Pep Boys Auto Parts & Service

Auto Parts stores purposely sell their repair manuals wrapped tightly in plastic, begging their customers to not remove this plastic until purchased. Understandable, because otherwise they wouldn’t sell one book and that area could double as the local library. With that being said, I bought a book for my car, got it home, tore that plastic to shreds, and went to the section I needed. Then I realized something was wrong and I closed the book and realized I had the right make and model BUT WRONG YEAR!!! I called pep boys, apologized profusely, begged to swap it out for the right one and said I would understand if that was against their policies, and the guy on the phone (Nick?) said no worries, bring it back, we will give you store credit and you can get the right one. I brought it back the next day, the young lady at the check out was understanding, personable, answered all my stupid questions, and told me my new book was nine dollars cheaper than the one I was returning. (Yay me! So I bought a couple of other things I needed for my car’s weekly ailment and she even signed me up for their loyalty card. Yay Pep Boys, I love you people!!! I will be sure to check you first for what I need before I go to your competitions. Thank you!!!

We came in to this Pep Boys because we suffered a flat while traveling from Palm Springs to Tahoe. I was afraid we’d loose a whole day of our vacation, but Pep Boys saved the Day. Our front two tires were replaced while we walked to a nearby store and had breakfast. We were back on the road within an hour! So grateful! The tires match the two on the back and the car handled great. Thank you Tom at Pep Boys!

Was shopping for car supplies on 12÷3÷15 and saw the worker’s all tense as they had a upper management person there evidently giving hell to them. I usually see them happy and cheerful, but not this day.
I saw the man leave the store a short heavy set older guy, who seem to have the personality of a cardboard box, very cold angry person.
I said hi as he past me, but he just blew me off.
What a rude person, he must really be a unhappy person.
I really hope the guys there get their smile back.

I usually don’t write a review, however the service from this last visit that I received at this Pep Boys was outstanding. All of my concerns that I had were addressed, and I was able to save a lot of $$ compared to a quote that I had received elsewhere for the same part and installation of a trailer hitch. But above and beyond that was the service that provided. It was courteous and timely. I especially want to thank the service manager Nick for the customer service that was provided. What an asset to this company he is. I will continue to bring my vehicles here because of the trustworthy service, I have received in the past. THANKS

Issue #1 April 21, 2015
I had one of the worst customer service experience and will never go to Pep boys again!!! I took my Jeep Liberty to get a oil change and explained when I arrive as a «walk in» I had a online coupon that I accidentally left at home for making my appointment online that morning. Although I explained the offer coupon to the employee Thomas, who was the guy at the cash register, he had no clue what I was taking about? Did not know anything and really didn’t try to help. So I went online on my iPhone, to show him the offer and he explained he couldn’t honor it and that the best he could do was he would honor and give me 10% off my service. Still not satisfied, I asked to speak to the store mgr Nick, which he was helpful and tried to make my visit and service right! He agreed to honor the oil change coupon and to bring it to him once I came back into town which was two ½ weeks. Side note: this is a major brand and auto store… With that said, shouldn’t your employees know what discounts, online coupons offered?
Issue #2. THIS IS A MAJOR ISSUE!
I was still out of town and about two ½ weeks after having my oil change service, I noticed a slight leak of oil under my vehicle. I found a certified jeep dealership close by and they said I had a oil housing leak and loss of oil was slightly low, only had about 4 quarts when I should have 5 quarts. Since I had just had my oil service done through Pep Boys I contacted the SM store on May 22 to speak with Nick, who was already gone for the day. I explained my recent visit to the girl and leak that I was unsure of the issue, who told me to just come in once I was back in town. May 28 went straight to pep boys and Store manager Nick was working and I explained to him the issue of oil leak problem, stated and gave him my invoice of what dealership had stated and asked to inspected vehicle. He took care of me and gave me great service. He verified oil low and did not charge me for his inspection and service of topping off my oil with another quart of oil. Verified with me after his inspection that my vehicle had no signs of oil leak coming from any parts of my vehicle, but recommends I need to replace with a new oil pressure sensor estimate cost $ 98.00 dollars for the part and that wasn’t including the labor. Also, he said if not cared for the leak will become a bigger issue. I decline service that day and he noted it on my paperwork and went on my way. Two day later and oil still leaking I went to a certified mechanic, which in his inspection check, found the problem after I was shown my engine with the wrong oil filter part installed in my vehicle. The service mechanic Kevin, who performed my oil service, installed and replaced my old filter with a new oil filter that was the wrong part # for my jeep and 3L V6 engine, and to make matters worse my invoice of that days visit and oil change service DID NOT have the matching oil filter part # that was stated on my invoice work order… WTH? I went from frustrated to angry! I contacted Nick the store manager immediately! Only to discover he was out of town for the next three days and would not be back until Friday. Contacted the store manager on yesterday morning and explained that from the last visit and inspection I had with him, it was found that I did not need a new oil sensor it was due to the wrong part being installed during my oil service and mistake and issue of his mechanic not installing recommended parts for a simple oil change and that he should be aware of. I asked what he could do to fix this problem and my unsatisfied service at his store. Although he listened to what I had to say and what I had to do to repair my leak. He would not take any responsibility or blame of the possibility of the mistake in the wrong part… Because he didn’t witness it for himself after I clearly stated I seen my engine myself with the incorrect part. He tried to tell me that pep boys store always get blamed for issues that small mechanics do and offered a oil change the next time I come into town. Side Note: this was over the phone and verbal and I wanted something in writing which of course he did not offer. I told him I lost all trust and confidence of his employees and service team to perform any type of service to my vehicle. If his mechanics can’t do a simple oil change and replace the correct oil filter to my vehicle… Why would I come back for a FREE oil service? Seriously? My thought was… Did he really just offer me a free oil service after my explanation and dissatisfaction in Pep Boys service with his mechanic and mistake, No thank you! I will never go to Pep boys again!!! They do not care about their customers satisfaction

Never thought I’d write a review for an auto shop but this place features good old fashioned customer service! We were traveling over Memorial Day weekend and got up to find our tire totally flat and damaged with a piece of metal. No easy thing finding somewhere OPEN on a Sunday morning AND with our tire in stock (Costco did not have one). Called Pep Boys and got JOE and explained my dilemma and asked how soon he could help us and he promised to squeeze us in! We drove the 30 minutes from Solvang on the donut tire to Pep Boys. Joe was very helpful and did his best to get us sorted out. We explained that we were heading north and very behind schedule and he took care of us as quickly as possible. We even got a great tire on sale. Very appreciative of the great service we received. Highly recommend!

I’m not usually a fan of pep boys, but I realized they are hit or miss. Some are much better than others. This one in particular is a good one.

My vacation with my son had an extra adventure in the last 225 miles before getting home on Easter Sunday. My 2004 Ford Taurus AC compressor had a catastrophic failure. My car will not drive without the serpentine belt. Wasn’t thrilled by my last Pep Boys encounter in Encinitas but Nick Martinez, the service manager at this location, came to my rescue. With his diligence in making sure I use the right coupons, I got my work done for $ 300.00 under the original estimate. I doubled checked other sites and the price would have been a bit less in SD. Calculate the towing to Encinitas (I’ve got AAA premium but that doesn’t cover it by a long shot) and the Pep Boys warranty is a great deal.
Nick showed me the parts that was impacted and walked me through the whole process and is at this moment trying to make sure I can get out today. I can’t say enough about a company trying to work with my budget limitation. I’m a self employed single mom so I’m definitely not flushed with money. Nick singlehandedly changed my view of Pep Boys! N
Now to have him cloned!!!

You need to know that their Lifetime Warranty is not the same as Auto Zone … surprised to get charged again for brake pads … They never could get my emergency brakes adjusted after replacing the emergency brakes … other than that not a bad place.

I am a fan. Professional, knowledgeable and friendly. Great customer service. They explained my options and didn’t hard sell me.
I brought my car in Saturday at 2pm for an oil change and ask them to look into a funny noise coming from my front left tire. They ended up needing to replace my wheel bearing and fixing my brakes. They had my car ready to go by 6:30.

This place is the BEST, great service, and a very knowledgeable team. I highly recommend our local Pep Boys for all your service needs!!!

i use to go to santa maria wash and lube for my oil change but they forgot to reset my maintenance light 3 times and always recommend unnecessary things… i prefer pep boys very friendly staff and always helpful even if you are on a budget they will work you

Love pep boys ! I feel like I can only trust them now with my car. they’re the only ones who checked on my battery and my car battery was leaking fluid. So I am so happy they found that on time. Will always come here for car maintenance! Plus the employees are really friendly ! Great customer service

It is tough to find an autoshop that is as trustworthy and affordable in Santa Maria. I’ve been coming back here for all things car for a couple years now, and these guys don’t try to nickel and dime you at every chance. I’ve tried going to other pepboys but this one is just so better across the board. From oil changes, to full engine repairs, to helping me pick out the right headlight bulb, these guys are friendly, helpful, knowledgeable, and trustworthy. That is seriously tough to find.
Go here. There’s no BS and they’ll do what they can to meet your needs.

I recently had a dead battery right after work that required a jump to start the engine. Where am I to go after 6 p.m. on a Tuesday evening? Pep boys Santa Maria was the ONLY place open to help me at that hour. The mechanic accurately confirmed it was the battery and not the starter before selling me a new one. He really hustled and got me back on the road after a very exhausting day. Thanks Pep Boys Santa Maria! I will definitely be back when I need future auto maintenance.

Pep Boys of Santa Maria, please do not compare them with the others. This is location is top on list.
Outstanding customer service, a true sense caring for their customers. The most important factor trust.
My 1^st visitor was for an oil change brake and my brakes looked at. Darius Hobbs serviced my car. Outstanding service. I was not charged for the inspection, all its needed was cleaning,
2^nd visit, driver side door inter handle needed to be replaced. Nick the manager was awesome, He personally did the replacement no charge for the labor just the cost for part.
Thank you Nick and Darius.
This PEP Boys at Santa Maria I highly recommend them, call Nick for all your car care needs. Ask to be serviced by Darius.
Great Team!

Had a great experience! People usually dread having work done on their car (I know I do!). My mini-​van had some electrical and brake issues so I was expecting a HUGE bill. Turns out it was just a blown brake light and a disconnected hose. The team reconnected the hose, at no cost to me (it was actually left off by mistake by one of those express wash and lube places during an oil change). I just paid for the brake light/​install. They even offered to take me on a test drive to make sure I was satisfied. GREAT service!
I will be recommending my friends and family to this store. People always ask me if I know a good mechanic. My answer now is YES! Go to Pep Boys! Honest and great service! They could have taken me for a run for my money but they didn’t and didn’t even charge for the hose reconnect that wasn’t their fault to begin with! Now that’s great service!

Have had pep boys do a lot of work on my 2002 envoy since moving back to
Santa Maria in 2008. Example’s: new tires and rotations every 5000 miles, water pump/​thermostat, tune-​up, engine flush, brakes front and rear. Never left dissatisfied or had to bring vehicle back with any issue’s due to the fact that have excellent management/employee’s/mechanic’s. And speaking of excellence if you need your vehicle worked on bring it to Pep Boys and request Tony their Master mechanic. He and the rest of the crew are some of the best I’ve ever dealt with in my 58 years.

I am posting this review more than an year later than I should have.
Like another reviewer said, I normally despise Pep Boys and dont trust them. However, due to some bad timing this store was the only one open (on a christmas eve in 2011) when I got stuck in Santa Maria and the tow truck took my car there. I had to wait till the day after Christmas to get my car, but when there 2 days later, they told me there was nothing wrong with the car and didn’t charge me for it.
They could have lied and told me they replaced some part and I would have believed it but their honesty and not even charging me for having taken a look at it, really impressed me. I thanked them then and I thank them again for not taking advantage of me.

Typically I hate Pep Boys. HATE. The ones I’ve been to embody all the worst mechanic stereotypes you hear: poor customer service, unnecessary labor and parts, nickel and diming everything, up-​selling you at every turn. 700 bucks to fix a flat tire? GTFO.
But due to my own incompetence, we had to stop at an auto parts store while on a road trip. Ends up I forgot to replace the engine cap after checking the oil before our trip began. So halfway up I realized it, and scrambled to find an auto parts store. Pep Boys was the closest, so reluctantly we went in.
Now I dunno if Ricky Gervais has been to Santa Maria, but someone needs to tell him he might have a long lost brother working here. An English expatriate, he was a super nice guy, affable, and helpful. Now they didn’t have the part I needed in stock, but ends up I didn’t need the part at all. The cap had fallen into a crevice near the engine, and I didn’t spot it. But he did. And he also suggested a few things to clean up the mess I made, and got us on our way.
What could have easily been a disaster ended up just being a slight mess. And I was relieved to get it taken care of with minimum hassle.