National Tire and Battery

I feel like I need to chime in with a positive experience as the rest of these reviews are really harsh.
I’ve been to this NTB multiple times and have only had the most pleasant of experiences here, including them doing an 8:30PM late night tire patch job the day before I was driving to New Orleans. The service staff has been nothing but polite and courteous, even a little jokey and laid back. You can also come during the day as a walk in and get some necessary service in a few hours.
My one complaint is that once when I came to get my oil changed they didn’t have the correct filters and couldn’t do it until the next day, which wasn’t feasible for me. Even then, they offered to take a percentage off — in fact for most service they apply some sort of discount.
Auto places always get a bad rap on Unilocal.Just know these other complaints are in the minority, and that most of their work is professional and high quality (especially compared to a dealer).

I went in to get my tires changed and shortly after they took my car back and removed the wheels, they came back and let me know that the brake shoes urgently needed replacing because I almost had metal grinding on metal. The cost would be $ 450. I refused this service and decided to get a second opinion, but they made it seem like my life was in danger if I did not change them immediately. Took the car to another shop and was told that the brake shoes were not even near worn through and that they really didn’t need to be changed. I will never go back.

I went to get the oil changed and tires rotated, simple stuff. The associated said that they where short handed and it would be better if I made an appointment for later in the day, that then I could be in and out in an hour.
I did as told set the appointment, came back later left the car walked to a nearby restaurant and came back an hour later and my car still had not been touched. I was told it would take yet another hour before it would get pulled into a bay.
I got the keys back and left.
Great location, just wished that they could promise and deliver.

I didn’t even get a service performed here. I showed up a little before 9 a.m. on a Friday to inquire about getting a flat tire replaced. I walked in, one employee brushed me off and said to wait. There is only one woman in the entire store.
For the next 20 minutes, various techs came in and kind of aimlessly wondered around or tapped a few buttons on the computer, then walked out — the place was not busy or full. The only front desk person (the original guy) came back after close to 20 minutes, checked out the woman in front of me, and then as he is finishing up, a call comes in. He takes the call and spends 3 – 5 minutes on the phone with a caller while I am waiting.
I finally get helped — all I need to know is do they have a tire in stock, how much will it cost… they have the tires «at their warehouse» and the computer doesn’t have a price. He has to call the warehouse to find a price for the tire. Another 5 minutes.
The only upside is that the price seemed fair when I finally got it, and they expected they could have the tire shipped from the warehouse for the next day.
But after the service I experienced, I’m not planning to go back. If it takes almost half an hour ON A SLOW MORNING just to inquire on whether a tire is in stock, there is no point in going back to see how long actual service takes…

Quick tip. Keep an eye on your car to ensure work is getting done.
The good: addressed issues professionally
The bad: there were issues
Called at noon to ask if I would need an appointment and was told dropping in would be fine. Arrived later to be told it would be a 45 minute wait until the car would even be looked at. Explained my disappointment and the Manager on duty was able to accommodate me, stating my car would be brought in immediately. Thirty minutes later I strolled into the shop to see how things were going to discover my car hadn’t been brought in for service yet. I then requested my keys back. The Manager on duty had a technician begin service in my vehicle immediately to complete a complimentary oil change.
NTB seems to have to right attitude about business however they seem to be having problems executing.
I will likely give them another chance but am skeptical it will be worth my time.
All in all, my oil change took TWO HOURS.

I concur w/​all the other 1 stars. Including that I wish there were less than one star. I’m not giving details of the fiasco, involving loss of time/​money (overcharging, repeat trips back, terrible estimate of how long it would take) since they have my address, but suffice to say you are better off going anywhere but here. Having been to 2 NTB’s and a Sears in the past 15 months to get various services performed at the cheapest rate, I can now sincerely say I wish I had just let the dealer do it in one fell swoop. DONT GO HERE! YOU WILL REGRET IT!
PS: yes, there is shopping across the street, but don’t be fooled by this trap. There’s not enough over there to keep you busy for the hours and hours it will take for them to actually finish with your car.

If I could give this shop a negative review, I would! I had a slow leak in my tire and needed what should have been a quick repair. As the other reviews here have indicated, there is nothing quick about this NTB! I thought I would give them a try because they were cheaper to fix the tire than the other two shops I called. After being quoted an hour, it took over 2 hours to fix a tire, and there was only three other cars in the shop. After repeatedly watching the «workers» piddle around and take literally four breaks each in the 2 hour time I was there I had enough. After finally my tire done, they managed to run over another customer’s hub cap while backing my vehicle up. It seriously looked like Dumb & Dumber running the show, they couldn’t even coordinate getting my truck out of the garage as they brought another vehicle in. I finally went out and drove my truck out of the garage myself as I was concerned about them hitting something with it! I voiced my concerns to the manager, who was in the garage smoking a cigarette with the others at one point of this experience. I didn’t end up paying for the tire patch, but I had to literally check the lug nuts myself to ensure my tire wouldn’t fall off down the road. The manager offered me some free oil change coupons, but there is no way I’m taking any vehicle back there, worst experience I’ve had at a auto service in quite some time! Don’t waste your time, it’s worth $ 10 — $ 15 more to go elsewhere.

Wow, what an adventure. So I had the girlfriend’s car out and it needed an oil change, so being the generous person I am I figured I’d make a quick run. The Lube Stop off of Glebe was packed, so I figured I’d try a plan B. Not the best of decisions…
I dropped the car off for a basic oil change at NTB about 1:15. I was told it would take about an hour to an hour and a half… long, but there’s Potomac Crossing across the street to kill time so what the hell. After grabbing a bite to eat and doing some Christmas shopping I came back about 2:45… only to see my car still sitting in the parking lot. I was hoping it was already finished, but to my dismay it hadn’t even been started yet! I was told that my car was next and the shop was running behind (doubt I’m the first to hear this…), so I parked myself in the waiting area. Half hour later, some cars finally roll out (btw, the techs don’t seem to have too much incentive to move vehicles through quickly… let’s just say that the pace of work is «leisurely»). Thinking mine would be next I got a bit excited, only to have my hopes dashed as other cars were brought in.
I had finally had it at this point (about 3:15), and asked for my keys back. So, thanks NTB for wasting 2 hours of my day on a Saturday. Now I remember why I always did this stuff myself back when I had a driveway…

I didn’t think much of my experience there until I put it in context with the other reviews here.
I went to NTB to repair a «leaker». They were apparently unable to effect the repair because of the location of the nail, although I got two different explanations — too close to the edge of the belt and they didn’t have small patches. (Actually both answers could have been correct.)
So far, so good. My spare was a real tire, so I was in no hurry.
When I left, they did not offer my tire back, so I had to ask. They said to back up to the entrance and they would drop it off. They then directed another customer to exit, and I had to argue with them to get my wheel back.
At the time, I figured it was just a matter of the ordinary chaos of running a shop. I don’t know what the story would have been if I came back the next day for my wheel, but I wonder how many people really want to «forget» about their alloy wheels when they’re deciding how to deal with a tire they may have to scrap. After seeing other reviews here concerning people having to argue to retrieve their own property back, I figure I was lucky I insisted on their returning the tire.
Maybe I would have been able to retrieve the wheel if I forgot (even though they argued with me when I wanted to take it right then and there), but I really do not like to do business with people like that.
I was able to get the job done at ‘Bingo’, an independent used tire dealer down the street.

I won’t bore you with horror stories of service, or sales, or of waiting, or of incompetence or theft. I simply wish there was a way to rate less then 1 star. Don’t go through the head aches w/​this shop that I have. Just keep on driving. Go to a dealership, or pay double somewhere else. You’ll thank me in the end.

If you are a massochist, the «service» here will appeal.
Let me begin by saying that I am a service manager of 15 years and that’s important to mention only because I know how upsetting it can be to read a scathing review and I don’t give them often to other businesses. This NTB, however, inspired me to open a Unilocal account.
Every negative review you read here is likely a good reflection of the experience you’ll have. 4 – 5 hour wait times, regardless of whether or not you have an appointment should be expected. You will also encounter amazingly rude staff behind the counter… In my most recent tire repair (I have their road hazard warranty on my BMW tires) they claimed to have plugged a tire that was leaking slowly. I got the car home only to find that along the way the tire had completely lost air. The tire was now shot and my rim was damaged as well. When a local DC shop took the damaged tire off the rim I was able to see that the tire had never been plugged at all and I’d been charged $ 65 by NTB to have my tire destroyed — criminal.
When I returned to complain about the experience, I was greeted by an old man with a white beard who was so rude it was not to be believed. I’m not used to such behavior from people twice my age. The manager there was unyielding and after nearly two hours the only thing he did was offer me 20% off a new tire. In hindsight I should have filed a police report. This place needs to be put out of its misery.
Vote with your dollars to put this place out of business. They truly deserve it.

I had an 11am appointment on a Monday. It took them 5 hours to change two tires that I had ordered two weeks before. Then they didn’t credit my deposit, so I had to catch them on the math.
The employees then bickered between them over whose fault it was (as in who was the worst employee).
Suffice it to say that I will not be returning.

I dread going into NTB because they take foreverrrr. Dropping your car off on a Saturday or Sunday pretty much means signing the day away. They’ve never impressed me in terms of service, but they are the only place anywhere in the area to always have my apparently hard to find tires in stock. And they sold me on the three year tire alignment package a little while back, and every now and then I’ll get a $ 19.99 oil change coupon in the mail, so that’s were I go. It usually takes 2 – 3 hours for them to get the job done but at least there is an abundance of shopping across the street to keep occupied for the afternoon.
But last week NTB won definite brownie points — since they didn’t have my air filter (its some fancy kind that doesn’t need to be cleaned as frequently anyway) the guy did the whole rest of the service, and didn’t charge me a single penny! Completely unexpected, and I sincerely appreciated the freebie.

Great service and flexibility.
Another tire shop told me I’d need to spend hundreds of dollars, so I brought it here for another opinion. They said my five-​year-​old road hazard plan was still good, so they patched up the old tire for free. (That plan was the best $ 12 I ever spent.)
Two different guys looked at my tires and told me how much wear was left on them, and what to look for to make sure dry rot wasn’t an issue. They also didn’t mind me parking the car there for a few days.
The next week, I hit a huge pothole with the same tire and jarred loose the patch (totally my fault… I hit it really hard). They took care of it without question, no charge (still covered by the road hazard plan), and stayed late to get it done so I wouldn’t have to make another trip back to get the car.
Super-​nice people, and the patch is doing fine after a 1,200-mile road trip.

Took my car in to have the oil changed and they just botched it.
My wife took in the car, and I always buy the oil ahead of time since I use a specific synthetic oil as per my manufacturer’s specs. But when my wife took it in, they tried to charge her the full amount, which included the oil. Normally we get a credit for a few bucks, and if they have to order it — I end up paying three times as much for it. Later, they gave us the credit for the oil.
The serviceman took off the old filter, then forgot to check the gasket — which had stuck onto the flange — so when they put on the new filter — and started the car after replacing the oil, the oil went everywhere. They replaced the filter, and the lost oil — but never mentioned the mix up until my wife saw them and mentioned it to me. And she had to wait around for an hour for them to get the car to start the service alone. Two hours for an oil change? Hmmm…
Sloppy. Sloppy. Sloppy.
When I got home to inspect the car, oil was still dripping from the underside of the car — and oil was everywhere on the exhaust. I took it back to the store, and they tried to clean it up — but it was still a mess. The manager offered to pay for a undercarriage wash — which I have to wait until the rain stops to do it, and in the mean time — there is a dirty grease layer now building up on the undercarriage and parts in the car.
My guess is that they are going through a management change — because they never had problems like this before. Also their waiting area when I went in, had become their employee’s lounge. The TV was not working, and looked like it came from a yard sale. And it was filthy too!
No kidding… for a set of tires, maybe. But for anything mechanical, look elsewhere.