Ntb-National Tire & Battery

I had a tire that needed to be repaired not only did they repair it they noticed another issue that they fixed and advised The mechanics there are very knowledgeable and efficient, the manager is also friendly to deal with will refer all my friends that need service or tires I used the online appointment and was taken on time or close to the promised time

Buyer beware, I had 2 front tires and new brakes installed, was told there was a rebate, when I got I home I sent in the rebate form with my invoice and receipt. About 8 weeks later I get a card in the mail saying my rebate submittal was rejected because I didn’t send in a valid invoice/​receipt. The guy in Natick said it was out of his hands and gave me a corporate number. To date I haven’t been able to talk to a real person. What a hassle, what a bait and switch, I had chosen to have the work done there in part because of the rebate.

I purchase tires from NTB and had issues with them after 24,000 miles –the tires were still under warranty and they gave me better tires as a replacement and my price was prorated. Very happy with the service and will always go there for service.

Oil change and tire rotation special today. NTB told me my battery was low and recommend replacement. I took under advisement and will check with my friend who is mechanic. I get frustrated when large companies try to sell me. I will save my judgment of NTB and see what my mechanic says.

They really helped me out on a holiday yesterday — Labor Day. We had a bolt in our tire and no one else was open. Thank goodness these guys were. I called 55 mins before they close and they helped us out — fixed the tire in no time. Thank you!

I come here frequently. All of my oil changes are done here because of the included tire rotation. They’ve also done well taking care of me with 2 flat tires in addition to at least one full set of tires.
If you call ahead and make an appointment, you’re better off than walking in. You can also make appointments online, which I find convenient. I’ve never been sold something that wasn’t needed and I appreciate the honesty of their employees.
I drive from the Worcester area to get the services done here because they are trustworthy and always provide quality service.
They do recommend leaving the car for the day if you come on the weekend because they are busy (which is a good sign).
I would recommend this shop to anyone needed oil changes/​tire services.

I brought my vehicle in for the $ 19.95 oil change so that I would get a free tire rotation. I had scheduled the oil change the day before. I arrived for the appointment and my vehicle was brought in promptly. They are nice enough to provide you with a window so you can observe the progress. I watched the tire rotation, and then progress stopped while whomever was working on my vehicle wandered around for 15 – 20 minutes, putting together a push broom at one point. The oil was drained, and I watched for over half an hour as the oil catch basin sat under the vehicle. I finally went to the desk to ask what the hang up was and was told «we’re waiting for an oil filter». Apparently their inventory showed 3, but there were in fact none. At no point did anyone feel the need to inform me of the reason for the delay. If NTB expects repeat customers for oil changes, in my opinion they will have to do better. I certainly won’t be back. I’ll take my business to Valvoline, where I can drive up, drive in (usually) and be in and out in 15 – 20 minutes without having to schedule an appointment or jump through any hoops. The whole episode took over an hour and a half ! VERY disappointing performance.

Once again went to NTB for tires only and got the 4 for 3 deal so 4 new tires installed, mounted and balanced for under $ 400! I didn’t need a front-​end alignment so that was good too. That’s a good deal. Sears would charge me $ 650 for worse tires. On the negative side, they told me my rear brakes were gone and I needed new pads and rotors and quoted me a price of $ 472. I knew that price was way too high and took the car to my usual mechanic who’s honest and he said yes, they needed to be replaced but the whole job he did for under $ 200. Comparing the two estimates, it seems NTB charges way more for the parts and slightly more for labor which means they must make money on the parts I am guessing by marking them up. They do this with every customer i.e. try and have them repair other things than what they came in for. I would never have any mechanical work done at NTB, just tires and maybe a battery. I was amazed as I sat inn the waiting room how many people fell for the sales pitch. Now my car did need the repair, but for way more money at NTB. I would not have mechanical work done at a place like NTB i.e. a chain; go to a good local mechanic who’s trustworthy and won’t try and screw you; there are plenty of them out there. You can easily find out what a car repair should cost by doing a quick iinternet search, so don’t get screwed!

first appointment on a Saturday, arrive at 7:30, didn’t touch the car until after nine, wasted 2 hours of my life. never again!

brought my car in today to have a few leaky tires looked at and i couldn’t be more satisfied with the service i received from charlie the service manager. great attitude, excellent sense of humor and he went out of his way to deal with my annoying warranty company regarding a rare tire to find. needless to say it’s nice to work with quality people who are honest, polite and efficient.

Hard sell. Definite trust issues, probably a liar. Plus also possibly racist.
I brought the car in with a flat tire, (visible leak just above the sidewall), assumed I’d probably need to replace two tires to stay symmetrical. And they agreed and went to work. I noted, with some perplexity, that they had popped the hood to change my tires… not, I thought, a sign portending good omens.
Came back about 45 minutes later and told the African-​American couple next to me that they needed to replace their linkages, really important to do it today… launched right into a litany about how, if it was a question of funds, they’d be happy to sign them up for an NTB account, get a few bucks off. Plus, also, he’d cut them this great deal by only charging about 75% of the hours he was «supposed» to charge. Didn’t even give the guy a chance to breath or respond before he started in on the financing options.
Then he came over to tell me that my struts and linkages needed to be replaced «based on mileage» and they were only going to charge me about 75% of the hourly charge they were «supposed to charge» me. It was presented like they had already done the work on the car, although I had only signed off on the tire replacements and rotation. When I told him I was only paying for the tires, he got all affronted and argued that it was a «respect issue» that he had seen the issues and brought them to my attention.
In any event: assuming the African-​American guy can’t pay, telling me that a part that has no mileage limit has a mileage limit, and presenting a new quote without any request or okay from me… calls into question how they do business.

Never had better service ! Kindest people and they know their stuff — love it here. I had flat tires repaired in record time

This place sucks, be very careful when dealing with them.

Had an alignment done at this location on Saturday afternoon. They told me it would take 30 – 45 minutes, I was out 65 minutes later. Steering is better now and like it was before I whacked a pothole.
Wasn’t too busy but the mechanics seemed to be mulling around in the back. I overheard several interactions with the customers and the counter people were pleasant and courteous. Seemed to be willing to work with the people and get them the right products at a decent price (knocked 10% off tires for one lady). I’ve had some stuff done here before and it seemed to go ok.
As usual, your mileage may vary and it pays to be an informed consumer.

Some trust issues here. I brought my car in for a routine oil change and alignment, mainly because I bought tires here and decided to go for the alignment plan. Lo and behold, I get a call saying that my rotors ‘look like a cheese grater’ and are a real danger on the road. I’m also told my suspension is shot and my car is unsafe to drive. Being somewhat of an ignorant car owner, I tell them to replace the front rotors, but leave the suspension alone. Note that I have NEVER had an issue with my brakes, no squeaking or anything.
When I pick my car up I’m told that my rear rotors are also shot, but the pads are okay, so I don’t need to replace them right away. After the new pads/​rotors were put on the front I noticed a horrendous squeaking noise from my front left tire everytime I stopped. I take it back to NTB 2 days later and am told that the squeak is actually coming from the back tires because the pads are bad (strange they worsened in 2 days). They then say that they NEVER replace brake pads without replacing the rotor (which wasn’t mentioned as necessary, despite the upsell attempt after I had the front replaced). Being a dummy I agreed to this too. I’ve since learned that you can easily replace just the brake pads if the rotors are in good condition.
Squeak was still there, coming from the front, so I brought it back. Am told that «they must not have cleaned it when they installed» so they clean them and squeak goes away as I drive off the lot. Next day… SQUEEAAKKK!, a horrendous noise starts coming from the front left wheel well when I brake.
So I bring it back. I’m then told that they originally installed a lower quality rotor on the front brakes because they ran out of their normal inventory. They replace the front rotor with their «normal» quality one. Squeak is still around occasionally, but I’ve since given up with these clowns.
I’m convinced NTB invented both issues with my rotors to scrape $ 1000 revenue, which being a car dummy I suppose I should sort of expect. HOWEVER, there is no excuse for taking quiet brakes and replacing them in a way that results in 3 return visits and a persistent squeak.
The family owned, local mechanic down the street recently took a look at my suspension and said it was perfectly fine. I’ll be going to him from now on and letting everyone in my area know my experience with NTB.

Why 2 stars?.Well I have used NTB when it was NTW and Cambridge Tire before that .What I demand when I service my 2 cars is competent work at reasonable prices, and that’s what NTW did, but NTB? I dunno, I bought all my tires here, they matched Costco prices sold me 3 — 5 year alignment and when I changed the oil they gave me a report. Trouble with auto repair I have only to see myself ripped off once and then I become leery. About 3 years ago brought my wife’s car in, after the change I was told the ball joints were very worn and I was in danger driving the car .They gave me an estimate and I went home worrying about my wife driving .With this in mind I went to the Deham store and asked them to check the car .He came back and told my all the tires were cracked (these were 80,000 Michelins) not to worry they could give me a prorate. Nothing about the ball joints which I asked them to check .I left and called Toyota service and took the car in .I asked Toyota to check the ball joints and told them I was in another state and a garage told me I needed new ball joints and my tires were cracked. After a ½ hour the service manager came out and said you’re ok everything is ok .I was furious, who you gonna trust after being a customer maybe 20 years .I called the head office and complained, they seemed concerned took the info, never heard from them again .I called the Dedham NTB told him my experience he was furious and hung up on me .Went back to Natick very apologetic but nothing resolved .So I still used them for alignment and oil change, however last year after getting an oil change they were at it again .Now my struts were all shot, cost to replace around $ 15 – 1700, not to wait long. Again I went to Toyota, they of course are in business to sell struts and ball joints, again they tell me im fine .I take it to a local service station get an oil change and ask them to check the front end, everything is just fine .Back to Natick NTB I confronted them and their answer was, after so many miles their book recommends change the struts .I said why, can’t you check the condition of the struts, besides struts wear differently for different drivers so why should I listen to a recommendation from the company, because they now have an out .The book tells us to recommend new struts after certain mileage has been reached whether you need them or not .
I don’t trust this company anymore although they have a new manager who seems nice. Another thing I learned if your ball joints are gone you can’t really do an alignment, so why did they do one 3 years ago and 3 more alignments, I do them twice a year .The end is I am driving the car for 3 years with so called bad ball joints, 3 years with cracked tires and 1 year with so called bad shocks .
So why did I wait so long to write this review, because I didn’t know that people did reviews on tire companies, cable companies, I thought Unilocal was for restaurants and hotels .I’m glad I got this off my chest.

This review is for Direct Tire (Natick) and National Tire and Battery (Natick). I’ve combined them because I think the contrast provides good context and perspective.
Direct Tire
A little over a year ago, I ordered a wheel and tire set online (pre-​mounted and balanced). I had it shipped directly to Direct Tire. Doug, the manager, was pleasant and professional. As published, install was $ 40 and resetting the TPMS another $ 40. Doug was upfront about saying that because I had a Nissan, he wasn’t sure the TPMS reset would work. They would try and if it ends up not working, he would refund the fee. The challenge with some cars is that when you change wheels/​tpms sensors — when they are first installed the TPMS alert will not go on, so it looks fine — but after 15 mins the alert comes on (and will not go away). This is the case for Nissans and, as I just discovered, Mitsubishi’s.
The install was great. I work close to Direct Tire and they dropped me off at work. Total charges came to $ 90 (including old tire disposal). The TPMS reset was done and was fine for the first 15 minutes but, as Doug suspected, the alert came on. Doug rechecked the sensors and tires to make sure it was all OK (and SAFE to drive). At that point, he determined I had to go to a Nissan dealer. He gladly refunded $ 40.
National Tire and Battery
A year and half later (read, Aug 2009), I got rid of my car and got a new one. I also got a new set of wheels and tires online (pre-​mounted and balanced). Attracted by their lower prices — install was only $ 20 (plus old tire disposal $ 2 each) and TPMS reset $ 20 (I was told this could go up to $ 100 though) — I thought take a chance with NTB in Natick. This was the case since I had great service from another NTB (Everett) branch. So, I had the wheels/​tires shipped to NTB Natick.
NTB was prompt and professional. The install was quick. In fact, they were quite pleasant. They told me a wheel (or two?) was missing some weights — so they were going to balance it. As a precaution, they were going to balance the rest as well. I thought it was a great call. Rich, the manager, said he would not be charging for it. They reset the TPMS. No TPMS alert light. Upon completion, the charge was $ 137. They had been so pleasant I didn’t think to question it. I just assumed the TPMS cost was higher and I did notice it included a lifetime «balance and rotation» program — which I figured would be useful anyway. Frankly, I was just excited to have new wheels and wanted to drive! Paid without questioning the costs (uhhg)!
The disappointment arose when the TPMS alert came on, which with hindsight predictably came on after 15 minutes of driving. I called Rich and he said to let some air out. He said sensors will do that if the air pressure shoots up with new tires. According to my manual (which I checked later), the TPMS sensor ONLY comes on when the pressure is low (not high). I let air out and checked pressure. The TPMS alert stayed on. Wanting to be safe, I took it back to NTB the following day. They checked the sensors, which were functioning properly. They could not get the TPMS alert to turn off. I asked them if it was one of those «dealer only» reset situations — they said they’ve never heard of such a thing. They did however acknowledge that they only had specs for 2008 (car is 2009) and that maybe they needed a software update. They said maybe I should come back in 3 or 6 months (really??). I asked if it simply does not work, would they refund the fee — answer — NO. They blamed it on likely «cheap» sensors — that’s what I get for getting them online (that online seller, btw, has great service).
That evening, I checked the online bulletin boards. Lancer owners noted that Sears, Walmart, Town Fair etc. all know that they can not reset the TPMS for a Mitsubishi Lancer. NTB, despite «all the cars they work on», does not know this.
NTB will not refund you for a service, even if it ends up not working. They will also, if you are not careful, slip a «program» into your invoice (turns out, I had bought the premium tire plan — $ 32.99 each!).
Certainly, one has to appreciate the power of the Internet.
Doug — from Direct Tire — if you ever read this. My apologies for considering going anywhere else but Direct Tire. There was absolutely no reason why I looked somewhere else except that I was being cheap (ofcourse, I actually ended up paying more! and now I wonder if the suspect wheel really was not balanced). You and your team have always provided excellent service. I will be back.
Rich — from NTB — if you ever read this. You almost had my business. I work 10 minutes down the road, for a company with almost 1,000 employees. We are part of the group with 2,000 scattered around Framingham. I had actually thought of recommending your NTB to our HR/​Benefits committee as a local partner (they advertise local businesses to employees, create programs, etc.). Obviously, I will be doing the opposite.

Very pleased with the experience (especially for an annoyance like a tire that needed replacing).
Called ahead and placed a hold on the OEM (original manufacturer) tire for my van. Price was fair — about 5% more than online + shipping for the tire itself. Got to NTB and was immediately taken care of. Was told «30 minutes» for the whole thing and they were exactly right.
Best thing, I got to take my son into the garage and watch. He was fascinated with the stacks of tires, the special machines for tire removal and balancing, the lift and the mechanics. In and out in 30 minutes flat.
Update: I forgot to mention that the guys at NTB measured my rear tires and called out the fact that they had half their life left (⁷⁄₃₂ inches) — unlike the guys at Sears Natick who tried to scam my wife into changing them!