AWESOME CUSTOMER SERVICE!! I went in for a 2nd opinion after getting a higher quote at another place for service. I am so glad I did!! I saw the coupon online & was able to take advantage of the coupon and Mario was very informative on the parts & timing of service. They were able to show me what was wrong & what I needed to fix everything and they also gave me options on normal maintenance. I've been to other auto service companies and understand that they can get busy and backed up in a hurry so I was planning to allow a couple hours to get things done. Mario was up front with me on timing and everything went very smoothly!! All of us have been switching to Santee Pep Boys to get things done! THANKS MARIO!! read more

About 1 1/2 years ago I had Pep Boys, Santee, CA install a new engine in my 2001 Buick Century. Everything was fine until about 6 months ago when I noticed an oil pan leak. I had that repaired by Pep Boys, but then I noticed I was having an oil leak around the engine head. I talked to Mario Salas, Service Manager and his assistance Kenny about the leaks. They agreed that should not have occurred and contacted the company that supplied the rebuilt engine block. After much delays by the engine company, they finally sent out an insurance adjustor who determined it was not the suppliers fault and they would not honor the warranty. Mario stepped up to the plate for me and said he will take of it. He had the engine removed and personally made sure that everything was done correctly during the engine reinstall. The parts that might be the source of the leaks he personally made sure the technician correctly installed them.. When the engine was reinstalled, Mario personally drove the car, determine there was a noise and had the mechanic locate the source and correct it. The noise was not related to the engine rebuild. Before returning the car to me he had it washed. I have never had such outstanding personal service from a service manager and his staff or a company before. I have been a customer of Pep Boys for 8 years and I am extremely happy with all the service I have received during those years. I am glad that I have found a reliable and service oriented company to take care of my cars. read more

I have never had a problem with the parts and accessories department but, the service department really sucks! I've stood in front of the service desk for at least ten minutes while two service reps talk on the telephone. Not once, did either one of them say: "I'll be right with you". To me, they acted like they were doing me a favor just by being there. This is just the opposite of good customer relations. I guess they don't even realize that the money I spend there is the same money that pays his wages. Plus, from what I've read in the several reviews, this guy Mario needs to change his tune when it comes to customer relations or he needs to be shown the door - OUT! read more

Another great experience. Mario is the best. Always professional. Him and his team are courteous and fast

Quoted 4 hours wait time for an oil change at 8:15am, unbelievable. I have been going to this Pepboys for over 10years but will no longer due to the customer service being subpar the last couple of visits. read more

Ive been to three gas stations today w a low tire and they all broken or inaccessible air pumps. Pep Boys in santee took care of it! GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE! THANKS, Pep Boys! read more

0.......I went to get a oil change yesterday! Made a appointment for 8 am today. Got there and the rep took me in....simple oil change and simple story. Made the mistake of telling him because I'd corona viruse...the place I normally go their closed. Won't mention place cause they said they have had this problem before with the place. Been going there for 17 years! Asked him if the coupon on line was ok? His response was you a preferred custom you get a discount. I had registered the app. Told him again simple oil change.....have new tires, battery ect. Not 30 minutes later I get a call....whoever did your oil before didn't insert the oil in the right place. The part that they should have used looks like it could be cracked and if we proceed we may not be able to get the oil pan back on!! I said so you haven't even tried? No....we're letting you know, it's your choice. First part would have been $150+, oil pan $350 +!! Went back and got my car.....I'm pretty sure there's only one place to put the oil in..... read more

I arrived at the Santee, CA location for my appointment on Monday. Your representative looked at their computer and requested when I had made the appointment. I was then informed that the technician who does air conditioning won't be in until Saturday! It was fairly obvious this was the first time the appointments were checked. If the appointment had been checked earlier, I could have been called. This is poor customer service. It would appear you need to update your website so that occurrences such as this would not be allowed. That is, if a technician is not available, do not let the appointment be scheduled. read more

I've been getting my auto work done here for close to 10 years now. Sadly this relationship ends today as my wife and I are fed up with the price gouging and flaky service. I would like to premise this with the fact that the employees Mario and Kenny are fantastic people. They are the head honchos of the service Dept. and do their best to explain the odd way their corporate office runs things. While complaining I believe it vitally important to differentiate between a problem with employees or the company. This complaint is strongly about the company not employees. It seems every time I go in there (too often, it seems), Kenny and Mario are doing what they can to hold the place together with Mario especially being pulled in 4 different directions at any one time. It also seems that Kenny spends most of his time explaining the eccentricities of the corporate policies to his customers who give him crap for what is not HIS fault. Within recent months a few maintenance and repair services on my car have been costing an abnormally high amount from this place. Simple procedures that are priced double compared to competitors. * Installation of new spark plugs and wires on a 4 cylinder: $200+ Other places offered the service for ~$100 * Installation of 2 new radiator hoses was $310. Other places offered $150. Those are the most recent. When I called around to see the average cost of competitors for the exact service, they all laughed at Pepboys' price and one was even interested in knowing the "Process of relinquishing my first male offspring to Pepboys." I think a big problem with pricing is how modular their pricing is. They charge for EVERYTHING individually. Reminds me of a bank. It's like if you order something online and UPS drops it off, UPS doesn't charge you individually for opening their door, pick up the package, take 30 steps to your front door and knock; Pep boys would. Pepboys Example: they charge for emptying coolant, replacing coolant, pressure checking all individually from replacing the radiator hoses, where EVERYWHERE ELSE just includes it all in the labor charge of 'replacing radiator hoses'. All this allows them to make the individualy high prices look warranted...trust me, its not. Trying to get a price match to other more reasonable shops wasn't exactly difficult or anything. It's just with lowering their price, I'm afraid most of what I pay goes to parts and the company's pockets and the mechanic gets screwed. One thing that did bug me about the price match process was that they said they could only do it "If it made business sense" which was not what it said on their advertisement. Pro tip: Make sure you always call around to see what other shops are charging for the same service. Pepboys is most likely NOT the cheapest. "Pepboys, Prices First. People Last." read more

I had some engine work done at PEP Boys and when I got it home it started going through coolant. I contacted PEP Boys and talked to a mechanic who was certified to work on my brand of car. He told me to keep driving it for two days because there could be a clog in the line going into the radiator. He told me that if it was still happening in two days to immediately bring it back in. The very next day it broke down on the side of the freeway as I was driving to work. I went into the store and told the manager about my conversation with his mechanic and we still told me that it was my fault. My only choice was to fill out a complaint with the BAR (Bureau of Automotive Repair). During the investigation I discovered that the mechanic flat out lied to the investigator. I will NEVER go to any PEP Boys again and do not trust someone who I know blatantly lies. Avoid at all costs and you will be better off taking it somewhere else. read more

I took my car to this Pep Boys because I was told they could read my check engine light code for free. I had already taken my car to another place and they told me what the code was, but I didn't trust them so I wanted to double check. The guy checked my code and then tried to act like the code was some big mystery but that I could pay $89.99 for a diagnostic that would decipher the code for me. I could see the code over the guys shoulder and saw that it was the same code that the other place had told me. I had done a fair amount of research on the internet and so I already know what the code meant, but this guy was clearly trying to rip me off by getting me to pay $89.99 for a service that I didn't need. You can type any of these codes into google and it will tell you what means. Pep Boys was trying to rip me off and because of that I will NEVER patronize Pep Boys again...not for an oil change, not for new windsheild wipers, not for ANYTHING!!!!. Clearly, ripping off their customers is more important than keeping them loyal. BEWARE OF PEP BOYS! read more

Brought my car in for a brake inspection and front end brake job. I called and explained I probably needed rotors and was given a price around $300 for OEM pads and rotors. When I arrived they tried hard to sell me upgraded pads and really pushed for them. I told them I just drive the cars an average of 26 miles a day... too and from work. The OEM pads got me past 90k miles and that was good enough for me. About an hour later I received a call from the tech doing the work, he told me the rotors were not able to be turned. He boosted the price to about $450, he said there is a mandatory $20 "hardware kit" (hardware kits are used on drum brakes as there are springs and such, but not disc brakes). He also told me there would be about a $70 charge to bleed the brakes (you only need to bleed the brakes if you get air in the line, there is no reason to break any lines doing pads and rotors). Then when he tried again to sell me expensive pads, again I refused and then he told me they would not warranty the job if I purchased OEM pads. At that point I told him to put the car back together and I would pick the car up. Today I did the brake job myself, took the rotors to another shop and they said they were WELL within tolerances to be turned! It is clearly obvious to me they will tell you anything they need to for extra work. Avoid the Santee Pep Boys auto shop! read more

Absolutely terrible experience. I was told an oil change would take an hour. I handed off my keys, signed the paperwork and a mechanic immediately got my car back there. When the manager got swamped at the counter with customers the mechanic working on my car came to help him. It has been more than an hour and my car is still sitting in the bay door. This is BS. I guess it's what I get for paying extra for an oil change. I should have gone to jiffy lube read more

I had three different appointments and each appointment for my smog check I was told twice the tech was going to lunch and I would have to wait an hour or he was off that day. Why would you make an appointment at his lunch time or his day off. I will never go back. read more

I hate this place. I hate this place with a passion. I tried giving their service department another try. I figured that there was no way they could screw up tires. Well... They did. I ordered a plus size tire online. Somehow their online system changed my order. Their confirmation email doesn't state the confirmed size. It just confirms the tire ordered. However, if I were an installer the first thing I would do would be to check if the tire size that is being used is the same as the one being replaced. Instead... This place did their work half-assed and gave me a stock sized tires. Then argued with me that it was my fault. They never even looked at the tires that were on the car before swapping them. Eddie the service manager was no help. He was rude. Looked like he was bored and was just going through the motions. I definitely don't recommend this place. In addition, I told them that I was waiting for their call across the street and to call me on my cellphone. Well, they called my home phone. So, I sat across the street waiting for them to call longer than I needed to. I guess that's typical of this place. This service department is horrible, horrible, horrible. Only come here if 1) you don't care what kind of parts are used, 2) you don't care if they do it right, and 3) don't mind getting screwed. read more

They tell you an estimate for a time your vehicle will be done then it really ends up to be twice as long as the estimate. They are what i call being held hostage . Unless you have time to kill go ahead go there read more

I've been here a couple times since it is a convenient location although, I would not recommend. The front desk auto people are pretty rude and not the best with customer service. They don't seem to go the extra step to help out a customer, it seems as if it is more of a hassle for them. I made an appointment to get an oil change and they told me it would take an hour. A little bit after an hour goes by and I'm told they haven't even seen my car yet and it will be another 30 minute wait. I had them give me information on problems with my car but said they couldn't give me a pricing for a problem because I need a diagnosis which any other shop would probably have helped me with. I always leave this store with dissatisfaction and with my problem not being solved. read more

I went to this location because I saw a nail in my tire, so I wanted to get it patched. I tried to call, but no answer. I ended up going there because Discount Tire was closed on Sundays. When I got there they said since it was a large wheel (22 inch wheel), they would have to charge me $14.00 for balancing. It was free to remove the nail. I got there at 1:00pm and the guy told me to set an appointment for 2:30pm so my vehicle would be brought in quicker. I decided to take my son to go eat real quick while they finish up a couple vehicles ahead of mine. This same guy (don't know his name, but has long hair with a receding hairline) said I would just pull up at 2:30pm and he would meet me outside and bring my car in. Well, when I got there, he was on lunch. There was only a few people working and the rest of them were out back smoking cigarettes, and some showing up from there lunch breaks. I had to stand in a long line in the service part of Pep Boys again and another guy was there. He told me he would get on it, but didn't. At the same time, the phone is constantly ringing and nobody is picking it up. I heard it ring for hours since I was there. I'd like to say the whole time. The other guy finally came back and it is now 4:30pm. He said sorry, he thought scheduling an appointment would have me seen quicker. So he took my keys and 30 minute later he pulls my car in. He suggested to patch it from the outside instead of the inside like we discussed, because it would be a lot quicker. I said fine since I been there for a few hours. Comes to find out that the nail didn't go through all the way and I was ready to go and it's already a little after 5:00pm. I would of gave them 1 star, but they removed the nail and I didn't have to pay anything since it didn't go through. A customer that was waiting said if your patient, they do pretty good work. I just don't think waiting for almost 5 hours is worth it for a patch job. I tried to look if they had a patch so I can do it myself, but they only had them for trailers , bikes, ATVs, etc. The one they did have for a car would have to be installed from the inside of the tire. I don't have equipment to remove a tire, which is why I waited. Never again. Hope this helps! read more

I decided to go to Pep Boys instead of the dealer to get some service on my car and was pleasantly surprised. Mario went above and beyond to make sure the service was to my satisfaction and I paid hundreds less than what was quoted to me at the dealership. It was a busy weekend and they got me in and out in the promised time. This is where I'm taking my car from now on!! read more

This was probably my best Tire buying experiences I've ever had. Went the extra mile to honor the online discount. Fast and courteous service. Came by several times to make sure I was comfortable and then honored the military on top of that. And got me in shared of schedule. This is an awesome location and Pep boys is my car care need store from now on. read more

I had forgotten how much I dislike Pepboys. Do yourself a favor & find a real mechanic. I do not trust anything they say.

Mario Salas in service, need I state more? It's that small town feeling of walking into a busy store and actually being acknowledged. You aren't called by a number or the head down, "next in line" shout. I've visited this location several times for minor car issues and estimates and the consistency of their customer care is unsurpassed. It's the reason why I drive past numerous auto shops as I make my way across town, on a Sunday evening, because I know that I will be greeted by a genuine smile and offered hope on any distress that my vehicle is facing. read more

I was very impressed by the service I received here. I came for a quote on a repair I needed. I was presented with options and prices by Jason. At no point in the process did I feel pressured into spending more money. His suggestion about service felt just like that-a suggestion. The next morning he called because he realized he left something off of my quote. He apologized, and after I asked for a discount on the additional service, he obliged me. When I brought my vehicle in, Mario greeted me. He was very friendly and made a suggestion which I took this time. Again, I did not feel pressured. The repair did take longer than they expected, but they called me to give me updates in the process. The mechanic named Mark personally came out and reviewed his work with me. He answered my questions in a friendly yet professional manner. These guys were top-notch and very friendly. They were open on Sunday which was a life-saver! I would definitely recommend these guys Mario and Jason are the best! Mark did a fantastic job! read more

I went in for a rattling noise and 1.5 hours later they told me it was motor and engine mounts that were making the noise. They said that 2 were cracked and recommended replacing all 4. I received a quote for $1500 and they wanted $1000 non-refundable deposit before ordering the parts. I chose to go for a second opinion and was told it was not the mounts it was actually the cat converter and the fact that I was missing a hanger on the muffler. $550 later at another shop the rattling is gone. They also told me there was nothing wrong with our mounts..maybe a bit loose but that none were broken and none were needing to be replaced. read more

I just left there getting the best customer service ever. My key fob wasn't working for my car anymore; taking a chance I went into Pep Boys to see what they or if they can do anything. A young lady named Ashly (I hope I'm right with the name because I wasn't wearing my glasses) helped me and right away she just knew what she was doing. I was so impressed. Before she got it taken apart she got called away for a minute and asked one of the older associates to finish but he tried and tried to take it apart but couldn't and was already telling me that there's nothing that they can do. Ashly came back and finished the job. Replaced my battery and now it works great. We went over to the register and I walked out paying under $10.00. Thank you!!!! I was quoted by Mazda that it would run me around $25 to $130. All I can say is don't ever let this young lady go. I work in the customer service industry and when I get outstanding customer service I just need to let people know. read more

This location is very generous. I brought in six used tires to get rid of and instead of charging me, they took them off my hands for free. Yea I know what your thinking, big deal, but considering I did not buy anything from them or help them out and I am just some random guy getting rid of some tires, this is pretty awesome. read more

Horrendous service. Mario Salas is a rude, unprofessional person. Took my car there for an oil change. My appointment was at 4:00 and got there at 3:15. I was the only customer there and they had no cars in the bays. Mario tells me he will not bring my car in until 4. I commented your mechanics aren't doing anything and he snapped at me saying don't worry about them they are doing something. He then decided to bring my car in and snapped at me to set down. I said I have a coupon and he snapped again saying just set down. He brought my car in and out it up on the rack. After 15 minutes I went outside to see the progress on my car. No one was working on it. They brought two more cars in and finished one up while my car was still on the rack with no one touching it. I asked a mechanic how long does it take to do an oil change and he said he didn't know. At 4:30, no one still working on my car, Mario Salas comes up and says they can't do an oil change because the drain plug has metal threads falling from it when they try to remove it. How did they know this, I seen no one working on my car. I asked Mario why did he wait an hour to tell me this. He rudely stated he was busy with other customers. He only had three. What an idiot not to be able to deal with only three customers in one hour. Not the sharpest pencil in the box there. I took it down the road to the Firestone dealer and told him what the PepBoys service manager told me. They put my car on the lift, removed the drain plug with no problem. Changed my oil in less than 45 minutes. Mario Salas either lied to me or is too stupid to know how to do an oil change. Probably a combination of both. Don't waste your time or money. Poor quality work, over pricing products, rude unprofessional people. They deserve to go out of business. read more

After shopping around for a new set of tires for my Denali, Pep boys was $200 cheaper for a new set of Coopers. I called them up on a Saturday, they had the tires, they got me in within an hour. Great service.. Thanks. read more

Been here about a year ago when customer service was humane. Now its a business that hired horrible arrogant lazy unprofessional people, when there are actually good hardworking people like veterans with disabilities that deserve a job more than people that dont even respect people that fight for their country, male or female. I gave them proper info., but I still have to AGAIN take time out to return the WRONG item, after also asking help to install and was told yes as "long as I purchase a product" according to Harold. He was just standing at the register with his other arrogant coworker, with zero customers, I told him yes I purchased something, but then he hesitated for several seconds looking at me from head to toe and I guess changed his mind and said, For a fee I can install it. Anyway, I did the survey. Thanks pepboys I will make sure no veterans esp, with disabilities go there, or women with children. Great job. The staff is a poor reflection of all management and owner. read more

Everyone that works here is awesome!! Mario has helped me multiple times and if I ever need any work done in the future I will go straight to Pep Boys in Santee! It's great to know my car is in good hands, and will get done right the first time by their awesome staff! Thanks for all the help Mario and Staff! read more

Freddy was very helpful. Took my sister in law for tires and an oil change. Her being young and this her first car, she had no idea her tires were bad. Low on money due to being a college student and working part time, he gave her a good price and had the car done in about 2 hours. That is fast for a walk in on a Saturday afternoon. read more

I would not use pepboys service's or parts from this store. Mario in service is rude and trys to up sell you things you dont need i just bought this vehicle a week ago and it was wearing the tires so i told mario this and he told me this is a 2002 vehicle did you change any suspension parts or do any work to it i just bought it then he wanted to tell me well the alignment you want is a one year warrant i cant give you the warranty if your suspension is worn out wanted to charge me $20 to see if it was worn out then told me we will look at it before we do the alignment. I seen the guy pull it up on the alignment rack never lift the car and said yes the suspension is worn out. Come on. People in parts are rude to i called about some brake pads for my truck gave me two different prices i go to the store to pick up them and was told a different price and found out there were three different sets of brakes you can get so i only had a so much money so i bought the cheaper ones and was told these brakes are not for towing but for every day use. Thanks rude people in pepboys you wont see me in your store again read more

I went in for a high mileage oil change, the store manager Mario took very good care of me. The service there is very friendly and honest in my opinion. Unfortunately my vehicle started acting up shortly after the oil change. I took it back and Mario had the techs IMMEDIATELY start looking at my car again. It was a problem with the coolant system which they took care of with haste. My car is very old, so it was expected for something like that to happen. I got a phone call the next day and Kenny the store supervisor told me I needed a new heater pipe because the old one had a hole in it. That took me from $538 to $665. I was very upset considering the part was like 20 bucks online. He wouldn't work with me on price. I was about ready to take my car somewhere else, especially since the hole was the size of a pin hole. Finally the lady employee who works there called me and managed to bump the price down to $595. That was much better. I didn't catch her name but I prefer to call her my discount fairy since she also got me lots of discounts on my brake job in the past. Sad to say my experience with pep boys started great and ended with slight disappointment. It's still a friendly place, and certain employees try to make your experience as pleasant as possible! :) read more

By far the best Pep Boys in San Diego ! Thank you Mario S for going above and beyond ! Amazing customer service skills ! I'll definitely be coming to this location from now on when I need my car serviced. read more

I spent a good amount of time looking for tires for my FJ cruiser. Many places claimed to have the tires I wanted but when I wanted to make an appointment it would take around a week for tires to come in. Pep-boys was able to get my tires next day and install them at a lower price. It did take a little longer than expected to have the tires mounted and balanced but they also were able to get off an old wheel lock without busting up my rim. Overall the staff was very accommodating and the work was spot on. read more

I have never seen customer service and appreciation for a customer be better than I have received at pep boys in santee. I recently bought a car and two months into it the car broke down and needed a bunch of repairs.the car company wanted nothing to do with me. They said cars break down deal with it. When I went to the service department a guy named Mario helped us out so much. Our bill just kept getting higher as they kept finding things wrong with car. We were so upset about everything. Mario kept finding every way he could to help us. He saved us so much money and time and he made our vehicle safe. I will always come back to this pep boys and come see Mario. He really cares about helping you and finding every discount he can possible. He understands the struggles people go through and he actually treats you with respect no matter the situation. Anyone who needs help with auto repair should come see him!!!!! read more

I brought my car in for tires and ended up needing breaks and having an oil change. I was so happy with how fast and friendly Mario was. I made an appointment for 9 and even with the extra work I needed, the car was done before noon. I may actually bring my car in for service on time from now on because of this experience. read more

My daughter bought a used car about a year ago. After about 6 months she she had starter problems. I went to Pep Boys in Santee (wanted to buy in the town I live in) and bought a "new" starter. I wasn't aware it was a rebuilt, not much of a car person. Seven months later the car leaves us stranded, it would not start, we let it sit, we jumped it, nothing. We had it towed to my mechanic, it was the starter. He said it was faulty. He hit it with a wrench a couple of times and it started, she said that it WOULD fail again. Not wanting to have to hit the starter to get it to work, we had him put a new starter. I'm thinking "no problem, because I had a lifetime warranty, I could take it back to Pep Boys and return it". Wrong! Because they tested it and it "passed" , so no refund. I now have a faulty extra starter. But, this was not my 1st experience with their not so great customer service. I recently went in for new tires. The signs said "Buy 3, get the 4th one free. So I go in, decide on my tires, and am told it would be ready 1-2 hours. I gave them 2-1/2 hours. Went to pick up my car, it was still in the exact spot, hadn't been touched. Pretty sure it's because I left and didn't sit in there waiting area. I left, so hey, it's ok to service other cars ahead of mine. I will definitely NOT be taking my car there for new brakes. VERY, VERY UNHAPPY! read more

I took my truck in after having a "so- so" experience at my normal shop. The service manager Mario Salas took. great care of me and my truck. It was ready within the time he said. Very impressed will be back. read more

Very friendly and helpful! I went in for an oil change and they gave me a free tire rotation, and checked my brakes. They went above and beyond! Will be going there again. read more