dmakadia

Hello Club Lexus,
So November 2013 I purchased a used 2007 IS250(already own an LS just wanted something I could put a bit of miles on) and man do I love it! I had one problem...the water pump...which I was able to fix with a DIY on this site (thank you) recently however one of my TPMS Sensors went bad well after hours of shopping around to see if anyone could install one since most corporations won't touch my tires (20s) I was able to find a wheel shop that was able to put it on! The only next step was to get the sensors reprogrammed...instead of taking it to the dealer I decided to see if PepBoys had the computer to do it($4000+)....they said they did...after a 45 minute wait they told they were unsuccessful at doing it and I would need to go to the dealer...ok no problem....however they could not get the car to start as they drained the battery trying to do the TPMS reset...so they attempted to jump start it however this did not work...next they decided to roll the car out on manual override to hook it up to another car and of course this didn't work...one of the mechanics soon pointed out the Fusible Link in the main fuse box next to the battery was bad...at this point they kind of just left me...I called my friend a toyota and Lexus certified tech who only works on Lexus (great guy if you need a mech in Cali, only uses dealer parts and sells parts too)...anyways he tells me that if the fuse had been blown it was due to the battery being jumped wrong(black to red...red to black)...and it was their liability to fix it...told me to take notes on all peoples names and ASE certification...so 50mins laterhe came down ( a bit of a drive)...mind you I would have taken it to him had he not been so far and PepBoys did not say they can do it...as soon as he walks in the workers attitude changes seeing the Lexus emblem on his work clothes...next he questions them and they say that they need to keep the car in overnight as they had no import technician there and no services manager on duty...so I left my car their I got a call that night from the services manager saying that the car came in working and they would do everything free of charge and give me a rental...very courteous and professional...next morning he called to tell me the battery was the wrong type for the car...making no sense as the dealer battery is installed...but they said they will take car of it and the new fusible link (like $200 part from dealer) and the part would be there Monday as the dealer is closed over the weekend( I went in Friday afternoon)...so I am leaving my car there over the weekend and hopefully Monday afternoon it is done...if not I plan on requesting the rental car...I have work!!! So I will let you guys know what is going on! However any tips on how to deal with this will be appreciated! Mind you I would NEVER go to PepBoys for mechanical work...however the TPMS sensor reset should have been easy and no mechanical or tire work!! I would only go to my buddy or the dealer for that! Anyways wish me luck!! Also I hope they put a good battery in not a cheap one....I'll keep you updated. Thanks for your tips comments and questions!

-S

Note: TPMS = tire pressure monitoring system
PepBoys Corona, CA #0778
07 Lexus IS250

tecman

I have never felt comfortable using a shop like Pep Boys for anything above an oil change. These generic shops have to deal with every make and model and I assume there is a fast mechanic turn over.This type of shop is the starting point in a good mechanics career or maybe the end of the line for a mediocre mechanic.

dmakadia

Yah techman, in fact I never changed my oil with them....they don't know the car...like I said I only brought it in to them to do the tpms reprogram...which obviously they could not do...learned the hard way :/

84Cressida

If you love your car, you will never take within 50 miles of a Pep Boys.

dmakadia

I agree totally....however not many small shops and even some big tire shops have the means to reprogram the TPMS sensor....it's just too expensive of a machine!! PepBoys said they could do it and I had never been there...and hearing that they are a large corporation I thought I would be fine....like I said I would never get mechanical work done there!! Anyways the manager has been very calm and accommodating through this...let's see what happens!

dmakadia

So this reply is late but I just wanted to let y'all know that my car had been fixed with all OEM parts from the dealer as I requested! Great costumer service I got to admit! However the dealer did definitely overcharge them for the fusible link....$900 bux...shoot!!!! But yes I have had my car for some time and it runs great!!

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Pep Boys is like Midas. And I don't trust the Midas touch lol

GAZA4Life

Glad you got your car back bro. I'm skeptical leaving my car over night, especially for a fix that should have taken minutes. But glad all worked out well.. Let's chalk this one up to A LESSON LEARNED.

jwong77

Yikes terrible experience, thanks for sharing.

Joey-E

iTrader: (1)

It would help to separate your story into paragraphs.