Pep Boys To Provide Service / Maintenance

[Rickb]

Any good certified mechanic or owner with DIY skills will be able to service the Elio based on it's simple engineering and design. Z and I have no access to PBs in our States. Even If I did, I would still use my own mechanic.......hopefully, EM will authorize warranty work in situations where there is no Pep Boys access.

I'm not worried about servicing the Elio. I think it's just odd that local Pep Boys have no knowlege of the partnership and or the vehicle. Many owners will use PB and training to do repairs on the Elio should be minimal....heck a factory 1 or 2 day workshop for factory certification should be max..

 

[JEBar]

I was trained to be a technician. That means I learned how to read circuit descriptions, circuit diagrams and repair manuals, and to use test equipment. With that training I could repair ANYTHING a phone company had.
A good mechanic of today knows how to attach a computer analyzer up to a car, and knows how to repair all those things that make up a modern car. The most difficult repairs are linked to engineers that simply MUST add modern digital electronic components to everything automotive.
In short, any decent mechanic should be able to repair an Elio, so the biggest requirement I see ahead will be making sure PB stocks parts for Elios so that repairs don't require waiting for parts. And, if common parts are used, that won't even be a big deal.

unfortunately, there seem to be fewer and fewer mechanics .... today when they can plug in a diagnostic tool and it tells them what to fix, they do fine .... when the diagnostics doesn't reveal the problem, they are stumped .... that's when you see them on the phone with factory advisers .... I've been that route twice in the last couple of years

Jim

 

[Dooltd]

I think we may be giving Pep Boys management way too much credit. My guess is that PB is just like any big corporation and nobody is concerned with anything but making this month's numbers.
A product or service at least a year out? Forget it.

 

[Johnapool]

Hm-m-m. I don't usually have that trouble with Toyota dealership shops. But, when a mechanic starts "hanging parts", you are in expensive trouble.
A simple fuel pressure test can diagnose a fuel pump problem, for example, but too many times a mechanic will replace the pump without that test and NOT fix the real problem.
So, does Pep Boys have competent mechanics or not. That is the question.
We may all learn a bit from this site :http://www.consumeraffairs.com/automotive/pep_boys.htm

 

[Jay3wheel]

Any good certified mechanic or owner with DIY skills will be able to service the Elio based on it's simple engineering and design. Z and I have no access to PBs in our States. Even If I did, I would still use my own mechanic.......hopefully, EM will authorize warranty work in situations where there is no Pep Boys access.

I'm not worried about servicing the Elio. I think it's just odd that local Pep Boys have no knowlege of the partnership and or the vehicle. Many owners will use PB and training to do repairs on the Elio should be minimal....heck a factory 1 or 2 day workshop for factory certification should be max..

I am less concerned with the ability of another mechanic, than I am with parts that are exclusive to Elio. Even with the high percentage of (I hate to say this) off the shelf parts, some % will have to be Elio special. Though I have not read this, it would seem that Pep Boys will be the parts warehouser for Elio.

 

[Rickb]

I am less concerned with the ability of another mechanic, than I am with parts that are exclusive to Elio. Even with the high percentage of (I hate to say this) off the shelf parts, some % will have to be Elio special. Though I have not read this, it would seem that Pep Boys will be the parts warehouser for Elio.

I'm betting if you can order your Elio on-line you will be able to order parts on-line direct from Elio as well as stock parts from your regional PB inventory.

 

[Rickb]

I think we may be giving Pep Boys management way too much credit. My guess is that PB is just like any big corporation and nobody is concerned with anything but making this month's numbers.
A product or service at least a year out? Forget it.

If they are not aware of the Elio and what's going on in their industry or under their own roof they get no credit whatsoever.

 

[Oldfarmer]

Here's some numbers (and maybe not a good comparison since some of these do not do shop work)-
According to the NYSE:
O'Reilley's = 68,000+/- employees
Autozone = 43,000+/- employees
Advance = 41,000+/- employees
Pep Boys = 19,000+/- employees

 

[tim]

Just messing with you, please don't take offense. I'm in for 2K too

Just messing with you, please don't take offense. I'm in for 2K too

Don't worry about it, guess it was my fault for walking into the pep boys and asking something about a company i invested in and didn't want to start WWIII, will just keep my mouth shut and wait till the end and see what ever happens.

 

[Johnapool]

Don't worry about it, guess it was my fault for walking into the pep boys and asking something about a company i invested in and didn't want to start WWIII, will just keep my mouth shut and wait till the end and see what ever happens.

Nah, Tim. There're just a bunch of mostly OLD fart-oops windbags hanging around on their dang computers with nothin' much to do. Posting on here's not REALLY going to stir up a hornet's nest, 'cause most every one is happy to have a bone to chew on!