When I lived in UT, I used the local Pep Boys for service to my non-MB vehicles...and they did an exceptional job.

Anyway, I moved to PA in November due to employment, and had Pep Boys here service the front brakes on my '92 Lincoln MK VII Bill Blass Edition. The car was in awesome mechanical condition when I bought it, and I performed some body work to bring it up to specs (previous owner clipped a deer, taking out a few replaceable panels) It had the airbags replaced 3 years ago, along with the transmission. The PO gave me every receipt for every repair and oil change ever done since she bought it new in late 1991. It has 193,000 miles on it, and sounds like a new car. The interior is spotless, no rust anywhere, and looks like it's new.

Anyway, the car rides on factory airbags. When lifting these cars, you need to tuen off the suspension system, so as not to damage it. They didn't. They lifted it, popped one of the airbags, did the brakes, and put it on the ground. Once they realized what had happened, they told me that it was because the bags were old. I told them they were full of it. they then told me that a sensor must have gone bad. when I told them to find the sensor and replace it, they told me they don't know anything about these systems.

Now it sits at the dealer, having BOTH bags replaced. The dealer claims that Pep Boys screwed up, and is willing to put it in writing for me to use in my attempt to recover the costs.

I'll be damned if I use the Pep Boys in Cranberry Township, PA for anything again.

__________________
1987 560SL
85,000 miles

The PepBoys here employs people who are absolutely brain dead. It takes the moron at least 15 minutes to check out three people.

It takes 20 minutes to get anybody to look up a part for you..........and they have no clue as to what they are looking at.

The chain is practically worthless for any serious automotive enthusiast. You cannot even find a decent oil there anymore.

I go there for vacuum fittings, spray paint from a can, various chemicals, fiberglass cloth and resin..........that's about it.

Avoid it.

Exactly why most post 1995 Range Rover owners won't go near inexperienced shops, air suspensions aren't cheap (Can you disable the system with an open door?)

__________________
1982 300GD Carmine Red (DB3535) Cabriolet Parting Out
1990 300SEL Smoke Silver (Parting out)
1991 350SDL Blackberry Metallic (481)

"The thing is Bob, its not that I'm lazy...its that I just don't care."

Perhaps the guys at Pep Boys should have known about the air suspension switch, but the switch is there to prevent the system from bleeding air pressure trying to correct for the high ride height when the car is lifted off the ground, then the compressor having to run for a long time to refill the system. Normally forgetting to turn the switch off doesn't result in damage, but there's the possibility that one of the air bags got folded into the wrong position due to the low pressure in the system, then failed when the car was let down to the ground.

Unfortunately mistakes happen in the world of auto repair all the time, but the shop should have at least admitted they did something wrong and offered to repair what they broke. Sorry to hear it happened to you.

__________________
Erich Loepke
2010 Ford Focus
Currently Benz-less

File a lawsuit and subpeona the individuals from the "dealer," in the suit.

See how fast you get a check from Pep Boys. . . . . .

Well, if you ever need those neon lights to install under your car...

I used to work the parts counter at pep boys, the atrocities I saw go down in the shop assured me I will never have a car worked on there.

90% of the business done at Pep Boys is Air Fresheners and vinyl decals.

__________________
68 280SL - 70 280SL - 70 300SEL 3.5 - 72 350SL - 72 280SEL 4.5 - 72 220 - 72 220D - 73 450SL - 84 230GE - 87 200TD - 90 190E 2.0 - 03 G500

Nissan GTR - Nissan Skyline GTS25T - Toyota GTFour - Rover Mini - Toyota Land Cruiser HJ60 - Cadillac Eldorado - BMW E30 - BMW 135i

That's why I use Carquest...our local one caters to European cars, and the counter guys know their stuff.

__________________
1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

I'm not sure I have ever seen a franchise with the variability of PB.
Twp PB, about 10 miles apart...
at store 1 they routinely do the requested work on company vehicles with no complaint, no returns. Good work.
at store 2 it is the complete opposite. First, they complain about the Wright Express card, acting like they have never seen it before, and then making several unnecessary phone calls for authorization before botching the repair. The thing is, I get the same reaction to the Wright Express card EVERY time--like 6 times in a year. That tells me they really do not want or need the business, so store 1 gets it all. ( It also tells me that management at store 2 sucks.)

__________________
1982 300SD " Wotan" ..On the road as of Jan 8, 2007 with Historic Tags

Same thing w/ Jiffy Lube, probably worse.

Craftsman power tools blow.

Good help is getting hard to find.

Pep Boys is the worst. Working in the parts business I couldn't tell you how many terrible stories I heard like this. One time when PB sent a driver to come over and pick up an exhaust (yeah, they outsourced...), the guy parked in the handicap spot. We took forever getting the part and by the time he left the store his little truck was getting towed away

__________________
TC
Current stable:
- 2004 Mazda RALLYWANKEL
- 2007 Saturn sky redline
- 2004 Explorer...under surgery.

Past: 135i, GTI, 300E, 300SD, 300SD, Stealth

Just because UT Pep Boys did a great job, doesn't mean PA branches will do the same.

I only go to those chain stores for small items like basic (okay, misplaced) tools, bulbs, fluids, etc. Maybe an oil or air filter for our now non-operational Toyota when it still ran, and a place to dump my used oil.

__________________
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7271/7...144c3fc1dc.jpg

I use meijer, napa, walmart....on rare occasion autozone. I stopped visiting pep boys looong ago, all they were good for is Turkish Fram filters, I've since switched to Baldwin filters, so I have no need for them at all.

Can get essentially everything needed aside from fluids (no point) online.

__________________
-diesel is not just a fuel, its a way of life-
'15 GLK250 Bluetec 118k - mine - (OC-123,800)
'17 Metris(VITO!) - 37k - wifes (OC-41k)
'09 Sprinter 3500 Winnebago View - 62k (OC - 67k)
'13 ML350 Bluetec - 95k - dad's (OC-98k)
'01 SL500 - 103k(km) - dad's (OC-110,000km)
'16 E400 4matic Sedan - 148k - Brothers (OC-155k)

what would happen if you turned off the switch when you parked it before you went in? can it be driven with the switch off? Those cheap places are not to be trusted and for something like that I would have followed my car into the bay. I had a similar issue with my Explorer, it was all wheel drive and could not be towed only flatbeded. I was moving it from one shop to another but I stayed by my car until the guy showed up and sure enough he had a regular truck even though I explained over the phone they could not tow it that way.

__________________

1982 300CD Turbo (Otis, "ups & downs") parts for sale
2003 TJ with Hemi (to go anywhere, quickly) sold
2001 Excursion Powerstroke (to go dependably)
1970 Mustang 428SCJ (to go fast)
1962 Corvette LS1 (to go in style)
2001 Schwinn Grape Krate 10spd (if all else fails)