posting time indicated is Arizona local time. Arizona does not observe daylight savings so the post time may be Mountain or Pacific depending on the time of year. Ripoff Report has an exclusive license to this report. It may not be copied without the written permission of Ripoff Report. READ: Foreign websites steal our content

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#10 Consumer Comment

Not always, John

AUTHOR: Robert - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Most of the little FWD cars today get aftermarket wheels with lugnuts that are round, and use a special tool to go inside them for removal/installation. There is no room to fit a socket around them. In many cases, there is less than a 1/16" between the shoulder of the nut, and the hole in the wheel. Each lugnut is considered a lock.

Since it is next to impossible to remove them without the "key", it takes time to remove them. It also takes a tool set that actually removes them easily, with very little time/effort involved. The tool set costs good money though, so the job is not CHEAP, nor is it FREE.

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#9 Consumer Comment

Not always, John

AUTHOR: Robert - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Most of the little FWD cars today get aftermarket wheels with lugnuts that are round, and use a special tool to go inside them for removal/installation. There is no room to fit a socket around them. In many cases, there is less than a 1/16" between the shoulder of the nut, and the hole in the wheel. Each lugnut is considered a lock.

Since it is next to impossible to remove them without the "key", it takes time to remove them. It also takes a tool set that actually removes them easily, with very little time/effort involved. The tool set costs good money though, so the job is not CHEAP, nor is it FREE.

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#8 Consumer Comment

Not always, John

AUTHOR: Robert - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Most of the little FWD cars today get aftermarket wheels with lugnuts that are round, and use a special tool to go inside them for removal/installation. There is no room to fit a socket around them. In many cases, there is less than a 1/16" between the shoulder of the nut, and the hole in the wheel. Each lugnut is considered a lock.

Since it is next to impossible to remove them without the "key", it takes time to remove them. It also takes a tool set that actually removes them easily, with very little time/effort involved. The tool set costs good money though, so the job is not CHEAP, nor is it FREE.

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#7 Consumer Comment

Not always, John

AUTHOR: Robert - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Most of the little FWD cars today get aftermarket wheels with lugnuts that are round, and use a special tool to go inside them for removal/installation. There is no room to fit a socket around them. In many cases, there is less than a 1/16" between the shoulder of the nut, and the hole in the wheel. Each lugnut is considered a lock.

Since it is next to impossible to remove them without the "key", it takes time to remove them. It also takes a tool set that actually removes them easily, with very little time/effort involved. The tool set costs good money though, so the job is not CHEAP, nor is it FREE.

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#6 Consumer Comment

Huh?

AUTHOR: Robert - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Wednesday, October 11, 2006

How does replacing the starter damage the engine? What damage was actually done, and how does it reflect back on The Boyzzzzz?

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#5 Consumer Comment

Couple of questions

AUTHOR: John - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Wednesday, October 11, 2006

In the original post it was stated that their would be a charge of $37.50 per "lock". If only one tire was removed and replaced with the spare wouldn't their have only been one lock and the rest were simple lug nuts?

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#4 Consumer Comment

Truck Lost at Pep Boys

AUTHOR: Emily - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Wednesday, October 11, 2006

A few years ago I had the starter go out on my 1992 Chevy S-10. So Pep Boys was the next traffic light up the street so I went there with the help of my friend and bought a new starter. My friend put the starter on and off I went. About 4 months later this same starter went out again and I was told before that this starter had a lifetime warranty on it.

So this time I drove my turck to Pep Boys at about 10:00am and explained the problem and was told that all I would have to pay for was the labor. Ok so left my truck there and off I went.

I was called several hours later and was told my truck was ready. I wnet to pick it up and no one could find my truck. I was asked if I left my truck there. I said yes as of 10:00am I was underneath it in your bay area. Now being 45 years old at the time I was no dummy and knew where I left my turck to be fixed.

So several employees and my friend and I went to look for it. They did not even had the keys. For several minutes we all could not locate my truck. It was bright red and a long bed one. Finally I spotted the grill thru several parked cars several busissness over. It was parked in a Applebee's restaurant's lot.

Now to find the keys to it. The manger even helped to look. The kesy to it was left under the floorboard mats and just left there for anyone to steal. Never was returned back to Pep Boys lot or even the keys returned to where they belonged. I got in it and started it up. It sound very loud and I knew something was wrong.

The mechanic that fixed it did not put the shimmies back in right or ever at all and that damaged my engine. Then they wanted $400.00 to fix the problem. Claiming that my truck sounded like that when I brought it in. I took down the 1-800 # and kept calling until I found someone who would listen.They only offered to redo the starter and not my engine.

They are soooooo incomptent it isn't funny. I traded it in for a new Chevy car and never ever in the last 8 years been back to any Pep Boys facility.

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#3 Consumer Comment

Read some of my other missives, Jennifer

AUTHOR: Robert - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Thursday, August 31, 2006

TCIAW stands for The Customer Is Always Wrong.

The idiot who came up with that "Customer is always right" nonsense died a penniless bum. He got big brownie points when he came up with that marketing slogan. It cost his employer huge amounts of cash. He went on to open his own department store. It went broke.

I wonder why?

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#2 Consumer Comment

What is TCIAW

AUTHOR: Jennifer - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Wednesday, August 30, 2006

?? Thanks.

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#1 Consumer Comment

TCIAW!

AUTHOR: Robert - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Sunday, August 06, 2006

Okay, let's go over your complaint. You don't have a keylug that fits your locknuts. The Boyzzz say it'll be $37.50 per wheel to remove them. That comes to $150, not $190. I hope you're not trying to major in Math.

"I'll look for a cheap place to get a new tire."

There is no CHEAPer place to buy new tires, than Pep Boyzz. I keep saying this over and over. STOP LOOKING FOR CHEAP! Try looking for GOOD!

So, you get your car back and you're cruising on down the road. Something happens and the car is towed to a tranny shop. That place says you need a new tranny. What a surprise! There isn't a car on the road that the local tranny shop doesn't claim needs one. You equate having lugnuts removed to a transmission/transaxle going bad. Nope. The lugnuts hold the wheels on. The tranny cannot be affected in any way by anything that is done to the wheels.

Beleive it or don't, the last mechanic to touch your car is NOT responsible for ANYTHING else that happens to it. He is only responsible for the repair he performed. In your case, if the wheels had fallen off, he would have been responsible.

"But here's the funny thing, before Pepboys began their work on my car, they made me sign a document which said "I HEARBY AUTHORIZE PEPBOYS TO REMOVE MY LUGNUTS AT THE RISK OF POSSIBLE DAMAGE TO MY PERSONAL PROPERTY". Good job, thanks for letting me know that you will screw my car."

That damage waiver is standard in ALL service industries. The "personal property" is your wheels, lugs, and lugnuts. Shops would get sued because someone would bring in a car that the lugs couldn't be taken off, as you did. When the impact wrench, and removal sockets would destroy the offending lugnut, or the fancy wheels, the customer would sue the shop that removed the offending item. Somehow, people think the reason the lugnut doesn't come off easily is due to the negligence of the shop that removes it. That's idiotic.

The shop that INSTALLED it is responsible for the crossthreaded, stripped, rounded off, one size fits nothing, lugnut. If your wheels take damage in the process, oh well. No mechanic tries to damage anything on a car, not even the flunkies at The Boyzz.

"Do auto service centers hire professionals who know their job and what they are doing, or do they hire workers from a cheese factory?"

Good question. Yes they do. No they don't. REAL AutoCare Centers do hire professionals. A real mechanic makes decent money, and looks the part of a consumate professional. He owns more assets than ANY Medical Doctor.

After 10 years in the profession, most have more invested in their tools and diagnostic equipment than they do in their homes. The typical toolbox is worth about $12K empty. Some canrun as much as $50K and include electric motors and power steering to be able to roll. Figure on about $50K-$60K in tools, and another $5K-$10K in diagnostic and testing stuff. Add in the average $1K-$2K in updates for scanners each year, and you can see why he makes what he makes. He didn't pay for that stuff by making zip for income, or by damaging people's cars. On the other hand...

The Boyzz hires anyone who can wake up in the morning. Here in Jax, they consider $15/hour to be a good rate of pay for ASE Master Techs. Guess how many they have at that rate? Don't knock the workers at a cheese factory. They are skilled workers, as opposed to the cast and crew of your local Boyzz. The average "wrench" at The Boyzz is a kid out of high school making from $6-$8/hour. He owns a box that fits in his truck, and has a decent $400 set of Craftsman tools. That's fine for working in your garage at home. There's nothing wrong with Craftsman tools(my favorite ratchet is their professional series flex-head-go through at least one/year), but unless the mechanic owns multiple copies of the same tool, he's not going to try and make his living with them. Most real mechanics have at least 2 of everything, and usually three, "just in case".

Which mechanic would you want working on your car? The guy feeding a family, and owning the proper tools to do the job, or the kid who got the job simply because the last guy quit? There is a reason you went to Pep Boyzz. You already mentioned it. You wanted CHEAP, and everyone knows, The Boyzz are CHEAP. You even wanted to find someone CHEAPer. I guess you already answered my question on that.

This does not mean they caused any damage to your tranny. I assume they caused no damage to your wheels, as you don't mention that. Apparently they did what you asked them to do, with no further issues on their part. Even a blind squirrel finds a nut here and there.

Now, back to your "tranny" problem. You don't say if it's an automatic or manual. That may or may not be a factor.

For now, get your car away from the tranny shop. Take it to a legit repair facility. I am biased in this, but I recommend a NAPA AutoCare Center. Have them check it out. My opinion is that the "thud" you heard was the axle popping out of the tranny, or the CV joints coming apart, if it's front wheel drive. Not all axles "click" into the tranny. Many just slide in and are held in place by spring pressure. If the spring goes bad, the inner joint pops out of place. Inner/outer joints are also known to disintegrate after many miles. They click and pop when accelerating/decelerating/turning, then after awhile, they just destroy themselves. The axle looks fine from the outside, but it will spin freely within the CV joint shell. The engine will run fine, but when you put it into gear, you go nowhere. This is why people assume it's the tranny. It's nearly always the axle. This repair would cost less than $200...a fraction of what the tranny shop tells you.

If the car is still at the tranny shop, tell them you want to see it for yourself. Bring someone who is actually qualified to know about cars, and have the tranny shop put the car in the air. Hold the inner/outer joint on one side of the car, and spin the wheel. If you feel ANYTHING in the joint itself, the axles is bad. If the axle just spins inside the joint with you holding it, it's actually disintegrated.

Check the other side the same way. The tranny shop CAN require their mechanic to do this. You just have to have your hand on that inner/outer joint so YOU can verify it's either good, or bad. If the tranny shop will not allow you to do this, get your car out of there immediately. They know the jig is up. The joints will turn with the wheel when there is no pressure on them, even if they are completely destroyed within the housing.

There is NO law, or insurance regulation ANYWHERE, preventing you from being under your car at this point. ONLY when repair work is being conducted, do insurance policies prohibit the OWNER of the vehicle from being in the immediate work area. Any shop that will not allow you to see what's being done, nor will actually show you what is wrong, is one you should avoid.

In any case, the Boyzz have no responsibilty for anything beyond putting the wheels back ON. Stop looking for CHEAP!

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