Brake repair service near North Hollywood, CA

You should know a few things about Pep Boys right off the bat. First, they charge about the same as many dealer mechanics. So, you should basically just take the car to the dealer or an upmarket independent who has more reason to care about your car. In addition, you will wait an awful lot for service with such a markup. Again, if one pays a premium, one expects a certain amount of service. The last thing you should know is that they seem to lack an enforced policy with regard to their work. If you walk in, you are just dealing with Mike, and if Mike does not feel like giving you a refund, that is that. My story is that I took my Buick in to have it checked out since I was going to drive it across country. They charged me $485 for a belt and two radiator hoses. This is somewhat of a premium price and I will discuss that is just a minute. I got my car and drove it for a few days (it was repaired on 6/5/2014). The radiator then blew out in Jackson Hole Wyoming (on 6/13/2014). This is pretty far from where I live and it really created a lot of problems for me. The fluid it leaked was green. It turns out that they put regular pro-line coolant and not Dex-Cool as the manufacturer recommends. This is documented in the receipt and I saw it with my own eyes. Did this cause my blow out? It’s hard to say, but if a surgeon leaves a surgical sponge in the patient and they get sepsis, it’s likely they will blame the surgeon. When I brought my receipts and material to Mike Zdralek the service manager, his opinion was that I needed to prove it was their fault. The funny thing was I was extremely polite and was trying not to point any fingers. Even a simple apology would have been nice. Now I’m out $485 for the repairs which had absolutely no effect in preventing what they were intended to do. I brought the car in to prevent a radiator blow out, and they did the job wrong and it blew out … in the middle of nowhere. The extra repair cost me $471 (plus $200 to have the part driven in from Idaho Falls). So I’m out over a thousand dollars now with nothing to show for it. The interesting thing to note is that a whole new radiator at a standard mechanic costs the same as two hoses and a belt from Pep Boys. This gives you an idea of the markup they charge on work. In the future, I will not bring any business to Pep Boys. I hope that the %20 margin they made was worth it. That’s the last they will see of me and the last dollar I will spend with their store.

General auto repair.

I brought my 2007 VW Jetta in to Volkswagen Santa Monica with serious brake issues. Their estimate for "Premature Rotor Damage" was over $1000. I took it over to AE German, and had it fixed quickly for nearly half the price. I will be coming back next time I need a mechanic and stop waiting my time with over priced cheaters.

Great staff. Great attitude. Great work. Extremely competitive pricing. Wont take my cars to anyone else if I can avoid it. -Sam Rhodes

I had a car problem couple of months ago, the engine was so totally dead, that I was thinking that it will never work again. But this people revive it in 3 days! Highly recommend them!

My first visit for maintenance after my Mercedes warranty expired. The experience was overwhelmingly positive. Herbert has a professional calmness that exudes knowledge and confidence. You are immediately aware that you and your car are in good hands. Herbert's fees are fair and he will tell you exactly what your car needs- and perhaps more importantly, what your vehicle does not need. I am very pleased that I trusted Herbert with my C300 sport package AMG, and expect to return for any and all future service needs. sincerely, Stan Kelley

I CANNOT express enough how grateful the guys at American Tire Depot have been to me. As a single woman who knows virtually nothing about cars, I am so grateful to these gentlemen who have treated me in the same manner that I know they would want someone to treat their mothers, wives or sisters. They have kept my older car running and pieced together many times without overcharging or even charging me (for the small things) at all. I've also seen them do the same for men as well. This is quite surprising because they are a franchise, but they are all about providing excellent service and courtesy to their customers! Thank you Diego and Memo -Brandi King