Pep Boys Auto Service & Tires in
Albany (NY)

Went for a state inspection. 90 minute wait. Services providers wreaked of marajuana with vapes out visibly on the counter. Extremely unprofessional, with questionable practices unaligned with NYS standards. Find another place.

Been dealing with an ongoing claim since May 2025. Brought my car in to shop at 1795 Central Avenue in Colonie, NY for tires, inspection and oil change. Within the hour we were back at the shop because my shield came off the bottom of the car on the highway. They did not secure it after the oil change. At my next service appointment, the dealership made me aware that my oil pan had been over tightened by whoever did my last oil change resulting in a cracked oil pan. So I had to replace both my oil pan and shield and Pep Boys is refusing to reimburse me because I didn't bring it to them for the replacement. My neighbor brought his car in for shocks and when he got to the lot to get into his car, his windshield was busted. They didn't even call him back. My MIL brought it in to Pep Boys to get linkage done on her Jeep, she was turned away by Pep Boys, they stated she didn't need the linkage she was told by Jeep that she needed, 2 weeks later she was getting them replaced by Jeep. What is going on there?!

There was zero communication while they had my car — I had to call them every time for updates. They quoted me $3,111 and did a terrible job explaining the issue. I ultimately towed my car to the dealership, where I was quoted nearly half the price and received a clear, knowledgeable explanation. This experience was a complete waste of my time and money. I will not be returning, and I would not recommend this location to anyone.

Job well done with expertise in timely manner Yay! PEP BOYS! HIGHLY RECOMMEND THEM

Had a really good experience at Pep Boys. The staff was honest, professional, and explained everything clearly before starting the work. They made sure only the necessary repairs were done and the pricing was fair — no overcharging or surprises. It’s hard to find a trustworthy auto shop, but this team made us feel comfortable and taken care of. Thank you for the great service! Highly recommend.

Fast, friendly and efficient. No BS and a good crew of people here! Would easily recommend if you ever need work, an inspection or fleet maintenance. Vic and Tim are your guys!

Got an oil change here and after that sometimes when taking turns I'd get an infrequent "low oil" indication, but it never stayed lit so thought nothing of it. Eventually took a long drive and the engine basically self-destructed since the lack of lubrication cause a piston to break, totaling the car. Just so happened to have been the one time I went here instead of my usual shop for an oil change.

I ordered tires from Tire Rack and this place was the "recommended installer" even though they are 30 miles away from my house and there is another installer within 5 miles. I drive by there on my commute so I figured I'd give them a try. The day I ordered the tires I stopped by the store to tell them what I ordered and confirm the appointment since everything was done through Tire Rack. Dropped my truck off for the appointment and confirmed with the counter person the previous arrangement and that they could have the truck for 8 hours. Four hours later I get a call from them stating that the tires were too big for their balancer. The tires are 35x12.5-17. I returned to pick up my truck and ask I owe anything. I owed nothing and they gave me my key. I feel they should know what tires for their machines or be removed from Tire Rack's list for incompetence especially since I stopped personally to confirm.

Made an appointment for 3PM ( and was 10 minutes early)and they didn’t take my car in until 4. It’s now nearly 5:10 pm and still no car. All for a tire change and a balance.

I went and had an oil change, tire rotation and alignment. My car is still pulling to the right and they tried to tell me I needed spark plugs that I just replaced without plugging them out. Tire pressure light is blinking which means the sensor needs to be replaced but nothing about that. Congrats on being another shitty car repair shop!

Asked them to make sure the car was safe to drive and when I picked it up, check engine light was on, brake lights not working, e brake not working l, blinkers not working. Tim was incredibly rude and wouldn't have a tech at least check the brake. Lights so I could drive it home. I will never trust people boys again.

Anytime anyone asks for your keys at an auto parts store, RUN!!! Kids, go next door, and watch a YouTube video, save yourself a couple hundred bucks and 1+ hours of your time. Who is going to Pep boys? Get your auto parts with tools next door, and watch a YouTube video, and save yourself from this time and frustration. For real, no hate to the guys here, but they are obsolete.

My car was making a rubbing noise and I wa worried so I called and had an appointment. Then I was able to bring my car in early and shortly after they were working on it. I waited for a long time but I also knew the shop was busy but the technician came and told me that I needed new breaks and rotors. Yeah I feel the price was a bit excessive but I’m happy that my car was fixed and safe since it is winter now

Do not go here especially if you aren’t knowledgeable they WILL take advantage of you. My first appt with pep boys located at 1795 central ave was on Sunday Nov 23. I went in because my car needed an inspection and on the way my check engine light came on. I called the store and they assured me they could figure out the issue. I waited for 3 hrs before they gave me a price of $600 to fix everything. They diagnosed it to be the oxygen sensor, 2 new tires, sway bar and windshield wipers. I asked for an appt the following Sunday Nov 30th and I left. I never received a text about my appt so the following weds I called and asked they never scheduled me. They also didn’t put any notes in so at this time they had no records of me being there. I had to explain to them over the phone weds what THEY quoted me. On Sunday the 30th I dropped my car off and stood there for 25 mins while they waited on everyone before me so the manager at check in I guess could try to remember what I needed at this time is when he told me they never quoted me for the oxygen sensor previously (which makes 0 sense considering that’s why I was there to begin with) and that the charge would actually be around $982.00 at this point I asked him to print me out the quote so him and I could go through it together. Which is when I saw that he quoted me wiper blades that cost $60 which is the only part I could recognize myself not knowing anything about cars. When I asked about this he said they were the only wipers they had in stock.. and said I could go next door which I believe is a Napa to buy them and they would put them on. This was the day before my inspection was due so I was panicking and told them to just do the repairs. I then received a call at home after drop off that when they scanned my car the second time it was my catalytic converter which he said would be in the range of thousands of dollars and asked if I wanted them to call to get pricing. I said yes today is Sun Dec 7th and I’ve yet to hear from anyone. I also received a text stating I missed my appt on Nov 30th which I’m assuming was for them to state that I was never a customer there for an instance like this of me leaving a review….I brought my car to an actual mechanic and found out the total cost of repairs my car needed for not only safety of myself but also the inspection was $350.00 this place should be ashamed of how they handle their customers and I hope no woman or man who doesn’t have knowledge in vehicles ever goes here!

Straightforward visit for tire change, better deal than elsewhere. They were good with updating along the way. They even put my registration on my windshield that i had lying on my dash that I hadnt got around to and I didnt even ask, so cheers for going above and beyond

On Sunday 11/02/2025 at 9:00am we brought my girlfriend’s 2024 Honda Accord Hybrid in for a NYS inspection. The Colonie NY location claimed her back brakes were rusted, and failed the NY inspection. The car is a 2024, has 12k miles on it, and was in working order. After paying the $10 upon failing the inspection, we then brought the vehicle to a trusted mechanic who deemed the car was in working order and that it did in fact pass the NYS inspection requirements. I've now had to pay $10 to the PepBoys location for them to come back with a blatant scam for an upsell, then had to pay a trusted local mechanic a diagnostic fee for labor and another $10 for the NYS inspection. All in all, what should have been a simple $10 inspection turned into $90 headache. We are very upset at how this location tried to turn a $10 inspection into an expensive and unnecessary scam to boost their profits.

I recently had a set of tires shipped from Tire Rack to this Pep Boys in Colonie, and they did a great job mounting and balancing them. Also, for a fair price!

Tim was extremely nice! I didn't feel pressured to by extra add ons and he was funny on top of it all. I will definitely be going back to PepBoys!

Whoever answered the phone (I called 9/16/25 at 3:47pm) was defensive and rude when I was just asking questions about warranty and battery replacement and explaining the situation. Because of their poor battery installation, I needed to get my car battery replaced after only 10 months (photo of the battery after only 10 months of use attached). The warranty was not communicated to me upon initial purchase of the battery, but apparently it can only be replaced without cost if Pep Boys replaces it themselves. Why would I want them to replace my battery when they are clearly incapable of correctly installing a car battery in the first place? I would NOT recommend going to this location. I have reached out to the email provided in response to the many, other poor reviews for this business’ customer service capturing more details about this issue.

Came here to get new tires, alignment, brake flush and inspection. Once I left, I noticed two issues there is a new error popping up on my dash saying brake wear, which didnt exist earlier and two tire pressures are incorrect all through. I come back within 10 mins and speak to a guy called Vic. Says its not his problem and wont look at it today. Claims we didnt do the brake. So one this guy has no sense of customer service, two they wont take accountability of things they messed up or they straight up shady because legally they could not have passed my car inspection with dash light for break repair. I have attached the photo here. Definitely getting reported to the NY authorities for inspection irregularities. And never coming back here because of guys like Vic

The advisor’s initial professional assessment was that the requested work wasn’t needed. I insisted that he was mistaken and I asked them to replace the parts anyway. I’m versed in the condition of my car, so I shrugged off the advisor’s recommendation thinking they’re busy and didn’t really check my car. I later found out that this Pep Boys team is dangerously incompetent and could easily hurt unknowing customers. The replaced parts were found to be completely worn again, proving the uselessness of the advisor’s original recommendation. Upon completion of the work, once vehicle was driven off the workshop, it exhibited new vibrations coming from the wheels upon braking. A quick visual check showed that both front calipers were missing retainer clips. The vibrations were coming from free moving brake pads and calipers. The vehicle was brought back in and the original retainer clips (that they happened to locate) were installed back. After a long conversation with the manager on duty, he finally offered an apology and agreed with me that his crew needs training. The labor to install 4 customer provided brake pads still cost $600+. But the real frustration wasn’t that, or that I had to spend 8+3 hours over two days to get four pads installed; it’s that their incompetence could have easily cost the lives of me and my family, including our newborn.

This review is about the state inspection experience. I have Honda Odyssey 2016 model needed an inspection done. I was told that my break lunch bulb needed a replacement since it’s not working. Funny thing about that is I literally checked my car walking around it and made sure everything was in a running condition. The front desk person Timothy told me I will have to pay 19.99 for the labor and 2.99 for the bulb itself. They showed me the bulb which I can’t tell if it’s working or not obviously. When I asked him, it’s a simple putting the new bulb in since you have opened it. Why do you charge so much more labor and he said, we normally charge 39.99 labor but this is a discounted price. Here is my question to Pep Boys - If the break light bulb wasn’t working, why did you even open the socket. It has to be visible from outside. You should have showed me before opening it up. Please don’t rip off people like this. Customers doesn’t come with extra dollars to spend. State inspections shouldn’t be a money making machine since they are not allowed to go inside the working area.

On June 20, 2025, I brought my 2022 Nissan Rogue (37,130 miles) to this Pep Boys for a NY State inspection. The service manager, Justin, told me the front brake pads were “paper-thin” and the rotors needed replacing due to rust. I was quoted $580, even after a $100 discount. I was shocked, as I mostly drive on highways and have never needed to replace front brakes before 60K miles. To confirm, I bought new parts from Advance Auto across the street and inspected the brakes myself. All four pads had about 75% life left, and the rust on the rotors was purely surface-level — completely normal for a garage-kept car. Although I went ahead and replaced them since I already had the parts, it was an unnecessary job. I wasted over $200 and hours of my time due to what I now believe was a dishonest and predatory sales tactic. This kind of behavior is unacceptable and reflects very poorly on Pep Boys. the icing on the cake was when Justin tried to charge me $21.00 for the failed inspection. An honest mistake? - I do not think so. He adjusted the bill after I mentioned that the cost should be $10, since the vehicle did not pass. Please see attached photos. I’m sharing this to warn other customers: always double-check before agreeing to expensive repairs here.

I have a Honda Civic sport hatchback with sport rims and they destroyed my rims and never said a word about it. I called them and they told me I need to come back when I get back in town so they can get their own pictures. I'm not sure what else they messed up they had my car for 2.5 hours with an appt for tires. This is what they did to my rims...

Pep Boys is my go to Center. They helped me last minute and it is so easy to set up an appointment online on their website. Tim and Tom at the front desk are amazing. Very respectful men. They are running a smooth operation over there and the mechanics are totally respectful And fast workers. I bought four tires here at a great price and just the other day I had a flat tire hitting a pothole at 3am and they took care of me the same day as soon as they opened… highly recommend

(2.24.2025) I had a great tuneup on my car, new tires,brakes,shocks,struts,and belts. Justin and Mike took great care of my car and had it ready for pickup earlier than expected. Yet another great job at Pep Boys! -------------------------------------------------------------------- (12.10.2024) Consistently amazing customer service!! They have the know how and the professional attitude that leaves you feeling confident and comfortable with the work being done to your vehicle! They run a tight but friendly ship, and I Highly Recommend! -------------------------------------------------------------------- As always, the Shop (at 1795 Central Ave, Colonie) still offers consistently great service and professional (and extremely Patient) employees - which is a lot more than can be said about corporate Pep Boys as a company. This specific location is the best I've ever been to and won't go anywhere else anymore because of their repetitive Wins. Highly recommend for all your vehicle needs, from Inspections and Oil Changes to Brakes and Tires, and everything in between this is the store to go to! (I recommend making an appointment, they are a busy location and will do right by you, but an appointment helps manage your time and guarantees your service when you drop off your vehicle.) Bottom line: The crew here are always friendly, fast, and consistently reliable in their work!

Pep Boys just replaced my Michelin Primacy MXM4s on my 2020 Avalon TRD! Tom Meyers and the Albany, NY team did a great job in giving me a very fair price, accommodation on schedule and great install. The car was just detailed and they kept it clean and were careful not to cause any marks on my wheels. Five stars!!!!