46
(20,148 vehicles in group)
I want to preface this by saying I don’t make a habit of complaining or leaving reviews, I generally find it uncomfortable so I take little pleasure in doing this but my experience has left me very little choice. I bought a car from the Burton branch 6 and a half months ago and from start to finish there have been issues culminating in a £3,800 repair bill Firstly, it started with when I first collected the car at the end of July 2025 when i was told the car was ready and I arrived to find out it hadn’t been taxed, all admin staff had gone home for the day so they couldn’t do anything about it. Subsequently, I had to find my own way home because my part ex car wasn’t going to be insured past midnight that day and I had to reschedule collection of the new car to another day once the tax was sorted. This branch is about a 30 minute drive from where I live so this was annoying at the time but I tried to remain patient and understanding that mistakes happen. Secondly, I wasn’t provided with service history at purchase which i requested several days after, I was told it would be sent across and then I never received it, only to find out from a phone call I made to the branch a few weeks ago that my car is imminently due for service which is now being delayed by these repairs. Lastly, the repair issue itself, i’ve only done 2,500 miles since buying the car and on 15th February an engine management light appeared which has been subsequently investigated, this was accompanied by a noise under the bonnet. A result of this investigation is that a nut on cambelt tensioner was loose, allowing the tensioner to become unseated. Subsequently, the cambelt was found to be shredded which had put out engine timing and broken several rockers and damaged camshaft lobes. I am advised that this nut doesn’t come loose and fail by itself (basically it’s not wear and tear) and that this should never have happened especially on a make and model of car known for its longevity and reliability (Volkswagen) From looking at the vehicle history I’ve recently received, Arnold Clark are the only ones to have performed work and checks on this car in recent years, my car is still awaiting repair and I have emailed their customer care team over a week ago to give them the opportunity to respond regarding the issue and the remaining repair work. I’ve been told it’s been escalated to a manager, having chased a few times but ive had no resolution yet. After numerous instances of chasing by their the sales team in 2025 they were insistent that I keep buying cars through them as they said their products were more trustworthy and higher standard than local competitors but my car has been in a garage for nearly a month now for what’s essentially an engine rebuild after only just over 6 months and 2500 miles later.
This dealership really went to great lengths to ensure purchasing a new vehicle was a seemless process from start to finish. Having been a previous customer of many years, it was lovely to see them go above and beyond to keep me as a customer. I really would recommend anyone looking for a new or used vehicle to pay them a visit.
Reviews provided by dealership customers who were invited to provide feedback on their sales experience using TrustPilot.
