This place needs to be investigated. In my life, I have not seen a business so deceiving and dishonest. This place will go to great lengths to make you think that your vehicle needs repairs. It sounds kinda crazy, but, like the other reviews on here, I do not know how they get any business. The game they play is simple. Come in for a "free" estimate, and we will diagnose your car with multiple problems, and you can die on the way home. Seriously, they had all of their employees acting in a way in hopes to convince the customers to think their vehicle is not safe. The "free estimate" is not free at all. It is a free opportunity for them to come back and tell you that your vehicle won't make it home or needs repaired immediately. They will not come tell you that your vehicle is good, come back and see us in a few months. Last time they tried to hustle me, I had asked them to look at my caliper bc I heard a clunk noise when I tried to stop. It wasn't anything crazy and the car would stop, it just made a funny noise. They came back to say I need 800 dollars worth of brake repairs and a repaired or new rear differential. That was over 6 months ago. After the free inspection, my car is running great, and the brakes are great too. They were so rude after I told them I was not going to get any work done on my car. It was night and day in regards to their attitude. The staff at Pep Boys in Reno is not very intelligent. They do not understand that smart people will see the BS not come back. They tried to lie to me about my warranty and that would have cost me over 2 grand. It is like their whole shtick is to see if they can convince you that you need car repairs, and take you to the cleaners. Maybe they will change their name again and try to hit the reset button, but don't take your vehicle to Pep Boys in Reno, they are horrible. read more

Do not come here!!! I really cannot stress how horrible this store is. I was told over the phone that I did not need an appointment and when I arrived was told that they could fit me in 45 mins later. I waited the 45 mins and was then told they were about to start on my car. I went for a walk with my two small children in tow and returned almost an hour later to find my car had not been touched. Infuriated, I spoke to the service folks and was basically told, tough luck. It will be another hour. When I asked for a manager, I was told there is no manager. When I spoke to the store manager, who is apparently not at all responsible for anything that happens in the service department, i was told again, tough luck. In fact, he said he was only there to listen to me but that ultimately, what I said to him didn't really matter at all. He told me that the manager of the service department was out sick and apparently there is no replacement and this absolutely no one to be held accountable for their errors. I will never come to Pepboys for anything ever again and I strongly encourage you all to avoid this place at all costs. I would have gladly paid more than have to deal with these people. read more

If I could give less than one star, I would. This place is the most awful place I have ever dealt with. DO NOT go there. I took in my vehicle and nothing was fixed only more problems occurred. We then sold that vehicle because we thought it was just the vehicle. Then we took in my husbands car and the same thing occurred. We have gone in 5 times trying to get them to fix the situation. Each time something else has gone wrong. We have photos of the sloppy job they do. We had parts not put back together and things hanging out of the bottom of the car. If you're smart you wont go! I will make sure to tell anyone and everyone to avoid this place like the plague. read more

do not go to the pep boys on smithridge, the mechanics there are dangerously incompetent! long story short - they made a repair incorrectly and my tire just about fell off while driving on the freeway, i had to limp at 20mph to the next exit. had another mechanic correct the problem instead of bringing it back to pep boys because... well, because i want to live! this is after it took them over a week to finish a job they said would be done the next day. read more

About 5 months ago I stopped in this Reno Pep Boys for a quote on tires. I travel quite often and ended up in Chico, CA. The same tires at the Chico Pep Boys were $250 less with the 10% off I asked the tech in the Reno store about, witch his responses was "that discount dose not apply with these tires". Maybe he didn't know, but what a significant savings just by going to another location. So on 5/25/16 I stopped in the Reno store to get my tires rotated, filled the paper work out, came back 1/2 hr later. The tire manager said they cant rotate my tires because the front were wore so many millimeters lower than the back. ( tires are 5 months old ) I checked, hardy any difference between them. Either they were too lazy to do it or they don't make any money on rotations, I don't know? I was there early and when the tire tech arrived he was absolutely filthy, greasy from the day or weeks before, just jumped right in my car. Completely different atmosphere than the Chico store, dark, dirty, un professional. I will not go back and will certainly tell my friends and family about my experiences at this location. read more

Went in a few weeks ago to get new headlights and tires. The manager Louis really helped me out. He helped me pick out the right tires and headlights for my car. He was very knowledgeable about his products and had excellent customer service. He gave me a 20% discount on my installation! I would highly recommend this place to anybody! read more

Yes, it took a little longer than quoted, but these guys were slammed when I went in. However, that rush did not detract from their care of my car, or me. They did the job right, and I would rather have it done right than done in a hurry to meet an arbitrary deadline. They kept me well informed about the delay. They were short staffed, but still performed high quality work, and remained super friendly people. Great people doing a great job, that is what these guys are all about. Thank you. read more

AGAIN- this store deserves NO STARS! I came back for my refund, and was told by Ed that the manager wasn't here when all he said last week was to come back and I could get my refund. Went into the store and saw the same idiot working the parts manager; Zanderson- gave him the benefit of the doubt and asked if he could help Ed issue a refund, and his response was "today is a really bad day" . So I took matters out of my hand because I live in Red Rock and didn't feel that it was fair for me to drive back into town, I called the Pep Boys on South Virginia, spoke to the Associate Jeff and explained to him how the Pep Boys on Smithridge lacks customer service and asked him if he could walk through how to issue a refund, he said no problem. He was able to walk Ed through the steps on the refund. As this process was happening, the parts manager Zanderson was talking to another associate about how he WANTS TO WALK INTO WORK ONE DAY AND START SHOOTING CUSTOMERs, no lie there word for word is what he said. And what did the other associate do - ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. So again I will take matters into my hand. I will be calling the store manager tomorrow and will be filing a police report. I got all his information and I will make sure and I hope everyone reads this comment and does not go to the Pep Boys on Smithridge. read more

I have now been on hold as the phone for over 5 minutes. Automated system just keeps playing crappy music and saying "please hold". Any normal customer would have hung up by now. read more

I had a brake pad and rotor replacement at the Reno store located at 5000 Smithridge Dr. About halfway driving back to my house, I had noticed scrapping noise coming from the from wheel area (did not notice it immediately leaving the store because I had the radio volume turned up). After pulling up at the house, I visually inspected the front wheel (both right and left) and was not able to see anything alarming. I called the store the next day and setup another appointment to have the brake looked at. I went it the day of the appointment and made an attempt to describe the issue and where the issue lies. About half an hour later I was told that my vehicle was ready to drive back. I specifically asked what the issue was and there was no explanation what they were able to discover and correct. As as I was leaving the parking lot, the same familiar noise was still present so returned back to the store and told the store manager behind the counter. I've specifically requested that he be present in the car so I can help point out where the noise was coming from. He got in the driving seat and I took the passenger seat. As the vehicle accelerated at around 5 mph, the scrapping noise began to emerge and go louder as the vehicle accelerated. As obvious as the noise was, the store manager declared he could not hear any noise. He even suggested I might be hearing noise coming from the engine, as if the noise was indistinguishable and distinct from engine sound. To give him the benefit of the doubt that he may have some hearing issues, I've asked him to have one of the mechanics ride with us so I can point out the problem. He very reluctantly called out to one of his mechanics and he drove around with us and he too sided with the store manager there was no noise coming from the wheel. At this point, it became very clear to me they had zero interest in fixing the problem - for whatever the reason might have been. I too my key back and drove off. I called the Sparks store a few miles away and explained to them the problem. They were able to identify the problem and fix it. It turned out that a piece of hardware was not properly installed which was making the scrapping noise. The brake is the most singularly important moving part in a motor vehicle. What good is a brake if it malfunctions in the middle of freeway and not able to stop a car that is moving 70-80 miles an hour? My experience with Pep Boys Reno store is an experience no other customer should experience, therefore I hope this review will help other customers be aware of the incomplete work and refusal of acknowledgement of defect in their work. I have a formal complaint pending. Here's a clip of the noise the brake was making : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUMR-S-Ddn4 read more

Thanks for saving me (literally) a $1000!!! Sarah is awesome!! The coolest! I heard there was a new owner!!

My GF changed oil on her car which is full synthetic oil, after 5 months when we tried to change it (oil) we realized that thread on the oil pan nut was stripped off. I talked to the manager, and he said that he doesn't give a dam (as he told me). Never change oil with these crooks again. read more

Was quoted over $900 for brake work yesterday. My local service station performed the work today for $350. Need I say more?

My mom was having a problem with her tires on her car and was not sure what the problem was. She bought the car a little over a year ago and she noticed the tire was leaking. Her warranty covered it, and went to the local pepboys in California to have them fix the problem. Anyways we both started to notice that it was making a noise when she turned, and then we noticed the whole car would shake when on the freeway. Well this past week it has gotten really bad and thought maybe pepboys in California might have done something wrong. She had called her warranty company and pepboys and we went earlier to this location today. Special thanks to Dustin who was so informative and went above and beyond to help us figure this problem out and what to do to fix it. Thanks to Barry too, through small talk found out we were from the same area (such a small world) they are super nice guys doing all they can to make sure we understood the problem and fixed it. This will be our car shop to go to from now on because there customer service is unbelievable! read more

This has to be one of the worst places in Reno/Sparks for car repairs. The work they did on our car fell apart, and they REFUSE to honor their own work. The real mechanic we ended up taking the car too simply put it as "half-assed lazy work". They charged us for all new tubes for the radiator (full service) then when we checked the work, they had left all of the old tubing on and tried to lie to me telling me it was new! I may be a woman, but I know old cracked tubing -vs.- new. You work hard for your money, spend it wisely and take your vehicles ANYWHERE else but here. Horrible service, no ethics, and will openly charge you for parts and work they do not do or provide! This shop needs to be investigated and shut down. Buyer beware is an understatement! read more

My check engine light came on three days ago, I immediately brought my SUV in to this shop to get it checked out. They told me they could scan it, but didn't have time to do a full diagnostic, which was totally understandable it was late in the day and they seemed busy. So I made an appointment the following day and asked what worked best for them. I made arrangements to get off work early to work with their schedule. I showed up to my appointment the following day 15min early so that I would have time to fill out any paperwork and make sure they stayed on schedule. When I showed up to my SCHEDULED appointment, they told me it would be at least 2 hours and someone "might be able to get to me" but they were busy changing tires. WHAT. Why schedule an appointment at all then? I am/was furious. I called another shop (NOT a pep boys) who was able to fit me in to their schedule in 45min and took good care of me. I however, will never be coming back here. Ever. Oh also, they wanted $20 more for the initial diagnostic then where I ended up going. read more

I've been an intermittent customer at Pep Boys for over 40 years. About 5 years ago I had a serious problem with the service at the Reno Pep Boys and had to write a letter and raise hell and in the end, got a substantial refund and apology. So, I became an intermittent customer again. Now they've done it again. Only this time it is a little different. This time it is what I'll call "Bait and Switch." When I had my oil changed a few weeks ago I explained Les Swab wanted $60 to mount and balance my winter tires even though I bought them there. I further explained Les Schwab would balance them for free because I bought them there. So, I asked the clerk how much would it be to have Pep Boys mount my tires without balancing them and I'd get them balanced later when I have them rotated where I bought them. The clerk talked to the store manager, did some looking and reading in their computer, and told me they'd install all 4 tires for a total of $20. And I said, "Are you sure?" And they said yes. And I repeated and added, are you positive, I don't want to drive all the way down her and not get that price. And, what appeared to be the boss and the clerk on the computer said a definite, "YES!" I said okay, I'll be back in a couple of weeks. The clerk and supervisor assured me they wouldn't change the price; they'd do it for a total (and I emphasised the word TOTAL charge of $20 - total - not per tire) and they again said YES. So, I made arrangements to drive down and called to make an appointment a few minutes ago. A different clerk told me it would be $99.00 just to mount the tires (without balancing them). Bait, $20: Switch, $99 actual price. I explained all of the above to the clerk. She spoke to somebody - apparently a supervisor. She said they'd match Les Schwab's $60 price (not the $20 I was promised). I explained Les Schwab would balance the tires and mount them for $60 and I only wanted Pep Boys to mount them and I was promised they'd do it for $20. Then there was silence and she repeated they'd match Les Schwab's price which meant: I could drive over an hour and go to Pep Boys to have their cheaper hourly workers - not as professional as Les Schwab (they replaced one of my used tires for free because they scratched the sidewall a year ago) and spend my time and money on gasoline just to have them mount my tires without balancing them for $60 or I could drive 1 mile and have Les Schwab do a more professional job INCLUDING balancing the tires. So I told the clerk this is unacceptable and made it clear I was upset about being quoted a $20 total charge and now they won't honor it and act like tripling the price to $60 for less service (no balancing done by a less professional outfit for tires). I said never mind and the clerk quickly said, "Okay." I further said, "You know you are losing a customer for good?" And she said, "I'm sorry," and that was it. I'm so infuriated that I am spending an hour to write this review and post it and will renew it if it is taken down. read more

I came in with a flat tire on my trailer, they told me they had two tires in stock, so I left my tire with the mechanic, and he said he would have it done in a few minutes. I checked in after an hour, he said he was still waiting on the tire. Knowing that they were busy, I was trying to be patient. After another hour, I was getting pretty impatient. So I asked again, and the response was "Oh yeah, sorry we don't have the tire" what a joke. read more

I went online to find a price on an oil change. Online it said they had oil changes for $14.99 and to click on it to make an appointment. When I went to their site to make the appointment it said $31.99 so I called. I talked to a lady named Lauren who was wonderful and polite. She said that special had expired but after checking "upfront" she could give me an oil change for $19.99 + 10% off. Still a great deal so I made the appointment. Lauren told me she noted of the discount in the comment section of the appointment, read back the discount to me and gave me her name and told me to ask for her if there was a problem. When I got there, the guy at the front desk (didn't get his name; no name tag) told me that he could only give me 1 discount. I explained that I talked to Lauren and he said it didn't matter only 1 discount could be given. I asked for Lauren and he said she was gone. He did not talk to a manager or anyone else and was just like "you want it or not." I know that we are only talking 2 bucks and $19.99 is a good deal but it just bothered me so I left. I'd rather give someone else my money.........even a couple dollars more. I was going to see about getting tires today also but after that I decided to go elsewhere. read more

Took my little sisters car, 2004 wrx, here for a timing job. I took the car to another shop and they did the diagnostic on my belt and just told me that it need to be done. Pep Boys walked me to the car and went over everything that was good and bad. Which helped me out because the cost of the job almost floored me. 700 bucks for a timing job with water pump and thermostat. At first I was reluctant, even hesitant, but you know what I called around and got a few more quotes and they approached the 1000 mark and that just was not happening. When I got my vehicle back they had timed it perfectly and pretty much put her together nice and solid, which is no less what I demanded. It took a while to get the work done, but you know what I don't think there was a time when I did not see that parking lot full or with less than five vehicles in the shop so the wait was expected. And to be honest if so many people trust this store I cant find anything wrong with that right? Well its been 5000 miles now with no issues and I felt this deserves a yelp. I have read many bad reviews about this place but to be honest anyone can write a good or a bad review. I saw give them a shot. Let them win you over like they have with myself and my family. read more

i bought tires from them and when they wore out ahead of the warranty they made me come in two times to look at my car and they finally quoted me a replacement cost and set a repair date. i came in at the appointed time and the new guy couldnt find the work order and tried the bait and switch to see if i would pay 100 dollars more for the warranty replacement. i refused and i recommend to never use the place. i am reporting them to the better business bureau. read more