Pep Boys Auto Service & Tires in
State College (PA)

Be cautious with this auto shop. I was charged over two hundred dollars to replace two front low‑beam bulbs (even though only one was actually burned out). They insisted on replacing the other bulb too because they said it was “low quality,” which was ironic since they were the ones who installed that same bulb less than a month earlier. I didn’t realize how unreasonable the price was until I went to Firestone recently for a rear bulb replacement. They charged under $20 total (parts, labor, and tax) and finished the job in under 30 minutes. How much does it usually cost to replace two front low‑beam bulbs? I’m genuinely wondering if I’m missing something, because the price I was charged seems far above the typical range.

I went to Pep Boys for a blower motor installation after mine stopped working. I already had the part and knew exactly where it was located but unfortunately did not have the means to complete the repair myself. I was told the service would take approximately one hour, but I was there for over three hours. I want to acknowledge that Doyle was extremely helpful. I was very distressed by the situation, and he made a genuine effort to assist me, which I appreciated. During the service, my steering column was clearly removed. On my vehicle, the blower motor is most easily accessed from the driver’s side by removing the brake pedal. When I left the shop, my steering wheel was noticeably misaligned and shifted to the left. I attempted to return immediately, but the store had already closed. On my drive home, I nearly got into two accidents as a result. When I called the next morning, one of the managers, Rita, answered the phone and responded in an abrasive and dismissive manner. She insisted there was no reason to remove the steering column and told me my blower motor was located on the passenger side, which was incorrect. Rather than listening to my safety concern, she became argumentative, which significantly worsened the situation. When I returned to have the issue corrected, the younger gentleman at the front desk was helpful, but there seemed to be reluctance to acknowledge responsibility. While I understand that businesses may be hesitant to assign blame, I arrived with a properly aligned steering wheel and left with it misaligned. That outcome is the responsibility of the shop. Although the blower motor itself was repaired, leaving with a new and dangerous issue and encountering resistance instead of understanding is unacceptable. Safety concerns should be taken seriously, and management should not be dismissive when customers raise legitimate issues.

Quick, friendly service. Super thankful for the help my wife and I got today. We were 6 and a half hours from home and nailed a pot hole and we were in and out in no time at all. Thanks for saving us today!

I had a tire mishap on Christmas Eve while traveling hundreds of miles, and the staff at this Pep Boys really came through for me. They went above and beyond to help me when another auto place would not l, so I could get on the road for the holidays. I’m very appreciative of them!

The customer service was excellent. I had a flat tired that I took for repair... it turns out it was not flat... they couldn't find anything wrong. They put it back on my car and they didn't want to charge me for the service.

The tech was fantastic, explained things and made sure I was happy even though he was only tech. Service assistant was friendly and also kept me informed. Even though they were short on staff that day they performed quality, timely work.

Was a big mess. Ordered tires 2 weeks earlier, got over to have them put on, said air compressor quit so they couldn't do them, rescheduled for following saturday.got call that day, they only had 3 cooper tires instead of 4 I paid for 2 weeks earlier. We're buy 2 get 2 free. So had to get 4 Goodyear tires instead at 181 dollars each plus alignment. Al.ost $1000. They did take 10 percent off but doubt i will ever go back.

Horrible experience! I brought my car in because I needed a new tire before heading out. They told me they had the tire I needed and that it would take about 30 minutes since the technician was finishing an oil change. I even asked upfront if it would take long because another shop had the same tire and could do it immediately. They reassured me it wouldn’t be a problem. I walked around for 45 minutes, came back, and my car was still sitting in the exact same spot. When I asked about it, the guy went to the back to “check” and came out saying they were working on it. I told him my car was still parked right out front — then he goes, “Oh, my bad, he’s working on another white Honda.” Someone then quickly came out, moved my car to the back, probably because I was standing right there watching. I got a text at 2:29 saying I could track the service, and they didn’t finish until 4 PM. If they had just told me from the start that it would take 1.5 hours, I wouldn’t have complained — I would’ve gone to the other shop instead.

I had the pleasure of being helped and supported by the kind pep boys of State College, Pennsylvania. I was stranded on the side of the road with a flat tire. I towed the car to their place, and they got me back on the road in no time.

Completely destroyed lug bolts while removing wheels. Plus damaged the hose. Do not recommend going here at all. Additionally, person over the counter was hella rude

If I could award zero stars I would. I feel like it is my civic duty to tell people not to go here. I had a terrible experience about a year ago getting an inspection and oil change for reference. I had an appointment and somehow still ended up there for three whole hours. I thought maybe it was just a fluke and hearing how some of the staff talked around the store while I was in there for three hours I thought maybe it was just the staff that was working that day so I didn’t leave a review. I was absolutely wrong! My husband went this morning (without telling me where he was going because I would have told him not to) and they failed his inspection for a bad ball bearing after waiting for over an hour. They tried to charge him $1600 to repair this, so of course we are just doing it ourselves. We sent photos and videos off to my dad who is a mechanic and was flabbergasted that they could possible fail him. This place is a SCAM, do not go here. If you do have no choice but to go here be prepared for immense disappointment and annoyance from their very strange group of staff members. I tried to warn you…

Traveling through State College to Pittsburgh, my alternator failed. Shawn assured me that they could fix it by the next day. We drove back Saturday to a repaired van. Thanks also to mechanic Anthony and Doyle. Efficient and straightforward.

This location is nothing short of AMAZING! We blew a tire on the freeway and these guys got us in right away, replaced all 4 tires within an hour and we were back on the road. Can’t thank you guys enough!

I went to Pep Boys for the 42,000-mile maintenance check on my Jeep, and the service was horrible. The front desk staff had no idea about the service details — what had been done and what hadn’t — and couldn’t answer any of my questions. When I asked if the brake pads were checked, I was first told “no, that’s not included,” but then the answer suddenly changed, which made me lose trust. Windshield washer fluid is almost always topped off during maintenance, but mine wasn’t. The receipt had no details of the work performed. My engine oil still had 40% life left, but they replaced it without asking me first (they later realized this and didn’t charge me for it). Overall, this experience showed a complete lack of communication and professionalism. I wouldn’t trust this location and would never recommend it.

Was stuck on a recent trip to state college. Really great service. Back on the road with new alternator and battery despite it being a weekend afternoon. Shawn and team, thanks for the excellent servics

I have come to PepBoys twice now and both times, was treated with incredible service. Shawn at the front desk and the young man there with him were both so kind and professional. I would trust them absolutely and will be coming back here if the need arises

Wife was traveling from Georgia and had a blowout in Virginia. She drove on the spare to state college Pennsylvania and Sean the store manager at the State College store took royal care of her. He got her a tire at a very good price and he and his crew did a phenomenal job getting someone in transit taken care of. Much thanks. Darren

Scheduled an appointment online and showed up to have my car inspected. The man working said the online scheduling was worthless and he doesn’t do state inspections on Saturday. The online appointment I scheduled easily let me book a state inspection for that day. It was not convenient to have to drive the whole way there for no reason.

Shawn at Pep Boys in State College was amazing. I had a flat tire and he had me back on the road in less than 2 hours. He explained the process and the prices. He cares about the store he runs and is proud of the work that he and the other guys do. I am thankful that he was there to get the job done!

I visited Pep Boys for an AC evaluation and had such a great experience! Shawn and Daniel were too good — genuinely kind, professional, and super patient while explaining everything to me. They made sure I understood the issue without trying to overcharge or push unnecessary services. It’s rare to find auto technicians who are this honest and sweet. I left feeling confident and well taken care of. I’ll definitely return to this location for any future car needs. Highly recommend them!

I had an appointment scheduled for June 9th at 5 PM, which I booked online. However, on the day of the appointment, they called and asked if I could come in earlier at 2 PM. I was traveling from out of town, but I managed to arrive by 2 PM. Upon my arrival, they began the check-in process; however, I was informed that their inspection technician had to leave by 3 PM. They asked if I could reschedule my appointment for 8 AM the next day. I agreed, even though it was inconvenient for me since I needed to leave town. When I returned to Pep Boys the following day, June 10th, for my 8 AM appointment, the store was closed, and no one had arrived yet. They opened the doors at 8:10 AM. When I finally checked in at 8:17 AM, the technician began explaining that he had been working for five consecutive days without a day off. He mentioned that his technicians often arrive late and leave early, which causes problems. He also stated that they will not stay if they are not getting paid. Furthermore, he explained that the online appointment system is inefficient and not reliable—only suitable for haircuts, in his opinion. He noted that I could make an appointment online, but when I arrived, I might find several people ahead of me or that my appointment would not appear on their screen yet. He remarked that this is a significant issue within the company. I told him that I would write a complaint, to which he responded that it wouldn’t make a difference.

Went in and asked if they sold parts and was informed that they did not sell auto parts.

Year after year I go here to get my inspections done for some reason. Every year it's at least 30 minutes of standing in line behind one customer while pappy tries selling his "I-dont-wanna-do-it" price to some college kid. All while trying to figure out how to use a computer behind the desk. This actually happens every single time I show up to this place. Sometimes they actually help me, other times they just say "we're too busy today. Why not just call in to schedule an appointment? Because they never pick up their phones. This place is a dump.

Needed my brakes done quickly about a month ago. Just stopped in for a quote for labor because I already had the parts. It was towards the end of the day and they got me in right then, I was prepared to come a few days later. Car was done in a jiffy and the manager on duty couldn't have been nicer.

I take my car every year here because they don’t rip you off and they do good work. But every single year they are an hour plus behind when I arrive for my appointment. I have a very busy schedule and need times at least reasonably adhered to. An hour to an hour and a half behind is just not acceptable. Especially not when it has happened multiple times now. For this reason I unfortunately will be looking elsewhere for service UPDATE: Shawn and Pep Boys resolved the situation.

EXPLOITATION! DO NOT COME HERE. I took my girlfriend's car in on February 27th, 2023 because I suspected something was wrong with the tire. The front desk associate (Marita T) told us that the car needed new front wheel bearings at least on the left side of the vehicle but that it was best to switch both out because an old one could cause wear and tear on the new one. We trusted the Pepboy's mechanic Anthony B and Marita T when they told us that would be our best option. This week (3 weeks later) we had to take the car to another mechanic because of the same issue we had taken it to Pepboys where we had been exploited for services that were not performed. At the mechanic we went to today we saw that Pepboy mechanic Anthony B, had NEVER changed any parts on the wheel bearings since they were still the original ones that came with the vehicle. We spent almost $1000 on this fraud of an establishment and have nearly died do to the lies of work being done on this vehicle when in reality they just charged us for NOTHING. They took advantage of us because we are in our early 20s and they thought they could get away with it! This establishment should be shut down!!!! In the photo I am showing the piece of the wheel bearing that was still in my car (that pepboys said they changed) and the wheel bearing my other mechanic I went to is going to ACTUALLY install for us because Pep boys state college is a FRAUD AND SCAM.

DO NOT COME HERE. I took my car in for an inspection and oil change, and they tried to upsell me on new tires/brakes/rotors. Which was fair because it was about time to replace them; however, I later found out they didn't replace my rotors at all, as the ones on my car were still stock and had a decent amount of rust from previous winters. They literally just took my money without getting the parts or doing the work. Admittedly, I'm a college-aged girl so they probably saw me as an easy mark. They did some additional work on the engine and brakes too, but now I'm worried they didn't even do anything they said. I'm including a pic of one of the supposedly brand-new rotors. The people working here should be ashamed of themselves.