Poor parts and service

In May, 2009 I took my van to Pep Boys on Country Club Drive in Mesa, AZ for a replacement alternator. I declined the extended warranty for $16. Here it is September, 2009 and I'm going to have to pay a little over $100 in labor to get the three month old alternator replaced again because the bearing is going bad.

I find it very interesting that this bearing failed a few days after I had an air conditioning compressor package installed because the compressor bearing was going bad.

It was dropped off Friday evening with the understanding it would be ready Sunday. They waited until Saturday evening to start on it and they discovered they needed a hose they didn't have. It took 2 days (Sunday and Monday) to get the hose. When they got it on Monday the mechanic was out sick and they couldn't finish it until Tuesday.

I just got off the phone with the guy about the alternator. He wanted to sell me the extended warranty again. I told him that if I needed the extended warranty again, I would be going to another shop because they sold crappy alternators. He said "It's not the alternator. It's the bearing in the alternator." Geez, can you believe that? I asked him if they were going to replace the bearing or the alternator. When he said the alternator, I said "Then it's a crappy alternator, I don't care what part of it failed." Idiot!

An alternator, or any part for that matter, should not fail in 3 months. There should be no need for an extended warranty and Pep Boys should be replacing this for free. THAT would be good customer service and THEY don't have it.

Pep Boys used to be good, but I've seen a decline in their parts and service across several of their stores in the past few years. I'm done with their "service" department.