Whenever I have a car issue I always take my car to Mario at the Santee location. I always get happy & nice associates that work here. They are always helpful & explain all the car stuff to me & answer all my questions. They always do their best to be quick & efficient. Mario & his crew always do their best to get you in & out! thanks guys! read more

Quoted me 250 for a "cheap battery" and install for my car when the battery itself only costs 200. The install for the battery takes 10 mins for someone who doesn't know what there doing how the hell can you charge $50 for an install and when o'Reilly's does the install for you for free if they have the time. read more

You are better off going to a high school mechanic shop class to get your oil changed. They over tighten and strip your drain plug. Go here if you like stuff like that. read more

We brought our Porsche Cayenne in for a routine oil change and service, we were offered a free tire rotation and alignment "check" long story short we left the place with our car and our front passenger tire broke off (broken tire rod, axle) we were driving to Orange County to enjoy a day and we were very lucky not to have an accident. We called the place back and explained what happened, so they told us to tow our car to a diff location in OC, not only did we have to pay for tow but they ended up denying any responsibility for the faulty car they returned to us. We ended up paying another 575$ to have it repaired and on top of that they were trying to up charge us for an alignment. We were very upset and need our car back to get to San Diego so we paid, the staff gave us the run around and denied any wrong doing and we are going to take this to our legal representative. Pep boys didn't offer to compensate or help in any kind of way and took advantage of us for their mistakes. read more

I've been to different Pep Boys locations throughout San Diego but the Santee location is by far the best. ANYTIME I've had an issue with my cars I just call in and Mario Salas the service manager says "bring it in and we will take care of you". They have ALWAYS addressed the issue in a timely and professional manner. Mario is ALWAYS very upfront with telling me what needs to be done and finds all the possible discounts and rebates they offer so that I save as much as possible on all repairs and maintanence. Mario's excellent customer service has earned him and Pep Boys my trust. Enough so that I can send my 21yr old daughter over and not have to worry that they are going to try and charge her for repairs or service she may not need. read more

David was super helpful, auto store next door was closed and he went out of his way to get us what we needed.

I always get my oil changed here because it's cheap, but everything else is a rip off, and every time you go in they try to tell you that there are a bunch of things wrong with your car and that you need a dozen services done that you actually don't. This time, I actually had to get work done, and I should have listened to my gut and gone somewhere else. I walked in and said "My car's vibrating a lot. Can you check the engine block and mounts? Also, I need a new belt, front break pads, and a new oil valve." Calls me four hours later: "The reason your car is vibrating is the spark plugs and your belt's fine" "Okay, great, give me new spark plugs." Calls me three hours later: "Oh yeah we just noticed part of your Engine block is BROKEN and you DO need a new belt. Come back Monday; parts and labor will be an additional $500." When I go to pick up my car, I ask why the mechanic thinks they changed my spark plugs when the engine block is what was causing the excess vibration, and he said "I don't know." I DON'T KNOW!? Okay soooo instead of doing what I had asked, they went "She's a little girl that has no idea what's wrong with her car"??? Awesome. I'm never going back read more

Pep Boys got me hooked up with the only tire brand I like and trust the most. Mario is the King! Had to wait for them to come in and then they were installed very quickly and all with great customer service!!! read more

I had an excellent experience at this Pep Boys location. I needed a battery cable and was directed right to it. That was all I needed...right up until I spied the excellent deals on car washing stuff. Buy one, get one free Armor All tire dressing, yeah I'll take two! Car washing soap, leather cleaner, Maguire's interior cleaner, all on sale! Walked in for a battery cable, walked out with an arm load of stuff. I did not catch any employees' names, but the guy at the back counter was helpful and knew right where to point me, the two ladies at the registers were cheerful and polite. (Saturday 11/10 around 11:00 AM - you know who you are). Also... Years ago before there was such a thing as Yelp, I had a 1991 Corvette. I was certain that it needed both front and rear brakes pads and rotors. I took it to this Pep Boys in Santee and told the service writer exactly that. I left my car and about an hour later received a call. My car was finished and it did not need rear brakes at all, just the front. The guys at Pep Boys could have easily done as I had requested and replaced the rears anyway, but they didn't. Their honesty saved me several hundred dollars. read more

I used to take cars to do oil change and do repairs. All I can say is the new manager is so rude. I'm done with Pepboys. Owner and CEOs should do some survey. read more

Brought my Highlander for what I knew would be expensive mileage interval service, and repair of a horrible shake under the brake pedal, and steering wheel. I was kept updated on all recommended services, and needed repairs ( resurface rotors, and alignment) As a woman trying to get my car repaired alone, without a man around. I did not feel like I was being taken advantage of, or was there any unnecessary "upsells" Even service/replacement I brought to the attention of the Manager Herb, things that I was "told" could possibly be needed by others opinions. He disagreed, and didn't try to upsell what could've been a golden opportunity to take advantage of what obviously is a single woman trying to get her car fixed. My young adult, and late teen daughter's have brought their cars here as well for basic oil changes, and they've never been asked to buy anything if it wasn't in need of replacement. I've been to other large chain shops, that have added everything imaginable on an inspection report just obviously for an upsell opportunity. This was a respectful, straight forward interaction. No frustrating, or confusing talk or run-around. Thanks again to Pep Boys Santee. Great financing options available & My car is running beautifully. I have a cold AC Again! and the horrible shaking is gone. Money well spent, for a great service experience, and peace of mind again with a reliable, well running vehicle. read more

I have never had a bad experience with them until this week. They sold me a defective tire only to give me the run around about it could be my suspension or that was I in a recent collision that could of caused the issue I was having with my car. I needed new tires and got some this past Monday when the issue of my steering wheel shaking started occurring. Had them rebalance them twice and had them replace one of the tires that was defective based on the recommendation of my family's mechanic. I went there four times this week to not have the problem resolved and pushed to buy a new suspension I didn't need. Mario and Chloe were rude and unprofessional. I kept on getting harassed and blaming me for the problem when it was the tire. They did not take responsibility for the issue and I should not have wasted so much of my time to not have the issue fixed. I will be buying my tires elsewhere and will not ever be returning. read more

Wish I could select 0 on pepboys costs. The guys are nice, but the prices are total crap. I can't believe how much ALL car shops want to charge. I will not be returning to any Pepboys for anything. One shop wanted $250 to replace a $5 silicone gasket on my oil pan, and the other shop wanted over 1,000 to replace my spark plugs, spark plug wires. And the mass air flow sensor... NOPE!! Autozone or orielys will check your error lights for free, and youtube is a thing. I feel like this is all highway robbery. I would have paid 350 for the total on the spark plugs and the labor... but no way is that job worth 1,000 or a 3 day wait. I did it all in just over an hour. Wheres my $500 for labor? read more

Big shout out to Mario in the tire center. Him and his crew went above and beyond. I am very grateful for the friendly, professional and considerate service I experienced today; March 26, 2021. What was a big ordeal to start with ended smoothly. Mario is an exceptional individual, Pep Boys is lucky to have a great employee. read more

Almost $70 for synthetic oil change (and that's it), which would have been OK if that's what we agreed on. But, when I showed them the coupon they said that they couldn't give a discount because it was already discounted 30% in anticipation of me showing them a coupon, despite this being the price they quoted before I agreed to service and told me to bring the coupon when I paid and it would be discounted. I was told this is because they outsource everything now. Plus, I was quoted an hour for service and it took over 2.5 hours! They kept saying "it will be ready soon" when I asked. The staff was friendly at first but when I questioned the man working about this is started to yell at me and slamming things! It's crazy that it's cheaper and faster for me to get this done at the dealership. Won't return or recommend this place to anyone. I am not paying money to be yelled at or disrespected! read more

Air intake hose wasn't put on properly by the team my first visit. Had to go back to the store for them to fix my hose. When I had gone back the second time, there was no proof of my visit in their system...good thing I asked for a receipt! After second visit, hose was still was not put on properly, with the check engine coming back on not even 5 minutes after I left Pep Boys! If they had actually inspected they would've noticed the hose wasn't put on properly the first time because I popped my hood and tightened the hose myself. Mind you I paid $600 DOLLARS for an air intake hose that was put on incorrectly not once, but twice! This place is a huge rip off, you're better off going somewhere else. These people have no clue what they're doing. read more

You get a tire order for replacement. They order the wrong tire when you show up at your appointment. Ok no big mistakes happen. They then order the correct tire. You schedule an appt which you show up to. They tell you it was never scheduled so they then schedule you again. You go to your scheduled appt at 11 and even drop the vehicle off earlier. 2 hours later and the vehicle is still sitting. They say it will be until close and blame you for not coming in on the appt they never set. So between gabe and Mario the two managers no one knows what they are doing. read more

CAVEAT EMPTOR. Negative stars would not be enough for this place. I brought my 2011 Volkswagen Jetta in to be serviced after a check engine light came on down the road from this location. A manager immediately came out and told me that he didn't have a technician to work on my car, even though I had called in and talked to a customer service representative and told me that they would be able to work on it. Excuse me, are you kicking my business out the door? *Red flag #1* The next day, I received a phone call from the manager regarding my car. The initial quote was $2000 ($1500 for the part that would take 3 days to get there, $500 in labor). *Red Flag #2* I was shocked to say the least. I looked at my vehicle on the rack and surveyed my car and something didn't look right. Pep Boys wanted to charge me $1500 to remove an entire catalytic converter and have my car for 4 days to wait for the part and 1 day to repair. *Red Flag #3*. I started doing a little research and I found a shop right down the road with a good reputation in import vehicles. I was initially quoted $900 and same day service with the repair as quoted from Pep Boys. After looking at the weld between the engine and the catalytic converter, it was determined that it was an unsatisfactory factory weld and that the repair would only cost $200. I let them change my lightbulbs as well, which brought the total to $240. The mechanic also told me about a 100K maintenance issue that we could take care of at a later date. My experience at the import vehicle mechanic down the road is the epitome of customer service and I will never take my vehicle anywhere else. I will tell you right now, I will never take my car to Pep Boys ever again. Not for a part or an oil change. I will also tell everyone that I know and anyone that will listen about my experience. I can't decide if it is ineptitude on Pep Boys' part or if this is a part of their company policy to remove entire systems of cars that they are "unfamiliar" with for a jacked-up cost to the customer. Pep Boys wanted to replace an entire system on my car that would have cost me the equivalent of 1 month's rent here in San Diego. I don't know about you, but I would not be able to sleep at night knowing that I forced someone to make a life decision because I was either not capable of fixing their car for a fair price or my supervisor/boss encourages screwing people on a regular basis. read more

Took our company work truck here to get the oil changed since it's right down the road from our shop. Mario (the manager) was the most awful and rudest person I have ever encountered in customer service. When the vehicle was done, I came in to pay and all was going well until the CC machine froze right after I entered my PIN. Mario said he needed to reboot it and it would take a couple minutes. I then asked if my payment went through since I had already entered my PIN code. He said yes. I was hesitant, so I checked my bank account to verify. Sure enough, the payment had been posted and the funds were deducted from my account. I then shared this information with him (even showed him my bank account app) and he immediately became irritated and rude. He proceeded to tell me that it doesn't show that on his end and that I would have to pay again and if it charged twice, I could come back and he would refund me. This of course was unacceptable to me - why would I have to pay twice and come back at a later time because it wasn't showing up on his end???? Not my fault your system went down. I PAID!!!! Clearly, it was deducted from my checking account. As we began to argue back and forth, he then told me I had to contact my bank via phone so that he could verify the deduction we both saw on my bank app. I called my bank, put it on speaker and of course the bank representative confirmed the funds were withdrawn and that I had indeed paid for the services. Mario STILL continued to argue with me accusing me that I didn't pay and that there was nothing he could do and basically calling me a liar. This type of behavior is completely unacceptable and especially coming from someone who is a so-called manager. I have had previous oil changes here before and he has always had a short tempered attitude, which I always just let go. This time, he crossed the line and I demand justice. He needs to be reprimanded and spoken to and needs additional training on how to treat customers right. read more

Good customer service. Mario in service is great to deal with. I use Pepboys for all of my Oil changes.

I walked in before 10am this morning looking to have my oil changed. I was told by Daniel that there was no availability at all today. I was confused as the website said the next appointment available was at noon. When I questioned this I was told the website is wrong and usually is. As I was leaving I decided to go ahead and schedule something for Monday. Imagine my surprise when I see that from 12pm on the schedule was WIDE OPEN. So I booked an appointment for noon, today. I received both a confirmation email and text. I also sent an email to Pep Boys customer service letting them know what is happening at that store, that customers are being lied to and turned away. An hour later I received a call from Daniel telling me that he saw I went ahead and scheduled an appointment for today online and that they already had several appointments booked at that time so he was going to go ahead and cancel. I'm not even sure why I was considering keeping this appointment knowing that they have dishonest staff, but Daniel did me a favor. I definitely dodged a bullet. read more

I bought a used car and wanted a few things fixed along with new brakes and new tires. They got me right in and finished same day. Great costumer service and knowledgeable techs. Best pep boys around. read more

Used to be a good place then the price went up by $25 all of a sudden for an oil change! Crazy I'm never going back now the manager guy was kind of weird about it. read more

I've always taken my car into Pep Boys for any tire related issues and purchases.ario is an amazing manager. He has helped me in many cases. Either working on my car before they opened, fixing me up in a pinch, and even helps anybody I send to him. Also amazing with his workers, from what I have seen. Fair, direct, loves his customers. Amazing. Thank you!! read more

I've been going to Pep Boys since I got my first car, but I really think that they're going under. All the packages inside are old & yellow like the inventory hasn't turned over in years. I scheduled for an oil change, their reservation system apparently didn't work correctly. I really didn't need to be demeaned that I didn't do it right, because I went through the prompts until it told me to print confirmation. So this is my last 3 experiences, they lost my oil change appointment, they didn't have the fasteners that I needed when I rubber trim piece came off (in fact they couldn't even look up what fasteners I needed from the type of car & part that came off, I had to look it up on my phone & tell them), & they couldn't reset my tire pressure sensor since they didn't have the device to do that on newer than 2011 Chevys. I want to like them, but I just can't recommend that you waste your time by going there, I won't make that mistake again. read more

This review is location specific to the Pep Boys Santee location. I worked with Mario S. and he was nothing short of professional, courteous, helpful, and more. He answered all my questions and was very helpful, especially during this uncertain circumstances. My family and I will be giving Pep Boys in Santee our business. One individual can make all the difference. Thank you so much for doing your job Mario S. read more

Needed a new Battery and they changed it fast w/ reasonable price. Mario was friendly, knowledgeable and helpful . Def will bring my car back. read more

I decided to give this place another chance since oil change places are limited these days. Had a terrible experience years ago. Brandy gave excellent customer service, didn't try to up-sell me and initiated my rewards membership providing me a discount. I'll go back because of her!!! read more

UPDATE- A different pep boys employee called me this morning to tell me she found a better set of tires within my price range and wanted to check in with me to see if I would like to change them or not. I really appreciated this as she actually tried to accommodate me unlike Nicole. Nicole was rude and didn't try her best to accommodate me. Another star for the better rep (I don't know her name) We'll see how the actual labor goes when I pick up my car tomorrow. Sucks. We came in for a appointment at 5pm for a tire change. I didn't know which size tire I needed so we went with 16" which is what discount tires told us it was when we received an estimate from them. They give us a call back at 6:10pm telling me they're the incorrect tire size and I need to pay $100 more AND leave my car overnight because they're closed now. I approved of the $100 more but then decided to change my mind and take it to discount where I could find a cheaper price. They wouldn't answer the phone and by the time I got there, they told me that the guys have left and they can't give me my car. They explained that the tires were taken off and in the garage. I then asked why it took them an hour to call me and let me know about this issue, the girl then starts blaming me!!!!! She goes "you guys showed up at like 5:20 and I went with the tire size YOU guys gave me" Like excuse me?? It took you 1 hour just to take the tires off and you couldn't place new ones which would've taken less than 15 minutes? Like why make me wait overnight to place the correct tires on when all 4 of my tires are already taken off in the first place. They handled all of this terribly and I've honestly wasted a trip coming to pep boys. Even though they are open on sundays, it's not worth the time. The customer service is terrible and you really shouldn't allow customers to make appointments at 5pm if you want to leave by 6pm... Update- I don't have time to pick it up tomorrow and I have no choice. I need to get it fixed there for $500. Don't wanna give the service to them but they leave me no choice. Is this how they make business???? read more

Priced tires out on their website. The tires were priced ridiculously low. Tried to purchase the tires online and the website was experiencing "Technical Difficulties", allegedly! So I called customer service to place my order via phone. I held for 18 minutes. I was told that I had to call the Santee store and speak with the manager at the store because customer service could not help me with the website issues (I questioned the customer service rep "Christina", what does the local store have to do with your website having "Technical Difficulties"?). At this point customer service started using some using some old "Bait and Switch" script. So I called the local Santee (Bureau of Automotive Repair(California)#B-008818) Pep Boys. By the way, tons and tons of complaints. Also, NOT, accredited with the Better Business Bureau, as well as thousands of complaints. Spoke with Tin, Store Manager, about the bogus prices and load of lies on the website, pricing accuracy. He really did not have anything to say, I was shuffled off to Mario Salas in tire sales. He had no resolutions for me, he only tried to up sell me and was condescending. While we spoke he told me the tires were not in stock and then changed to tires being discontinued. I was told to bring an advertised tire price and I brought them the Pep Boys CURRENT advertised price. They would not match their OWN price. The District/Area Manager was in the store but squirmed out the through the mechanic bays as I tried to buy my tires at the advertised price. If anyone reading this has more resources about FALSE ADVERTISING let me know. I am currently contacting the BAR, DCA, BBB, San Diego County Bar Association. If ANYONE from Pep Boys tries to contact me, PLEASE be a District Manager or Higher in the Chain of Command. read more

Pep Boys - False Bait and Switch Advertising, don't buy tires at Pep Boys/don't use their shops. - Auto Repair Near Me - Santee, California

Brought in my truck to fix some brake lights and to get a fuse replaced. The first thing they tried to sell me was a $100 electrical inspection!!!. When I told them no and asked them to just check my (accessory) fuse, they said their main mechanic was too busy(? to check a fuse??). Then they said they would check all my lights to see which I needed to be replaced and called me with the total. I asked if they checked them ALL and they said no and called me back with more lights that needed to be replaced. THEN THEY DIDN'T EVEN REPLACE ALL THE LIGHTS complaining that the didn't carry bulbs for 3rd brake light. Don't carry **light bulbs** and too busy to check a fuse?? read more

The work I've had done here was honest, but the customer service is god awful! I just tried to drop off used oil for their used oil recycling drop off. They said it looked crudy or dirty, which it admittedly was, so they wouldn't take it. Being concerned for our environment, I said "you're really not going to take this? I don't know what to do with it. I can't just throw it away." He looked at me like an idiot and said no, then I asked if he as any suggestions, at all. "I don't know, maybe AutoZone." On a previous visit, I asked for a refrigerant gage and the employee said "I don't know, I'm new here." Didn't think to help me in any way by asking someone else. read more

Went in 3 hours before closing time for an oil change and was turned away by Mario. I asked if he could check a store nearby and see if they'd take me and he replied "you can call yourself". Mario made no attempt to help. I understand if I came in 30 minutes or even an hour before closing time, but I gave them 3 hours. Very unprofessional. read more

They only have a service department here now. I just needed windshield wipers, I asked if they sold them and was told yes, I then asked if they could install them and was told I needed to leave my car there for the rest of the day. I left and went to O'REILLY Auto parts, who came out and put them on in about 60 seconds. No way would I take my car to these rude people again. read more

I have a company car , I brought it here a few times for regular oil changes. The reason I picked this location is that I live in Santee and like to support local businesses .The first time I had my oil changed it took around a half an hour. On each trip after this it became longer and longer. The reason I will never have any service done here again is that my last oil change took 2 hours. The reason I was told it took so long is that they were having training during the time that my oil change was being done. After I asked why it was taking so long and he told me about the training , he finish by saying all you fleet accounts complain when you come in here. No problem I will never be back . read more

I had purchased a rebuild alternator for an old classic at another Pep Boys location three years ago, after almost 100k miles, it failed this week. I took the part along with a scanned copy of my original receipt and warranty card in this morning for exchange. The counter person and a appearant trainee, cheerfully greeted me. They were very helpfull, pleasant, an expeditious. After getting me my replacement part, I was even walked over to a waiting cashier. The cashier was also very jovial and pleasant. I walked out of there in less than ten minutes, with exactly what I had came for, and a bonus of leaving in a better mood than I had come in with. Thank you Pep Boys Staff for brightening up my day. read more

While I am not familiar with the service of this chain elsewhere, I can say that the one in Santee is terrible. My girlfriend and I brought our cars in to them at 4:30pm on a Monday for basic oil changes. The guy gets our order tickets written up and says they can start our cars right away, each one takes about 30 minutes, so we should be able to return in about an hour. We leave and come back 90 minutes later since I never got a call and I was curious if at least one car was done. They hadn't even finished my car and my girlfriend's hadn't been started. They never called us to tell me 2 guys went to lunch. The desk guy says "your car will be done in a few minutes". 20 minutes later it is finally done. I go back into the store to get rung up and no employees in site. Finally some walk past and proceed to ignore us. Another guy walks up to the desk and asks us if we are picking up. I say yes and then he proceeds to ignore us for 5 more minutes. I finally get my keys back and as we leave I see my girlfriend's car being pulled in. It's 6:30pm now. We go home and by 8pm still no word. We drive over there because the place closes at 9pm. Her car is sitting outside all finished. We go in to the desk, wait even longer for some employee to decide we exist. They offer no apology or anything. Even the paperwork THEY wrote up had a promise time of 6pm. If shouldn't take 4 hours to do 2 oil changes, especially when you were promised it would take 1.5 hours at most from the start. The fact that no one even tried to say sorry just shows they do this to people so often it's second nature to them. I'm never going back there or suggesting this crap store to anyone ever. read more

This review comes from a couple months ago, to when I had an experience I'll never forget. The check engine light went on in my car and I needed my tires rotated/oil changed, so I made an appointment to get all of that done. 1st Problem: no one told me that the mechanic that checks the engine wasn't working on the day I requested. I went in and had my service, and I left. Shortly after, my car began to shake uncontrollably when I was on the freeway. I asked a friend what the problem was, and he said it was because they didn't rebalance my tires after rotating them. 2nd Problem: How am I supposed to know that I need to do that? I'm a girl who knows nothing about cars. I called them and they said it was an additional $14.95 per tire. I was going to go to a different place to do this, since I really didn't want to return, but the appointment wasn't available for a couple days. Not an issue, I could deal with the shaking until then. BIG PROBLEM: My tire blew out on the freeway. Had to get a tow truck to take me to Pep Boys. TURNS OUT I NEEDED NEW TIRES BUT NOBODY TOLD ME. The mechanic had written notes, but no one relayed the info to me. Aside from the fact that I could have been seriously hurt, they told me they were going to charge me for their mistake. For your own safety, AVOID THIS PLACE AT ALL COSTS. read more

Pep Boys - My tire blown out on the freeway. - Auto Repair Near Me - Santee, California

UGH! I am part of a Word of mouth community (Smiley360) and they gave me a coupon and gift card to Pep Boys so I could try of Pep Boys and get an oil change. SUCK ASS. It's 11am on a weekday, there are 4 service bays open, 2 of them are being used, the other 2 empty. The store is dead. I was told it'd be 2 hours for an il change. It was free, so why not. My two year old and I set off for a walk, and about 45 minutes later, they call and I ask if my car is done.. Oh, no, they are calling to tell me that my car needs over $900 worth of work. Funny, my regular mechanic who gave me a tune up less than 3 months ago said that my car was running well. And it will be at least another 90 minutes. When we came back to pick up my car, the lady who checked me out was terribly rude and told me that I needed to have them fix a laundry list of stuff ASAP or my car would start falling apart. And she got even snootier when I handed her my coupon and paid with a gift card. So would I go back? Never. Would I trust them with my car? No. One star for re-inflating my front tire that was kinda low. I received a free gift card from Smiley360 for a Pep Boys oil change in exchange for my honest review. I was in no way obligated to write a positive account of my Pep Boys experience, and my review is written entirely in my own words and from my own personal experience. read more

Discovered today, after taking my Honda to another shop for service, that Pep Boys replaced my thermostat last month with a non-Honda or OEM part! Not only that but there was nothing wrong with the original thermostat, it was one of those "oh, you're at 90,000 miles, lets replace your thermostat" deals. They also didn't forget to charge me $160, for a thermostat! This is a $20 part anywhere else. Not ever going back here for service for either my car or my wife's car again! read more