Pep Boys

This location was able to correctly align my 2008 Buick Lacrosse CXL after the Waukegan store not only failed to do so, but sabotaged my vehicle when I came back to complain about the first failed alignment.

I had purchased a one year guarantee alignment at Waukegan on Friday June 16, 2023. It took four hours to get to me and by the time I got my car back and realized that they hasn't aligned it properly, the store was closed. I went back on Saturday morning around noon and they told me they suggested camber bolts so they could have additional "wiggle room" to set the alignment where I wanted it. (As close to -1 as possible, which is where GM said to put the car! One of my wheels, according to Waukegan Pep Boys was clost to -2 and the rest weren't where they should be, and the toe measurements on their rack were obviously wrong too.)

They also insisted that there was no toe problem even though my steering wheel was sitting to the left to go forward.

When they put in the camber bolts and charged me for them and then showed me their machine saying that the negative camber went off another half a degree in the wrong direction, Waukegan Pep Boys said I'd pay for them putting in the camber bolts anyway, and then when I got angry about being charged another $280 so they could screw my car up worse, their bay tech thought it would be funny to give me a MAJOR toe problem so I'd have to drive with an even more crooked wheel. Meanwhile, the service writer at Waukegan walked me out of the store, like it was some kind of perp walk for a criminal, and bolted the door. I had to pay the ransom to get my vehicle back.

I was furious, but I went to the Round Lake store, holding my steering wheel to the left all the way, and actually found that the people at the Round Lake store know how to do alignments and got my alignment values where they should be and the car drives straight again.

This shows that Pep Boys service quality ranges from horrendous (a worse alignment than the random values I got when I put new quick struts on the car) at Waukegan's store, to great at the Round Lake one.

I don't know if I'll ever do any business with Pep Boys again unless they take some sort of punitive or at least corrective action against Mike and his bay tech that sabotaged my car at Waukegan, but if I return to a Pep Boys it'll be the Round Lake store assuming the staff is the same.

I never would have gone into Pep Boys Waukegan in the first place except right after I got my Monroe Quick Struts at Car-X Waukegan, their alignment machine crashed. So I drove around for a few days to let the springs settle like the directions said and assumed that Pep Boys Waukegan could handle an alignment. Guess not.

The people at the Waukegan store need better training. The service writer, Mike, (before perp walking me out of his store) suggested cutting into the knuckle where the struts attach to the car.

Since the Round Lake store didn't have to, I wonder if the cam bolts were ever necessary.

My usual mechanic at Car-X said stop them and get your car back, regarding the Waukegan store incident, and I'm glad I listened.

On the way home one night I heard the dreaded clicking noise as something was in the tire, as I scrambled to find a tire place open, Pep Boys was open till 8pm! Pulled into the parking lot and sure enough there was a screw in the tire. I walked in, even though the store is under renovation and says appointments only, I explained to the employee my situation. He immediately said he could look at the tire for me and took care of it. Fantastic service and quick. Thanks PepBoys, you got me back on the road.

I needed new tires for my 2018 Highlander. Pep Boys had them in stock. I made an appointment on line. When I went to check in, I was greeted by a very nice, professional young man named Omari. He pulled up my info and told me my car would be ready a little after 1. I went home. A little after 1 Omari called and said my car was ready. I went and picked up my car. Everything went smooth and easy.

The assistant manager was extremely nice. And very helpful unlike most places that just want your money don’t care about your car. And trying to get you to put parts on your car you don’t need. So to these guys I give thumbs up