Sears Auto Center

I've had many experiences with Sears Auto in the past and none were as pleasant as this one. I blew out a tire on my way home from work, had the spare installed and headed over to sears. I arrived about 15 minutes before closing and was taken right in. I was expecting to pay for a new tire but the salesman found my tire purchase from 2010 in the computer and informed me of a warranty I compleatly forgot I purchased. He then informed me of the reasons why doing a set of two tires was recommended, I didnt have that in the budget, so he kindly offered to rotate the new tire to the back for free, so i had a matching set in the front. I agreed. After the new tire was installed (only about 15-20 minutes) they checked my alignment for free and gave me a sheet showing why it was needed. I was already aware I needed one because the dealer had told me a few months back. As I was about to leave and the manager Vinnie introduced himself and thanked me for business, he informed me that he was new to this sears and that he really wanted to make sure my experience was good. Long story short they did my tire and alignment for what the dealer wanted for just the alignment. I give them an A+ more

My steering wheel was vibrating and my tires were unevenly worn. So I asked to have my wheels alligned. They said you probably need new brakes! They examined my brakes and said they were rusted out and all needed to be replaced! I explained that I had gotten new brakes 11 months ago. They insisted my car would never ""pass inspection"".They quoted $600-700.00 for all new brakes. I. They refused to give me a written estimate of the work they recommended! So i took my car to a mechanic in WEllesley. He sanded the rust off my rear brakes and told me to put more gravel in my driveway. He changed my oil . Total charge was$150.00! Now good as new! Sad that Sears has dropped to this level. more

I took my car in to get an oil change. They spent an hour trying to figure out how to pop the hood--in the process they broke the gas tank release. (They never did figure out how to release the hood. They simply waited until I came back to get my car and had me do it. The hood release is under the dash like in every other car!) They were sure it was the hood release and ended up breaking it while they were trying to open my hood! The worst part is they didn't even tell me. Before I got in the car to leave, I noticed a mechanic messing with something under my dashboard. When I asked him what he was doing he said ""nothing"" and handed me the keys. Fortunately, I didn't believe him and started checking on my own. That's when I noticed the gas release broken! They were not even going to tell me! Moreover, half the mechanics speak very little English so it was a chore trying to communicate with anyone other than the representative. When I insisted they fix it they spent another hour trying various things that did NOT work. Finally, someone rigged something with some wiring and told me it was fixed. Of course, it was not fixed properly and looked like it would fall apart any minute. After speaking with the manager and demanding they get the right part, they finally relented and ordered the part from the Toyota dealer and fixed it. The worst part is no one was going to tell me! I had to find out on my own! If you take your car here beware--make sure you check EVERYTHING before you leave. To add insult to injury, everyone was VERY rude during the entire incident--as if I did something wrong. The service representative is a crabby old man who clearly hates his job. This place is a mess!!! more

Absolutely terrible when it comes to service. I drove in needing a new tire, and right off the bat, the CSR ( an older man with grey hair ) had a really really nasty attitude with me. I told him I needed one tire, but had some questions about whether it was safer to replace both. Kept circling my vehicle and avoiding my questions. Got so tired of his attitude that I just decided to have 1 tire replaced. I then asked him if they could check out my timing belt. Just a visual check to see if it needed to be replaced. It's a very simple thing, you just shine a flashlight into the engine compartment and do a simple visual check for cracks and whatnot. He then told me that it was not possible and gave me some excuse. Said that they needed to take apart my whole engine in order to check my timing belt. Got into a little argument, I kept telling him you can just do a visual check, but he kept insisting it was a very intensive process. Again, very annoyed by his incompetence, i told him just to replace the 1 tire. It took 3 hours to replace 1 tire. 3 HOURS!!!!!!!! I roamed the mall for hours, and then when I came back the tech who was working on my car, who was very helpful by the way. I wish I knew his name so I could praise his work. He was latino and worked extremely hard. Anyways, I asked the tech who was working on my car if he could take a look at my belts. It was so simple. He took out his flashlight and checked all of my belts. In about 2 minutes and told me the condition of all of them. The manager saw that we were looking at the belts and told the grey haired CSR to start working on my belts without my consent. I didn't realize that until they were working under my hood. I went to the CSR to ask him what they were doing with my car, and he told me they were replacing my belts. They had started work without my consent!!!! Who does that? I asked for the manager and he then proceeded to tell me that he authorized it. I told him I never asked for that service, but then he went on about how he saw me talking to his tech. and how I said I needed to get it done. Don't EVER go to Sears Auto Center in Natick, MA. They are incompetent, have poor customer service, and will do whatever they want without your permission. All in all, they are thieves. Pros: umm, they have a clean waiting room? Cons: Slow, overpriced, service that isn't needed more