'Firestone Is Just As Bad': Pep Boys Quotes Woman $293 To Change Light. Then She Catches Them In A Lie

'Something told me to check YouTube.'

Pep Boys Quotes Woman $293 To Change Light

Photo by: AdobeStock

Stacy Fernandez

By: Stacy Fernandez

Mar 31, at 4:00pm ET

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Auto repair shops have long been accused of overcharging customers who don't know any better. Most people aren’t car experts and hope that their mechanic will give them an honest price on work you’d rarely think you can do yourself.

But startled by a recent quote for a simple job, this woman decided to take matters into her own hands. Here’s how it went.

Taillight Repair: A Butter Knife And A Dream

In a video with more than 203,000 views, content creator @b.fly126 documents what she says happened when she went to Pep Boys for an inspection and was told her broken taillight needed to be replaced.

"They said order the part, bring it back, and we'll do the replacement," she says in the video. When she asked how much it would cost, the answer was $293. "I said, ‘For what? I thought that was a pop-in, pop-out kind of job.’"

She says the Pep Boys employee told her no, they'd have to remove her bumper, and the job would take an hour and a half.

"Something told me to check YouTube," she says. "I did it myself."

The video shows her doing exactly that, popping out the broken taillight and snapping in a new one, apparently with nothing more than a butter knife.

"PEP BOYS quoted me $293 to do this!! This is disgusting predatory behavior! No shame in their [expletive] game!" she said in the text overlay.

"@Pep Boys ought to be ashamed!" she added in the caption.

More Drivers Are Skipping The Shop And Doing It Themselves

She's not alone in reaching for YouTube before calling a mechanic. A 2025 report from TOPDON and Statista, which surveyed 2,800 vehicle owners in North America and the U.K., found that 93% of DIY diagnostic tool users said they'd avoided unnecessary technician visits by handling repairs themselves, according to Aftermarket Matters.

A separate Circana study noted that 29% of consumers reported switching from having a professional change their oil to doing it themselves to save money, and that trend is accelerating as vehicles age and repair costs climb.

"There are 20 million more vehicles in the aftermarket 'sweet spot'—those beyond their original warranty—than there were in 2020," said Nathan Shipley, automotive industry analyst for Circana. "Older cars mean more maintenance activity, but the cost of that maintenance can add up fast, leading consumers to find ways to save, including taking on some of it themselves."

What a Taillight Replacement Actually Costs

The part itself isn't the issue. Aftermarket taillights can run anywhere from $5 to $1,300, depending on the vehicle, according to CarParts.com. For most standard replacements, it's a job many drivers can handle themselves with the right instructions.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has flagged broken taillights as a legitimate safety hazard, noting that most rear-end crashes stem from failing to respond to a decelerating vehicle, making functioning taillights critical. That said, CarParts.com notes that some insurance policies require tail lights to be replaced by a professional, so it's worth checking your policy before going the DIY route.

Commenters React To Pep Boys Customer's DIY Taillight Repair

“$193 for a cabin filter. Went to YouTube and did it for $26.00,” a top comment read.

“I was quoted $1200 to replace my throttle body. I checked YouTube, bought a new throttle body for $60, and replaced it myself,” a person wrote.

What do you think?

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“I love YouTube university,” another added.

Motor1 reached out to @b.fly126 for comment via TikTok direct message and comment and to Pep Boys via email. We'll be sure to update this if they respond.

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