Anyone use PepBoys for oil changes?

[LubeDaddy]

Hi!
There’s a pep boys a couple blocks away from my job. They quoted me ~$35 for a Quaker state “conventional” oil change and tire rotation on my 2007 v6 Toyota 4runner with 185k miles. This would be very convenient for me and the price is fantastic.

Anyone have experience with them or the basic Quaker state oil? Can I run that oil out to 5-6k miles safely?

 

[skyactiv]

If performed by a competent employee, yes.

 

[JavierH19]

5-6k maybe, depends on the engine and how you drive it exactly. I know people that have such short commutes it would take them more than half a year to do that. Also funny name.

 

[Kira]

Anyone have experience with them

HISTORY:
I cared for a neighbor's 2010 Honda Accord (4 cyl.) over a 7 year span. Because the local quick change oil place w car wash had stripped the oil pan threads I fitted a Fumoto valve and all was well.
The car's owner hung up his keys due to health reasons and I sold the car for him.
I didn't actually sell the car for him. I put him in direct contact with a friend who needed to find a car for her grandson.
I told her, among other things, that I had just changed the oil and that the PO had just had a complete brake job done.
The oil change included a top quality oil filter which I told her was absolutely OK for 2 OCIs.

For whatever reason, the grandma brought the car to a Pep Boys for an oil change and brake inspection.
They charged her $1,600 for a brake job they didn't do AND butchered the Fumoto valve and oil pan sealing such that the grandson, a stupid bonehead, drove it dry several times.

These shops are independently operated. Their experience may not be yours.
I know I provided info here which isn't directly applicable to your question but I think you get the idea.
Ask around. "Grandma" didn't ask me.

A senior lady who worked around the county all her life told me (when I looked at the shop for a routine parts swap-out years before) that it was the most putrid cesspool of garbage she had ever witnessed. All I had to do was not go there.
My heart sank when she told me the story.

It could be a great value option (as in post #2) or a living nightmare. Ask people/BBB.

 

[mr_boring]

I mean, people were running 5k oil changes on old timey oil decades ago.... 5k on any modern top shelf oil is very doable. QS is top shelf.

EDIT: if you think the place is incompetent when changing out oil, just check the level and make sure it's not dripping out underneath before you ever leave. Grandma's don't necessarily do that, but most people should. I do my own, but I've had Ford do dozens of them (all free) and my son used to manage a quickie lube, so when I ran out of Ford freebies he'd hook me up. He'd be the first to tell you that some of the employees at various quickie lubes are just a little above functioning drooling idiots. He now travels for that quickie lube company turning underperforming stores around. He probably fired 8-10 of those functioning idiots just last year. But he'll also tell you that while they are supposed to upsell as much as possible, most techs are reasonably competent and actually can and do the work they upsell. They'll start trying to sell brakes when the pads are down to about a quarter. I don't recommend any major work ever be done at at a quickie lube. Oil, sure. Pad slap if you don't have the means to do it yourself, sure.

 

[LubeDaddy]

HISTORY:
I cared for a neighbor's 2010 Honda Accord (4 cyl.) over a 7 year span. Because the local quick change oil place w car wash had stripped the oil pan threads I fitted a Fumoto valve and all was well.
The car's owner hung up his keys due to health reasons and I sold the car for him.
I didn't actually sell the car for him. I put him in direct contact with a friend who needed to find a car for her grandson.
I told her, among other things, that I had just changed the oil and that the PO had just had a complete brake job done.
The oil change included a top quality oil filter which I told her was absolutely OK for 2 OCIs.

For whatever reason, the grandma brought the car to a Pep Boys for an oil change and brake inspection.
They charged her $1,600 for a brake job they didn't do AND butchered the Fumoto valve and oil pan sealing such that the grandson, a stupid bonehead, drove it dry several times.

These shops are independently operated. Their experience may not be yours.
I know I provided info here which isn't directly applicable to your question but I think you get the idea.
Ask around. "Grandma" didn't ask me.

A senior lady who worked around the county all her life told me (when I looked at the shop for a routine parts swap-out years before) that it was the most putrid cesspool of garbage she had ever witnessed. All I had to do was not go there.
My heart sank when she told me the story.

It could be a great value option (as in post #2) or a living nightmare. Ask people/BBB.

Thanks for the details. For what it’s worth, most of the locations in my county are rated like 3 stars on Yelp. This location has a 4 star rating. My old coworker also recommended them but mainly based on price. I guess I’ll think about it more

 

[HowAboutThis]

My 2002 Honda didn't require synthetic and was 5k severe 10k normal driving conditions for oil changes. I traded it in at around 200k miles. Check your owner's manual. Most, if not all, "conventional" oils today are "synthetic blend." So that might give a bit extra time on the oil compared to 2007, too. But as others mentioned, if you're driving it in stop and go for 3 miles roundtrip, that's a different 5k miles than a 80 mile daily highway commute. So hard to give you decent advice. I personally wouldn't be scared to run a jobber filter and conventional oil in a 2007 Toyota for a reasonable interval (defined based on its typical use) if I owned it.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

Toyota says 5k on conventional, 10k on synthetic, so it will be just fine

 

[dishdude]

I wouldn't let PepBoys, Firestone or a muffler shop touch my car.

 

[CKN]

I wouldn't let PepBoys, Firestone or a muffler shop touch my car.

Do they use ASE certified mechanics?

 

[ATex7239]

HISTORY:
I cared for a neighbor's 2010 Honda Accord (4 cyl.) over a 7 year span. Because the local quick change oil place w car wash had stripped the oil pan threads I fitted a Fumoto valve and all was well.
The car's owner hung up his keys due to health reasons and I sold the car for him.
I didn't actually sell the car for him. I put him in direct contact with a friend who needed to find a car for her grandson.
I told her, among other things, that I had just changed the oil and that the PO had just had a complete brake job done.
The oil change included a top quality oil filter which I told her was absolutely OK for 2 OCIs.

For whatever reason, the grandma brought the car to a Pep Boys for an oil change and brake inspection.
They charged her $1,600 for a brake job they didn't do AND butchered the Fumoto valve and oil pan sealing such that the grandson, a stupid bonehead, drove it dry several times.

These shops are independently operated. Their experience may not be yours.
I know I provided info here which isn't directly applicable to your question but I think you get the idea.
Ask around. "Grandma" didn't ask me.

A senior lady who worked around the county all her life told me (when I looked at the shop for a routine parts swap-out years before) that it was the most putrid cesspool of garbage she had ever witnessed. All I had to do was not go there.
My heart sank when she told me the story.

It could be a great value option (as in post #2) or a living nightmare. Ask people/BBB.

Used PB once for tires. Paid online and made an appointment for the wife. Should have been a quick in and out new tire and alignment job. They tried to up sell her a bunch of work which wasn’t needed. She declined. Not the end of the world. However they said she needed to pay an additional $200 which was not accounted for with the online purchase. It was for some nonsensical made up bracket they “needed to replace.” She called me to inform me so I asked her to give the associate the phone. I asked if the tech could please FaceTime me to show this needed bracket. Then of course the associate started backpedaling and said it was all a mix up. Nothing was wrong after all. Then they made her wait another several hours probably out of spite. Work was done. But I’m not planing to use PB anytime soon.

 

[dishdude]

Do they use ASE certified mechanics?

Is that still a thing? I know there was a big push for ASE certifications in the 90's, at the time most of the techs just had brakes and steering suspension certifications. I haven't heard much about it lately.

 

[zfasts03]

It is all dependent on the care the individual takes with your car. The place doesn’t matter as much as the person who does the work.

 

[Leo99]

I'd find a small independent shop that you build some trust with.

 

[Kira]

Keep in mind that the Pep Boys chain considered separating their service bays and assigning them another name.
IIRC, they couldn't find any entity to bankroll the rebranding. (Business section of the NYT).

Garbage illusion to mask a glaring failure to deliver quality service. Remember, they were a cheap toy store selling Yosemite Sam floor mats and "Girl Power" stickers.

Get Smart, keep away.

 

[Vern_in_IL]

How are they still in business?

 

[Kira]

^^Once I heard a man in a Firestone Tire store ask the rep, "You only have to balance the front tires, right?"
Catering to this level of consumerism is one example of how.

Dice tire valve caps.....an assortment of cheaper waxes.....key rings....those mirror finished double wiper blades in colors......

 

[LubeDaddy]

Welp, sounds like I’m skipping on pep boys

 

[Soft Cars]

There's no way I could ever sleep if someone else changed my oil. And I'm not the type to be biting my fingernails.

 

[Rogueman2016s]

Hi!
There’s a pep boys a couple blocks away from my job. They quoted me ~$35 for a Quaker state “conventional” oil change and tire rotation on my 2007 v6 Toyota 4runner with 185k miles. This would be very convenient for me and the price is fantastic.

Anyone have experience with them or the basic Quaker state oil? Can I run that oil out to 5-6k miles safely?

If they're good techs sure why not. I just don't see how they're making any money.