Ntb-National Tire & Battery

This location sold me a tire protection plan on my run flat tires. The first time I tried to use the plan, they told me they didn’t have the tires and couldn’t order them.

Came in for an oil change and was told oil would be changed along with a tire rotation and alignment check. I looked at my tires before going in to see if they would really do a rotation. Upon leaving and looking at my tires again the only thing that was done was air was put into the right front tire which was low. None of the tires were rotated. I am very disappointed with the service and the deception. I would expect better from grown men who get paid to do a job.

Their «loss leader» is a conventional $ 19.95 oil change (plus $ 3 disposal fee) … that’s fine. They also seem competitive on tire prices, although mounting and balancing are additional. I’ve never understood this … why not one all-​inclusive price? It’s not as if I’m going to lug them home and install them myself. But it’s likely that you’ll pay more in total here, because …
Not only do they charge separately for parts and labor (yes, there’s an installation fee for everything, even batteries and filters), it’s based on a rate of … are you ready … $ 100/​hr. My Lexus dealer charges less (come to think of it, so does my attorney), the technicians are much better qualified, and I get to wait in far more comfortable surroundings.
Just a couple of comparisons: a full synthetic oil change is $ 70 at NTB … it’s $ 54 at Lexus. A top-​of-​the-​line battery for my Nissan Juke would run me around $ 180 installed here … it’s in the $ 80-​$ 90 range at several auto parts stores, and prices include installation. AAA will even deliver and install one for $ 99.
As if this weren’t enough of a reason to stay away, service is pathetic. Plan on two hours for a simple oil change (even if you have an appointment), longer if you want a new air filter, and half the day if you’re including the cabin filter. Bring your lunch if you’re buying tires. Everyone seems to be «stuck in neutral» here … reminds me of slow-​motion instant replay.
There’s little profit in those cheap oil changes, so don’t be surprised if they tell you that a part or two needs replacing. Your car may be running just fine … but once they get it up on the lift, it’s more likely than not that they’ll find some issue that, if not taken care of immediately, will result in a major breakdown. Get it checked out at another shop. Chances are there’s nothing wrong … but if your vehicle does need work, it will cost you much less somewhere else. The folks behind the counter should be wearing ski masks and carrying guns when quoting prices.
These days, a $ 20 oil change is common, so there’s no reason to seek out NTB. I’d definitely shop around for tires before buying, given what they charge to install anything … and watch out for the add-​ons such as road hazard warranties. Don’t even think about batteries and filters here. At $ 100/​hr. it’s virtually guaranteed that you’ll do better elsewhere.

Now… the first time I went here about three weeks ago, I needed to have my valve stem looked into. A simple repair, and they handled it pretty well and pretty efficiently. So, although I wouldn’t call it stellar service, it was good.
I went last week to get my brakes changed, and get an alignment. Decent service, although the wait was rather long, and they were short-​staffed.
If you need something done and they are convenient to you, they will do. If you have a favorite place that does really good service, go there.

I wish I could give them no stars but one will have to do.
Took my husbands car to get an inspection. Simple right? Tuh. No way. They call us & let us know it had failed because one if the lights on the dash had came on. We asked what light & we get you didn’t pass inspection hangs up. We go to the place, mind you it was Saturday (and it took maybe 2hrs for them get to our car). Anyways, we get there & the guy was like oh it didn’t pass because of the check engine light. Ok that’s fine, but aren’t you as a mechanic suppose to inform us WHY it came on like the codes that the computer spits back saying we need to get this this & this fixed so we can get it worked ok to pass inspection.
Of course after we dropped a few f-​bombs, we grabbed our keys & walked out. Why is it so hard to do your job?! I wouldn’t recommend you taking your car there.

Wow, I guess the low ratings are piling up. I have to concur with almost every post here. I am so sorry that my boss recommended NTB to me and I switched from Discount Tire. This place is a joke. Sold me 4 new tires and then when I went back for a wheel alignment and tire rotation several months later they told me I needed 2 new tires. And that my warranty didn’t cover them.
Also, talk about wait time nightmares. Get ready to eat breakfast and lunch out of their well-​stocked vending machines and watch some prime day time TV (I’d never actually watched Judge Judy before… pretty entertaining). GRRRRRRR.

We recently purchased new tires at Big O Tire in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Since we are in Houston temporarily, we needed to get these new tires rotated. Evidently, Big O Tire and NTB are related companies and the website referred us to the closest NTB at 2611 South Loop West.
We got our tires rotated, but the NTB associate brought us an estimate for more than $ 1,600 on other work that he said needed to be done. We were floored. NTB recommended replacement of the idler arm, steering center link, brake shoes, brake pads, rotors and labor. Wanting a second opinion, we went to Unilocal and read the reviews for car repairs. I wish we had done that prior to our visit to NTB.
We ended up taking our GMC to Hare Repair at 5815 Star Lane and Jim examined the brakes and stated that the front brakes were perfect and the back brakes had T least another 10,000 miles before they would need replacement. He also felt that our vehicle did not warrant any other work at this time per his inspection and our record of maintenance.
I noticed that not all NTB locations have received bad reviews, but the NTB at 2611 South Loop West has and my review is just one more negative review. Definitely a case of «buyer beware.»

Uh… I accidentally made the mistake of going to this place again. It was convinient and they had a deal. I totally forgot I had a terrible experience the last time until after I walked in. By then it was too late and I had already paid. I was pretty annoyed at myself for that.
Didn’t think my experience could get worse… you’re wrong!!!
It just post my letter I sent to the company:
To Whom It May Concern,
I scheduled an appointment at 4:30 on 2÷4÷14 for a basic oil change. After checking in, I was told the technician was finishing putting tires on a car and my car would be next in line. No other cars were in the garage but one SUV. I went to the waiting room and sat by the window watching to see when my car would be pulled in. After 30 minutes of seeing no one working in the garage I asked the front desk how much longer it would be before my turn. The employee apologized for the wait and said he only had one technician at the time. He went into the garage and talked to the technician which I assume he was telling to hurry up since I had been waiting. More time passed and another employee went into the garage to check up on the technician. It took around 1 hour before my car was looked it even though I scheduled my appointment online in advance. Most of the time I was waiting I saw no one working in the garage. After my car was driven in I sat and watched at the window. I began to notice the technician working on my car started to stare for long periods of time towards the waiting area/​front desk. I assumed he was looking at something in the garage towards that direction. I also noticed that he was doing all work AS SLOW AS POSSIBLE. I was confused for the longest time as to why he would slow down all his work and stare towards my direction. I realized he was staring right at me. He was trying to intimidate me. The whole time he changed my oil he would stare right at me in an intimidating way, much like someone who is about to get into a fight. I was appalled at his actions and went to the front desk to let them know. I was told that this was a reoccurring problem at the shop and some of the technicians don’t like it when people watch them work. The employee told me that he would let the manager know and apologized for the technician’s behavior and wait time. It took the technician around 45 minutes to change my oil and he was only working on my car.
I am very disturbed by the actions of this employee and the fact that NTB is aware of the situation and has done nothing to resolve this. I should not be made to feel threatened for watching someone work on my car from the waiting room. I am uncomfortable knowing that this technician has access to my home information and has already threatened me. This is 100% unacceptable that your company has allowed this person to continue to harass customers for simply watching their cars being serviced from the waiting room. I will not be a customer at NTB anymore and I am very disappointed in the service you have provided.
The NTB assistant manager and district manager both contacted me. I called the district manager back a couple of time, left a voice, emailed him back, but never heard from him again. I called the store back and the manager informed me that the technician had been fired and he seemed apolegetic. He offered me a free oil change. Thanks NTB… Thanks.

I actually can’t wait until my tires wear out so I never have to go to an NTB again. Why, you ask?
I arrived today for a «free» rotation and balance and added an alignment. I was told 2 hrs total so I went next door to eat. When I got back 1 ¾ hrs later, nothing had been done — apparently the rack was being inspected so they hadn’t begun. I suspect that the alignment guy had just gone on break. It was only that I was standing right there that alignment was begun. 15 mins later it was out in the lot and again the rotation was only begun when I went to the desk and stood there. The tire guy protested doing the work right in front of me, wanting to start his break, but finally worked me in with mgrs’ intervention.
This is the worst service!!! Avoid NTB and this location in particular. All my other cars have tires from Discount Tires… Great place to go. Eventually, this car will have Discount Tires as well.
Update: 3 ½ plus hours later and I’m still here… alignment done incorrectly and no printout given — out of ink. When I got back guy told me another 1 ½ hrs! Mgr stepped in to get me in sooner, but it shouldn’t be a fight.

I don’t usually complain, but yesterday’s experience was unacceptable. I made an online appointment to get my oil changed at the NTB Store #704 off of South Loop West in Houston. Upon my arrival, I was told that there were 7 other cars they were working on and to come back an hour and a half later. They said they would be able to help me right away if I came back later. I kindly accepted the suggestion, but why do we have the appointment option if they don’t honor it? I came back and they said they would work on my car right away. That was a lie. I sat and waited for 2 hours. When I noticed my car hadn’t been worked on, they said they were about to work on it, and it would be another 30 minutes. Another lie! I waited for 30 minutes and my car was still not worked on. I was very disappointed. I had taken time off work to get an oil change. Their workers should not make promises they can’t keep, and they need to get rid of their appointment system if it won’t be honored. This was my first and last time to ever step into an NTB. I got my oil changed somewhere else yesterday within 15 minutes, and no appointment. There is simply no good explanation for such bad customer service! DO NOT GO HERE! I agree with other users that said 1 star isn’t low enough!

I think «retro» would be the best way to describe this NTB location, because it hearkens back to a time when mechanics would try to do the least amount of work while gouging the most amount of money out of the customer. If you reminisce over a time when «customer service» was an oxymoron, then this place is for you!
This NTB is slow in service and aggressive in offerings. I’ve gone to locations with better service and shorter waits, so I’m fairly certain it’s just a matter of this location, as opposed to something symptomatic with NTB. The last straw was when I actually asked them to flush my coolant for around $ 100, and ended up with dirty coolant in my reservoir.
At any rate, there are far better auto shops nearby, like Havoline on Kirby or Discount Auto on Main. Do yourself a favor and avoid the NTB on the South Loop!

I’ve been to this place several times over the past several years because when I first went there they were decent service. I now refuse to go there. I have never met such a group of dishonest and shady individuals! A few months ago I went in for a simple routine tire rotation and came out with a car that was so malaligned that it was severely swerving to the right and shaking whenever I would try to accelerate my car. I immediately took it back and they tried to tell that I needed new tires. I demanded that they fix the alignment and when I picked up the car again, it was driving well again.
Then last week, my daughter took her car there for a new battery and tire pressure check. When the car was done, they told her she also needed a new front light. They told her to go buy a new light which she did. They then «replaced» her light. A few days later, the light went out again. She took it to a different mechanic who told her that NTB had not replaced her light but had in fact, cleaned up her old light and kept the new one that she had bought! When confronted with this fact over the phone, both the manager and mechanic were very rude and denied the whole thing.
These weasels should not be allowed to work on anybody’s car!

I typically come to this NTB for oil changes.
They keep your car in the system to track the work they’ve completed in the past. This includes you in their coupon program, definitely saves you a few bucks.
On average, look to sped an hour here for a quick oil change, and over 2 hours for additional work.
They typically do a great job, and there is little pressure to complete added work based on their inspections.
Definitely a step up from Walmart! Not nearly as expe

So by now i’ve developed an idea on the kind of tire I need versus what they are trying to sell me. So NTB was next on the list. National chains seem higher, but in terms of warranties and service, it trumps the local tire shops.
So i go in. nobody is at the register, everyone is in the service bay working on about 2 or 3 cars, after about 10 mins. the tech notices me… I got all day… i ain’t tryin to be in Black Friday Traffic but he comes over to help. I give him my tire size and what i’m looking for in a tire. They had some good choices in stock and a broad range of prices. I had about 6 choices to choose for my car. I gotta quote for each to compare with what i already had. I didn’t like that most of the choices were Michelin Tires… i’ve had bad luck with those, but if the price was right I’d give it a shot.
service seemed hella slow… the waiting room was comfy, but it seemed people were waiting so long they decided to get a nap in… eh… I think imma come back when they’re a lil less busy…

DO NOT GO THERE!!! I only wanted an alignment and oil change. I had to wait 15 mins to be helped. (There was only 2 people ahead of me.) It took them 35 minutes to pull my car in, with only one other car in the entire work area. They will help people buying tires first. I was told 1 hour and it turned nto two. I wouldn’t mind if they were busy, but only three other people came through. It’s ridiculous!