Nissan Almera 2004 (54) - 1.8 SE 5dr Auto

I purchased a Ford Fiesta from this dealer and regret every bit of the experience. Within just six months, I had to replace the exhaust, radiator, and coolant tank, and battled constant overheating issues — the car was clearly not fit for purpose. They sold it with a warranty, which gave me false confidence, but every claim I made was rejected. The warranty didn’t cover the major repairs I needed, making it nothing more than a selling gimmick. The team felt more like cowboys than professionals — pushing defective vehicles and dodging accountability. Save yourself the stress, time, and expense. I strongly advise against buying from these people.

I bought a car from Direct Motoring last year and my experience was awful so much so that I felt it important to write this review although late so that potential customers are aware of what they could be signing up for. Less than 2 weeks after purchasing the car, the panel from the side of the windscreen flew off whilst I was on the motorway (see image). The dealership agreed to replace this. A few days later, I noticed mechanical faults whilst driving, the car would struggle to make it up steep hills, release foul fumes and smoke and the vehicle would not accelerate past 20mph (whilst I was on the motorway!). A fault alert would show on the dashboard stating ‘Stabilisation control error’. I took the car to Kwik Fit for a diagnostic and was told there was a combustion failure of cylinder 3 of the engine, they reported this is a major fault that the car is not roadworthy and should not have been sold in this state. They also stated the repair is not something they do due to it being a major fault. They have recommended I return the vehicle. Please see the diagnostic report attached I took this information to Direct Motoring and was refused the right to return. I reminded them on several occasions that under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, customers have a short term right to reject a car if it is of unsatisfactory quality or unfit for purpose. This all occurred less than 30 days after purchasing the car so I was well within my right. Despite this, they refused me this right. The owner so rude and insulting, I was confused as to how a professional could conduct themselves in such a way. They suggested that I engaged with the warranty process I used their recommended warranty company Handlar- Protect. After completing an assessment, the warranty company declined the claim stating that because the fault occurred within 30 days of purchase, it is deemed as a pre existing issue and also stated their warranty does not cover certain components of the claim. The independent garage that completed the assessment of the car for the warranty process stated the repairs could cost \xa3410.00 and I explained to the dealership they would need to pay this as the fault was pre existing. After the warranty process failed, the salesman then informed me that he had conveniently mis sold the car to be at a lower price than was intended and that due to his fault, I would be liable to pay for part of the repair all the while being extremely rude and aggressive. My experience with this company was terrible, they did not carry out the necessary checks on the vehicle to ensure It was roadworthy and when confronted with evidence of this from Kwik fit, the warranty company and an independent garage still tried to avoid accountability, they were completely unprofessional and insulting. Whilst this was ongoing I was without a car for a month, having to commute between London and Kent via public transport and wasted a great deal of the time and money so feel it important to inform others what they could be signing up for within this dealership.