National Tyres and Autocare Reviews

Wrong Ehaust Fitted
My wife took her car into National Tyres in Ealing West London because the back box was blowing. They advised that the whole exhaust system needed to be replaced. She booked it in for the next day and I took the
car in. The price quoted was about £316 but I found they were charging for each piece instead of the whole system which was only £284. When I picked the car up they had fitted the wrong exhaust system (confirmed later by main car dealer), which was hanging very low under the car. Within 2 months the exhausted started to blow, up near the engine. It turned out that they had been unable to get all the bolts in. I visited a different branch who tryed to fix it. But it is still noisy and not right.
Don't Use These CowBoys

My daughter took her 2004 Mini Cooper to National Tyres Autocare in Truro Cornwall with a suspected puncture. She was quoted £167 for a fitted new run flat tyre. Whilst the car was there the mechanic told her while the car was there he would do the wheel alignment for her which would only take 5 mins. When she went to pay the bill she was told it ...  Read the complete review

I was told I needed four tyres when I called about a leak. I was not convinced, as the car had fewer than 10,000 miles on the clock. After much bullying I gave in and asked for medium priced tyres. Alas, they only had two of those, so I would have to buy higher priced ones for the front!! I said I would come back when they had four tyres available, but they were not about to let me get away. The mechanic then couldn't find how to remove the wheels and used a hammer and chisel until I searched under the floor of the boot and found the proper device. What I dislike most of all is that I wrote a lengthy letter and had no reply from the head office. Nor have they replied to a follow-up.

I took my Vauxhall Astra to the Langside Glasgow branch of National in May 2008 as I needed a new tyre quickly. Unfortunately the only positive aspect of my experience was that they did do the job quickly. I was told it would cost £97.50 to fit a single, middle of the range tyre. When I looked shocked, the guy told me "Well, it's quite a big ...  Read the complete review

I have twice booked my car for oil and filter change. Once booked by phone and second time booked on line - order was confirmed and they confirmed they have parts.

Arrived at Garage both times first thing on Saturday morning and was told they have "RUN OUT OF OIL".

Can you believe that ! I do not trust them and will make sure I stay well away from National tyres. My local garage on the corner run by non english speaking teenagers provide a better service.

On 19.3.09 my son took his vw lupo to national tyres in stirling for an oil and filter change. The fitter removed the filter and another part came off, after this expert refitted the filter the car engine was turned on and allowed to idle. All appeared OK. My son drove the 9 miles home and saw oil was spewing from the filter. A phone call to the manager resulterd with the comment " It was okay when it left here its not our fault " After threatening him with court, placard waiving and newspaper story I got a call from a regional manager. We are not accepting responsiblity until car has been examined by our insurers. So we have to wait for this b4 repair. What qualifications do these clowns have as by their own admission they are not mechanics. Avoid this company at all cost

Took my car in for an oil filter and oil change over the weekend to the Cliftonville branch as they seem to have the best price around (£28), after 18 minutes of bieng on the ramp my oil filter had apparently been changed along with oil. They had however found more problems with my car while they were underneath it, my complete exhast system ...  Read the complete review

I've had my Fiat Punto in the Kilmarnock branch of National twice now, and while they admittedly wouldn't be my first choice of place to go when my car has problems, i've always found their quotes fair, the staff i've dealt with helpful and friendly. I know next to nothing about car maintenance beyond the basics and oil changes, but I knew the ...  Read the complete review

I left a wheel and tyre at the Harrogate store for what I expected to be a repair for a few pounds. When I returned the manager said the tyre couldn't be repaired, and quoted me £175 for a replacement. I knew I could get it cheaper than that. One minute on the internet and I got it for bang on £100 at the Motor World less that a hundred yards away from National. So while I'm happy to take my business elsewhere and see them being undercut so severely, I'm not convinced I ever needed a replacement in the first place.

Whilst this review may sound to many as more than a rant than a review I feel it is important to share my experience in the hope that it will warn people of using this company! Who are they? ------------------ National Tyres and Autocare are a national company who claim to be "the UK's largest independant fast fit tyre ...  Read the complete review

Unbelievable! I will be the first to admit I am no car expert, but I have a bit of common sense. The people at National Tyres & Autocare treated me like a mug and that's why they didn't and will never get my business. My exhaust was blowing - a familiar sound to many, so I dropped it in to National (due to convenience as it is a few ...  Read the complete review

I visited National Tyres today in Hamilton, Scotland as I had discovered a slow puncture whilst out shopping with my toddler son. Having been told that my tyre was not repairable (a nail in the wall of the tyre) I asked for a mid price tyre. I was offered a Barum brand which was fine and the job was done reasonably quick. I have never used ...  Read the complete review

Thanks for the comment. I did finally get my deposit back, so the only thing I can complain about is that it took a while to get it. As I said the job on the exhaust was good. I was asked for a deposit before having an exhaust fitted. It was fitted the next day and when I was asked for the full payment it was a few pounds more than what ...  Read the complete review

I have had two negative experiences at National Tyres Plymouth (Plympton). Both involve the Branch Manager. Previously I was asked if I wanted to make a small charitable donation using my debit card, I said no but after inspecting my receipt an amount was taken. Yesterday I was told my tyres were illegal by the same branch and ...  Read the complete review

Yesterday I realised that it was about time we got new tyres for our car. We could not put it off any longer. So out comes the yellow pages! I have learnt such a lot about tyres and getting quotes for tyres! Firstly do not just telephone one place and accept that price as they can vary by as much as £50 on ...  Read the complete review

I've used Basingstoke for new tyres for my car a couple of times in the past few years and found them fine. Prices quoted started a little high but price matched to an acceptable level. On one occasion (4 new tyres, thanks Pirelli for those de-laminating dodgy rear pair) I had to point out that they'd got the wheels wrong way ...  Read the complete review

With all of the reports that people have done about National tyres, I am sorry that you feel that way, I have been a mechanic now for 17 years and started working for National Tyres in St Peters Way, Northampton in Feb 2003, We are a happy bunch and alway give a first class service, We show the customers the faults with there cars, before we give ...  Read the complete review

As a collector of Air Miles, I went to National Tyres because they were advertrised. When they did not arrive in my account, I sent an email via the link in the Air Miles page. It was ignored. Another email was also ignored. Despite a telephone call to a 'Customer Relations Manager' assuring the 'mistake' would be resolved, my ...  Read the complete review

A cheap deal, National Tyres offers oil and filter change for £10, or £15 if semi synthetic oil is used, so I decided to take this offer up. At reception, National Tyres advised me that my car required the semi synthetic oil as my H reg car covered low mileage 64,000 over the last 11 years of its life. If I wanted the ...  Read the complete review

I took my car into the garage for a routine Oil and Filter change. After returning 15 minutes after it was going to be ready, I was told they were having problems locating the Oil Filter. This was followed by them phoning the local Dealer to ask where the Oil filter was ( no doubt followed by laughter and a “the little round thing on ...  Read the complete review