Merchant’s Tire & Auto Centers

Glen at Merchant’s was fantastic. Super helpful and fast service.

being a Firestone & Bridgestone customer for 10 years, Sunday morning i had a problem with my TPMS tip on one of my tire,(all had to do was tighten up) as being their customer i stopped by 2 store of them and no luck even it’d take 1 minute to repair however; few miles from my house one of Merchant tire store i have decided to stop by, very nice and friendly Gentleman Ethan who welcomed me and solved my issue in and out in 20 second, i am definitely coming back for services and tires for my cars, and again thank you for your time and quick service Ethan.

I had a completely satisfying experience buying a set of 4 tires here last Saturday. Ben provided terrific service. This was the only outlet that offered an appointment at the time I needed (11am) so I went a bit out of my neighborhood (DC). I set up my order online, and when I arrived I was quickly greeted and processed. I was promised in advance that the reasonable price quoted online would not be exceeded, which ended up being true. And best of all I was informed that the installation would take approximately 1−½ hours, less than I expected. We went across the highway for brunch at IHOP, and my phone rang at 12:34 to announce the car was ready. So I was back home way before 2 pm for a chore I feared would take most of the day. Great job!

I had a flat tire and this place was closest to my house. They were very nice, very quick and the price was decent.

I have changed my two front tires since they were really worm out. This place gets the job done and is a good place if
1– You have done your home work of knowing what tire you want, know your car and what type of tire is required for your car.
2– Ask for discount and free service. If you ask you shall receive. they need your business.
I asked for two michelin tires and I got a price for it. it was abut $ 60.00 more than other store, however I negotiated a free balance and rotation and got an extra 20.00 coupon as well. As I mention come here when you have done your home work, and do not be shy to ask for discount.
One other thing that is true for all stores, do not let millage warranty on tires foul you. It just mean that it is better quality. They will never replace your tire if it goes bad in 20K.
I will use this place again, but I am not sure this place is right for everyone or faint of heart.

I brought my car in to Merchant’s to have my flat tire replaced. The staff was friendly and prices were comparable. The mechanic told me the tire pressure sensors were reset and good to go.
However, once I started driving, it was clear that they were not working. I called back and they told me to bring my car back in and they would fix it, so I got off of work early. Once I got there, they took my car in the back and 30 minutes later, came back out and said that their sensor machine had old software that was not up-​to-​date with the year of my car. I drive a 2014 Nissan (bought it in 2013).
So I emailed the manager and asked if there was anything they could do. After a month of back-​and-​forth, they basically said «too bad… nothing we can do» because they weren’t sure when they were going to get their software updated. I can understand if my car was a 2015, but 2014? C’mon guys. Dealerships are already selling 2016’s, and Merchants is a big enough name that you would expect them to have software that is up-​to-​date. Apple has released 3 versions of the iPhone since 2014. Now I have to waste even more of my time and money to find another reputable company that has software that’s actually with the times.

I brought my vehicle here for an oil change, alignment and to fix a leaky tire. The person on the phone quoted me prices for all 3. When i got to the shop I told the Jonathan what I needed, signed the paperwork, and gave him the wheel lock. 30 minutes later I got a call that I had the wrong wheel lock so they could only do the oil change. Ok… Not sure why he didnt notice that right away because upon closer inspection I could tell that it was too small. Honest mistake… Ok. Then I go back to pick the car up and they are charging me about $ 15 more than expected. When I questioned them they said the person on the phone quoted me a promotional price that they could not honor. I figured since I had an appointment these quotes would be in the system. Ok… Heres a chance to get and keep a longer term customer. But nope, they stick to their guns and tell me I have to pay the higher price. Mind you I have already told this guy Im coking back for more work once I get the right wheel lock. So I guess they bait and switched me into a $ 50 oil change. Coukd have been worse i Suppose. Shame on me for not verifying the price of a simple oil change before I left. Its not over yet, as part of the oil change you get a tire rotation. They couldnt do it bc of the wheel lock issue. So I politely ask the guy if I can bring it back to get the rotation once I got the right wheel lock. He was OK with it but got very defensive saying I brought the wrong wheel lock, theres no way I would get the right one, etc etc. I had to ask him several times if they would do the work to get a straight yes or no. Thankfully it was a yes.
All in all, either I caught these guys on an off day or this place is lacking in attention to detail and customer service. If you have a honda go to bill page across the street. Their prices are comparable and they are generally much more professional.

If Unilocal allowed me to give zero stars, that is what I would give Merchant’s. STAY AWAY!
I picked up a huge bolt on my way to work in DC which luckily did not immediately deflate my tire. I called Merchant’s (which is close to my house) to see if they could patch it or I could get a new tire that evening. I made an appointment at seven, per their recommendation. They promised that they could fix it «no problem.» When I arrived, after a horrifying drive to get there, I was informed that they could not fix it that evening and I would have to leave my car overnight. They were not even sure they could fix it the following day. Luckily, the guys over at NTB near Potomac Yard were a dream. They stayed late to fit me in.

I primarily come here because they are close to my home, but I have always had great service and they are always friendly. The prices seem comparable to other locations I’ve been. There was a problem that some items they had ordered turned out to be defective, but they were quick to replace them the next day (offering to rent a car, but that turned out to not be necessary)
Bottom Line, I trust them and will keep going back!

June 6, 2015: I’ve never left a review before, but I figured people should be notified of businesses who doesn’t care. I hit a pothole with one of my run flat tires on my BMW on the beltway and damaged the sidewall losing all tire pressure. I just put new tires a few months ago, but I’ll tell you even the strongest tire wouldn’t survive this pothole. I was able to drive to falls church, va before my tpms went on and I noticed the car started to become shaky. Checked the tire and it was in bad condition. I live over 55 miles away and would not make it home with this damaged run flat tire. You can drive it flat but not when the sidewall has a hole. So I needed to get it replaced. At this time it was around 7pm and I started calling shops to see if they were open or carried my tires. Most shops were already closed in the area. I ended driving to an open one but they didn’t have my tire. They directed me to Merchants instead. I pulled up to Merchants about 5 minutes before 8pm when they closed. There were two guys in there; a young male Caucasian and a male African American. I went to open the door and it was locked. They had already closed the shop! One guy yelled ‚“We’re closed!” I replied saying that it wasn’t 8pm yet and it’s an emergency. I told them I had a hole on my tire and one man turned around and just shrugged at me. The other man reiterated that they were closed. I replied back saying I live two hours away and it’s an emergency the tire needs to be replaced or I’m stuck. Then I asked if they knew of another tire place they can refer me to and one man just shook his head. They lost my respect and my business. They could’ve at least checked to see if they had a tire. I would’ve bought it and taken it to another shop that was open to mount it. I couldn’t believe the lack of care these men had. Maybe it’s just me but when the store says it closes at 8pm I would still take in customers up until 8pm. Also, when someone says its an emergency I would try to help them out. I would feel responsible if I turned somebody away and something terrible happened to them either when driving or being stuck in a car through the middle of the night. Fortunately, I found a shop to help me 20 minutes away. Just wanted to warn others the type of workers you are dealing with at this Merchants. When it comes to service, care, and concern for safety don’t go here.

I brought my vehicle in for a set of tires and an alignment, only because the Toyota dealership that i was having my car serviced at across the street did not have my tires in stock.
Merchant’s received two stars on this review because they did a very nice job on the tire install and the alignment came out excellent (I’ve dealt with other shops that have had difficulty with this seemingly routine task).
Now for the bad — they tried to sell me on unnecessary service items!
As I mentioned at the onset, I was having my car serviced at the dealership across the street. During the service, my coolant and battery with both checked and no issues were found. However, I received a call from Merchant’s during which a very polite young woman informed me that my battery was only cranking at half the rated amps and over 50% of my coolant was missing and my car was in danger of overheating and causing serious damage to my engine!!!
Imagine my surprise — particularly given that my car received a clean bill of health less than a tenth of a mile before I arrived at Merchants — to find out that according to them i now needed another $ 300.00 in service. I told them not to address either of those issues, and that I would take care of them on my won. By the way, when I picked up my car after the tires were installed I checked the battery (performing as it should) and coolant (at the recommended level).
Buyer be warned — Tire service is good, but get a second opinion before agreeing to any tacked on service items to your bill.

This place needs a refresher course in customer service. It’s not that difficult to treat customers nicely and respectfully. My husband dropped his car off here this morning for an oil change. He forgot his wallet so asked me to call and pay for it this afternoon when he was on his way to pick it up. The woman I spoke to very briskly told me she wouldn’t take my card over the phone. I tried to explain the circumstances but she wouldn’t budge even though he was on his way and I was unable to come there myself. He tried calling and was told that they wouldn’t release the car to him if he was unable to pay them when he arrived. So you won’t take a phone payment but also won’t let him have his car so he can go get his card. Way to be reasonable and work with your customers. Thankfully he had a co-​worker who had cash to foot the bill. If you have crappy policies at least have the decency to present them politely and apologetically. We will never use this place again.

I see the other reviews, but I had a very pleasant experience here. I had a low tire pressure lamp come on as I started my morning drive and I was two traffic lights away so I stopped in. They open at 7:30 and I got there a few minutes before, but they still took me in (with a smile) and got my tire air pressure adjusted for free. I will go back because of the friendly and prompt service I received here.

Don’t ever come here for an oil change. I made the appointment online, arrived on time and I have been waiting here for 2 hours. Only 1 person other person waiting. They don’t stock oil filters, so they ordered it from nearby, but ordered the wrong one. 2 hours later, I’m still here waiting. NEVER COMING HERE AGAIN.

Horrible experience. The owner promised a part would be in stock. Called me 30 mins later to tell me it won’t be in for four days-​after wasting all that time I decided to go elsewhere. Merchants quoted $ 500 to fix. Another shop did same work for $ 180. Scammers.

Like many of the other reviewers, I really like Merchants. Other locations have always been helpful, honest, and relatively fast. I towed my car to this location this past week to fix a flat tire that wouldn’t come off my car, a battery replacement, and an oil change. I was charged $ 20 for the battery check alone and the oil change was well over $ 40 because according to the older gentleman who runs the front desk, my car takes a special filter and oil. I’ve gotten oil changes at the Burke location for years, and I was never charged above $ 20. He also refused to take a coupon bc the coupon was an «online.» So, apparently there is a new, magical way to give cars online oil changes. Who knew? But he did not honor the clearly stated coupon.
The worst part was the «fixed» tire. Not even within 24 hours the tire was completely flat. I will never take my car to this location again.

See my other Merchant’s review for the details of this store. This store helped me out of a problem I had with another store. The manager of this store used his power to override store policy and give me a new tire after my 11-​day-​old Merchant’s tire mysteriously ran flat. The tire was changed in less than 25 minutes.
I cannot vouch for other service because I have yet to, but will eventually, return for other service. The manager, Daniel Coss, however, knows how to work with and for his customers. I will commend him to corporate.

Sloooooowwwwwww! If you have all day, come here. It took almost three hours to have my tires rotated. NEVER AGAIN!

I’ve found my neighborhood auto place! After Bill Page Honda tried to rob me for unnecessary repairs (after making me wait 5 hrs for an estimate), I took my car across the street to Merchant’s Tire. Within the hour, I had an estimate that was much more reasonable. Craig from MT was honest and straightforward, explained what needed to be done in layperson’s terms and helped me feel comfortable with the repairs. He also scrapped off some non must-have’s to save me an additional 30%. When all was said and done, I paid ¼ what Bill Page wanted to steal from me.
Merchant’s Tire — I’ll be back for my next oil change and any other car needs! Thank you!

I have been taking my car to this Merchant’s for about 2 years and my parents have taken their cars for much longer. I tried to be positive about them, even thought every single time I go there, I am told that some other repair needs to be done on my car. And usually these repairs costs in the hundreds to thousands of dollars. I have gone along nicely until now.
My fiancé went to have a strange clicking noise checked out. We were sure it was his exhaust manifold leaking because the LAST time we were in, they said he had an exhaust manifold leak. Come to find out that his exhaust manifold is not leaking (and therefore, why would we be lead to believe that) but his A/​C is broken. It’s not, but it would cost $ 900 to fix.
Meanwhile, they discovered that his breaks are very, very worn down, despite no squeaking and no other brake issues. So they are charging him $ 500 to fix two brake pads and rotors. He looked it up: it would have cost $ 100 for him to do himself.
I’ve been ripped off over and over when every time I go in for a routine oil change, something else is wrong with my car. I will be taking my business elsewhere from now on.