“Very poor experience with Arnold Clark.
I bought a car in January, and within months problems started appearing. The front bumper came loose, and instead of checking the issue, they immediately blamed me, saying I must have hit the car.
Even worse, the gearbox failed at under 4,000 miles — completely unacceptable. Again, they refused to take any responsibility.
When I went to speak to them, they were dismissive and unwilling to even continue the conversation, which was honestly embarrassing.
Blaming the customer for everything instead of investigating genuine faults is unprofessional and pathetic.
The car was not fit for the purpose when arnold clark sold it, they hide the truth from me.
I would not recommend to go no where near Arnold clark ever.”
“Very poor experience with Arnold Clark Perth Citroën and Arnold Clark Customer Services.
I bought a 2020 Citroën C5 Aircross from Arnold Clark less than a year ago. The car developed AdBlue/emissions faults and Arnold Clark Perth Citroën replaced the AdBlue injector under warranty. Shortly after the repair, the same warnings returned.
I am now being told the DPF is “at end of life” / normal wear and tear at around 52,000 miles, with a repair quote of approximately £1,849. I repeatedly asked for proper technical evidence, including soot loading, ash loading, differential pressure readings, regeneration history, and confirmation that replacing the DPF would actually fix the fault. I still have not received a clear proper answer.
There is also a Parking Assistance System fault which was reported and still has not been clearly confirmed as repaired.
The worst part is the customer service. Arnold Clark tell customers to contact Customer Services by email, but in my case Customer Services / Head Office have not provided a proper response at all. The Perth branch has said they are waiting for Customer Services because they cannot speak for Arnold Clark as a whole — but Customer Services still do not answer.
So the customer is left stuck between the branch, warranty, Citroën, finance company and head office, with no clear accountability.
I have kept all emails, dates, diagnostic reports and complaint records. Based on my experience, I would not recommend Arnold Clark Perth Citroën or Arnold Clark Customer Services. A main dealer should not sell a car and then leave the customer chasing for basic answers less than a year later.”
“I recently had my car serviced at Arnold Clark Volvo, Stirling. The vehicle was dropped off with no damage. When I returned to collect my car, the windscreen was cracked from top to bottom. Given it was raining at the time I picked the vehicle up I only noticed a few minutes after leaving the dealership. When I returned, the staff checked the service report which noted no damage to the winscreeen during the service and health check. A note was added the day following the service to say that the windscreen was now broken. Whilst Arnold Clark knew that damage had been done to the windscreen and the vehicle was unsafe to drive, they made no mention of it at all when I collected the vehicle. The service manager insisted there must have been minor existing damage to the screen when they took ownership of the vehicle which had mysteriously worsened over the course of the 2 days in the dealership. He assured me that he would check CCTV to see if there had been anything which could have caused the damage, unsurprisingly there was nothing found. The response from the manager was that Arnold Clark took no responsibility and I should make a claim on my insurance for the damage clearly caused by them. After further investigation I received a call from the service manager to let me know that as a gesture of goodwill they would cover the excess payment on my insurance claim. As the vehicle is unsafe to drive and Arnold Clark accept no responsibility, I’ve reluctantly had to make a claim on my insurance. Really shady behaviour on Arnold Clark’s behalf.”
“I purchased a vehicle from Arnold Clark after being assured that it had been serviced prior to sale. Wanting peace of mind, I booked the car into Audi for an independent health check shortly after purchase.
To my surprise, Audi identified several issues requiring attention, with estimated repair costs of around £980. One of the priority items highlighted was an oil change, which raised immediate concerns given that I had been told the vehicle had already been serviced.
I would like to acknowledge that the sales team were professional, courteous and helpful throughout the purchasing process. Unfortunately, my experience after the sale was very different.
After contacting Arnold Clark and raising my concerns, the vehicle was booked in and the issues were eventually rectified. However, it is important to note that these repairs were carried out under the warranty provided with the vehicle and were not a goodwill gesture. The process still required me to spend additional time arranging repairs and being without my vehicle for a full day, causing unnecessary inconvenience.
My main complaint remains unresolved. Despite repeatedly raising the question of why an oil change was identified as necessary so soon after a supposedly completed service, Arnold Clark has not provided a satisfactory explanation and has simply maintained that the vehicle was serviced. I found the manager's response dismissive of my concerns and felt that he refused to take any responsibility for the shortcomings of his team or the inconvenience caused.
As a goodwill gesture, I requested only a six-month extension to the warranty supplied with the vehicle. Given the circumstances, I felt this was a reasonable request. However, this was refused, leaving me with the impression that customer satisfaction and accountability were not being taken seriously.
While I appreciate that the repairs were eventually carried out, the overall experience has left me disappointed. Customers should be able to rely on assurances given at the point of sale, and I do not feel that happened in my case.
Based on my experience, I cannot recommend Arnold Clark without reservation.”
“To whom it may concern
After speaking to the sales manager from Lynnwood Hyundai yesterday.
Regarding a car that is in Inverness registration SD 21XUO that should be a silver Volkswagen golf line.
An inspection of the vehicle yesterday at Hyundai Inverness they were scratches up the driver side rust that I could see on the driver side sale just above with the black part, and there is a big chunk arrest on the passenger side rear as you open the door.
The sales manager in question a gentleman called Steve who called my partner.
His conduct on the phone to my partner was disrespectful, highly unprofessional, and in her words, he was intimidating and left her scared and upset, and this is her first time having dealings with Arnold Clark.
After which she asked him to call myself and during this phone call, he proceed to hang the phone up on myself when I asked him a question. I had to call him back and I got nothing but attitude, disrespect, and his exact wording is either you want the car or you don’t want the car I’m only fixing the door regardless of the fact that none of the scratches and all that were put into the video which was in my words, gender discrimination because of the way the video was pointing out. This is where the fuel goes. That’s where the oil goes. This is how you check your oil. This is where you put your screen washing when my partner started the deal it was for myself, and she told Andy the salesman that it was for me and that I was a big petrol head so and my partner is the same so she knows exactly where I put the petrol and the oil and all that to conclude the whole general situation regarding the sales manager, Steve, and in my opinion, he should not be a sales manager in the way that he speaks to customers as myself myself have been a long serving Arnold Clark customer along with my family and they’re seven of us so and it’s myself that deals with the cars and finding them and getting the deals done and it’s at the stage now where I have lost all faith in Arnold Clark because of this one sales manager. I was in the branch in Inverness at 1 PM yesterday. It took someone from Lynnwood till nearly 7 PM to get in contact with myself and my partner.
I feel this matter, needs to be addressed by an area manager or a regional manager as for the sales managers could have conduct was disrespectful, downright rude, plus has also affected my partners, Mental Health and her medical condition and I want a call back from an area manager or regional manager regarding this complaint about the sales manager and the person who did the video who was called Andrew corney.
As as for the sales manager and salesman could’ve conduct in relation to the sale we’re not sure we wish to do business with Arnold Clark again cause we’re still on the shelf about if we wish to go ahead with us purchase.
Customer service don’t see a problem with this”
“I purchased a 2019 Nissan Juke from Arnold Clark Stoke-on-Trent in November 2025. Within around 5 months, the vehicle developed a major gearbox fault. I later discovered the gearbox had already been replaced before I bought the car.
The sales process was excellent, but my experience after reporting serious faults has been extremely disappointing. I would advise anyone purchasing a vehicle to carry out thorough checks and research before buying.”
“I purchased a 2023 Kia Niro EV in Sept 2025, through the Arnold Clark Stretford branch. The car was faulty from sale, and both the Stretford branch and Arnold Clark aftersales and customer services have been an absolute nightmare to deal with since.
Within the first month a coolant alert light started coming up intermittently. The car was under warranty with Arnold Clark, and I had to take this back to the Stretford branch several times. The branch ran a diagnostic and initially said the car had no issues and was safe to drive, despite the alert continuing to come on! I then had to take the car to a Kia garage who carried out their own diagnostic and found the EV battery to be leaking, which is apparently a massive safety risk. The mechanic advised that he wouldn’t put in writing that the car was safe to drive due to the risk of fire or combustion from the leak. Despite this, I had to repeatedly argue this point with Arnold Clark Stretford who continued to try and tell me it was safe to drive.
The car went to the garage in November, and I called for an update on the battery replacement a couple of months later and was informed that the Stretford branch hadn’t even authorised the replacement. I was then told that it was likely going to take another nine months to replace the battery and offered what I believe to be some very poor replacement options. At no point have the branch been apologetic or offered a refund.
The car was eventually repaired, and I picked this up at the end of March, six months after the fault first arose, having only been able to drive the car for only a few weeks since purchase. The interior of the car was covered in mould from the time it had been in storage at the garage, no attempt had been made to clean this. Then, the coolant alert started coming on again and an additional alert light parking distance warning system, which now only seems to be working intermittently.
I emailed Stretford, their sales manager Jack, and aftersales, in early April regarding the alerts and despite chasing received no response. I emailed again copying in their CEO, Russell Borrie in early May requesting a refund back on the car, due to the faults since purchase, again they’ve completely failed to respond. I called aftersales a couple of weeks ago and was assured the Stretford branch manager had been instructed to contact me within a few days. Yet I’ve still heard nothing. From my experience their aftersales is basically not to reply and hope that you just go away and it's right through the company not just the branch.
I’ve incurred loads of costs due to all the issues I’ve had with the car, not to mention all the stress and massive inconvenience this has caused me. Arnold Clark don't care at all. I raised this earlier in the year, and Arnold Clark acknowledged that their service had: ‘fallen far below the standard of service they aim to provide... and this had been escalated to management to provide a fair resolution.’ However, when I chased this up after having again received no response, I was told this had been dealt with internally through their HR policies and that I would be getting no further response! Not sure how they think dealing with it internally helps me in any way. It doesn't address the losses or propose any kind of resolution, it's just a complete sham of a response to get me to go away.
My complaint has now been promoted through the motor service ombudsman so hopefully I will get somewhere that way. But all in all it's been a dreadful experience with Arnold Clark, still having fault issues with the car and considering how untrustworthy their aftersales are, they are definitely not a company I’d recommend or would purchase anything through again.”
“Seafield motor store branch is an absolute shambles . Car sold not fit for purpose .
50 calls and emails to get to speak to one staff member . Stay clear of this branch”
“Avoid Arnold ckark st helens. Absolutely appalling company. I bought a car last year £10000 +. They persuaded me to buy a 2 year warranty and 2 year service & mot plan.
Had my mot 2 days ago and it passed, I asked them while it's in to check the rear window wiper not working.
So the same mechanic who do the mot,said its a broken wire in the tail gate and that it's wear and tear so not under warranty. He charged me £82 for checking that wire. He than said do you want me to replace the wire for £131.
How is a wire inside a tail gate a moving part and therefore wear and tare.
Will never go near them again.”
“My elderly parents purchased a car in July 2025. Unfortunately, the service and quality of the vehicle have been far below acceptable standards, especially given the loyalty my family has shown to Arnold Clark over many years.
To summarise the key issues:
1. The initial sales experience was poor. The car was purchased for £6,000, yet when I insured it, the insurer advised a valuation of only £4,500.
2. When I queried this discrepancy shortly after purchase, I was told there was no cooling-off period because my parents had paid a cash deposit, leaving them with no option but to keep the car.
3. Despite being driven only around 2,000 miles since purchase, the vehicle has experienced multiple serious failures.
4. Within one month of purchase, the car broke down. Arnold Clark replaced the battery free of charge, which we appreciated, but this was only the beginning of the problems.
5. A few days ago, the car broke down again. The AA recovered it to a garage where an oil filter issue was identified and replaced.
6. However, within four miles of leaving the garage, the car began smoking heavily. The AA attended again and advised my dad that he believed the engine had failed.
This is entirely unacceptable for a vehicle that has been driven so minimally (2000 miles to be factual) and purchased less than 8 months ago.
I contacted Arnold Clark and spoke with the Sales Manager, who confirmed he would ask the Service Manager, to call me. I had to chase up as I did not receive a phone call!
What makes the situation even more disappointing is my parents’ long-standing loyalty and significant spend with Arnold Clark, most recent purchases were:
1. A Toyota £22,000 purchased Jan 2024
2. A £25,000 car purchased in June 2025
3. The above vehicle £6,000 purchased in July 2025
Total spend: £53,000 with Arnold Clark in the last 2 years.
Given the repeated mechanical failures, the low mileage, the financial impact, and the poor customer experience, we expect this matter to be handled as a priority due to the safety concerns and the loyalty shown to the business.
I’ve had to chase for a response, the General manager Alex just repeated the same message. No understanding of customer loyalty or the fact that a car has been sold and now needs a brand new engine!!!
They have completely dismissed it and wanted my father to pay to get the car towed to Arnold Shark, then charge to look at the car and then they MAY decide to help out!
The engine has failed after 8 months and 2000 miles!!!!!!
Arnold Shark are sharks and I would NEVER recommend this company to anyone!!!!!!!”
“If I could give 0 stars, I would.
Extremely disappointing experience with the Arnold Clark Linwood SEAT/Skoda service centre. My car has been in for warranty repairs for several days, and I have been repeatedly told it would be ready “tomorrow.” This has clearly not been the case, and I have yet to receive a clear or honest explanation for the delay.
Communication has been poor throughout. I have had to chase for updates myself, only to be given vague responses and shifting timelines. There appears to be little regard for the inconvenience caused to customers.
To make matters worse, I have been left without a courtesy car while my vehicle remains off the road, despite relying on it daily and continuing to make finance payments.
This level of service is unacceptable. Customers deserve transparency, realistic timelines, and basic support when their vehicle is in for repairs—none of which have been provided here.
Based on my experience, I would strongly advise others to think carefully before using this service centre.”
“Recently took the car into Vauxhall Sighthill for a recall regarding the timing chain and add blue system. I have owned the car for over 2 years now and never had any problems with engine management lights whatsoever!. They had the car for around 3 hours and returned it to me, saying that's it all done!
Well, about 10 minutes into the journey home, the engine failure sign came on I telephoned them and reported this. They replied that there had been a few issues in the past with this, that there might be a need for adjustments to the software, and asked if I could bring it back in, which I did at greater time and expense to myself, as I live around 40 miles away.
They had it for a further 2 hours and concluded that it had nothing to do with the so-called update, and there must have been an underlying issue there all along, even though it had been on a diagnostic machine in the past, which showed NO faults whatsoever! THEY came to the conclusion that it must have been a coincidence that it happened 10 minutes after they had been pottering around with their so-called upgrade. The chances of this are very slim to none, but Vauxhall will stand by that excuse because they have no other reasonable one to offer. They asked if I would like to pay them to further investigate the problem, which in their opinion could be the DPF or a sensor Which would have thrown up an engine management light long before now if that were the case, Which I obviously declined they clearly caused, this problem but won't or refuse to take ownership I refused to let them go near it looks to me like a hard upsell in my opinion. I am now having this matter checked by competent, unbiased mechanics to get their professional evaluation of this debacle.”
“I sincerely appreciate Mrs. Zamora Lisette for her dependable support. She resolved my withdrawal issue promptly and ensured the entire process was smooth and stress-free.”
“Broken promises and poor aftercare - never will I visit an Arnold Clark branch again
I purchased a CUPRA Born from Arnold Clark Winsford in November 2025 on a PCP agreement, and unfortunately the experience after signing the paperwork has been extremely disappointing.
At the point of sale, I was assured that my EV charger installation would be completed within two weeks of delivery. In reality, it took approximately two months. During that time, I was left without a proper home charging solution and had to repeatedly use rapid charging stations, incurring over £235 in additional charging costs.
I was also told that any shortfall in installation costs would be £199. The actual additional charge was £337. This was not what had been explained at the time of purchase.
Communication throughout the process was poor. I had to repeatedly chase updates myself and even suggest that they provide a temporary 3-pin charging solution while waiting for installation. Promises were made by senior management, including reimbursement of rapid charging costs, but these have not been honoured.
What has disappointed me most is not just the initial problems, but how the complaint has been handled. There has been little acknowledgement of the inconvenience caused or the financial impact on my family, and no meaningful attempt to put things right.
Buying a car, particularly on finance, should come with confidence in the dealership’s aftersales support. Unfortunately, that has not been my experience here.
I would strongly advise prospective customers to ensure all promises are confirmed in writing and to carefully consider the level of aftersales support they may receive.”
“Purchased a used car one week ago but it developed a fault of suddenly losing power. Took it back and wanted to unwind the sale and purchase a new version of the same car. Unhelpful, is being very kind, dit was like talking to a robot, although We would probably get more sense, cooperation and satisfaction out of a robot. Disgusted with their non service. Their so called Product consultants are all smiles at the sale but when it comes to problems they suddenly morph into the old dodgy used car salesman . Had to cancel the new car from Arnold Clark because Arnold Clark would not comply with normal good customer service. 1* is too many.”
“⭐ 1 Star – Avoid at All Costs
I’ve never experienced anything as shocking as my recent purchase from Arnold Clark. The car I bought turned out to be clocked by over 80,000 miles. That alone is outrageous, but it didn’t stop there. The vehicle had multiple faults from day one:
No internal lights
Suspension issues
Bald tyres
Fake service history
Fake MOTs
When I raised these issues, they initially offered me £500 compensation, only to withdraw the offer when I refused to spend that money on another Arnold Clark vehicle. That says everything about their priorities.
Customer service was absolutely useless. They showed zero interest in resolving the situation, so I hope they don’t bother replying with the usual “please contact customer services” line, because I already tried — and they didn’t care.
This has been a terrible experience from start to finish. In my opinion, the whole operation feels like a complete scam. I would highly recommend avoiding Arnold Clark if you value your money, your safety, or basic honesty.”
“I purchased a car online from Arnold Clark in July last year, and unfortunately this has been one of the most stressful and disappointing experiences I have ever had with a car dealership.
From the outset, the vehicle had multiple faults, including:
A cracked windscreen
A broken motor on the left wing mirror
Faulty speakers
Faulty steering, which pulls from side to side while driving
Despite numerous inspections carried out by Arnold Clark, I was repeatedly told that there was nothing wrong with the vehicle, aside from the windscreen crack, which they did eventually acknowledge.
Following advice from the sales manager, Jack, at the Preston branch, I arranged for an independent inspection to be carried out by Kia. This inspection identified all of the faults I had raised from the beginning, and several parts were repaired or replaced under warranty. This confirms that my concerns were valid and should have been taken seriously much earlier.
Due to the ongoing issues, I submitted a vehicle rejection complaint with my finance company, Volkswagen Financial Services. Six months later, this is still unresolved. I am appalled to discover that Volkswagen Financial Services have now closed my complaint without my consent and without issuing a final response email, which is completely unacceptable.
I contacted Volkswagen Financial Services again today, as I am fully aware of my consumer rights and want my finance agreement properly reviewed. I was advised that Ray had closed my complaint, despite the fact that he spoke to my partner in December and stated he would call me back the following week — a call which never happened. I was also told today that there are no notes on the system from the December call, despite us having call logs to the relevant number and being advised that calls are recorded.
During today’s call, I was initially told that Ray was not in the office, only for this to later be contradicted when the advisor admitted that he was. The call then ended abruptly when the phone was put down on me. This level of conduct is shocking.
I have since emailed Volkswagen Financial Services stating:
“You closed my complaint without my consent and without issuing a final response.
This breaches FCA DISP rules.
Please provide your Final Response letter immediately so I can refer the matter to the Financial Ombudsman Service.”
What makes this situation even worse is that not once have Arnold Clark Customer Services contacted me directly. I have received no calls, no emails, and no meaningful follow-up at any stage. I have been left entirely to chase both the dealership and the finance company myself.
I have a 10-year-old daughter, and I am still being forced to drive a vehicle with dangerous steering issues. The car pulls me from side to side on the road, which is extremely unsafe. I find it utterly disgusting that safety concerns involving a child have been treated with such disregard.
I have had to use multiple days of annual leave, as well as cover fuel and mileage costs, just to attend inspections and chase an issue that should never have been dismissed in the first place. Communication throughout this entire process has been virtually non-existent.
I have never had an issue with Arnold Clark before, which makes this experience even more disappointing. I am appalled by the conduct of both Arnold Clark and Volkswagen Financial Services, and this experience has completely put me off ever using their services again.
Consumer Rights Position:
Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, vehicles must be of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose, and as described. A vehicle with ongoing steering faults clearly fails to meet these standards. As the car was purchased on finance, Volkswagen Financial Services are equally liable under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act. Closing a complaint without issuing a final response breaches FCA DISP rules and leaves me no option but to escalate this matter to the Financial Ombudsman Service.
I would strongly advise others to think very carefully before entering into any agreement with Arnold Clark or Volkswagen Financial Services.”
“Terrible service from Arnold Clark who also don't like dealing with complaints. From the day I picked up my car i had issues which should of got picked up on their comprehensive pre delivery inspection like they advertised, for the whole 60 day warranty i was chasing them up and going back and forth taking days off and wasting my time, I received emails regarding my issues now nothing not even a phone call or good will gesture, take you money and run that's Arnold Clark so before you buy from them read the reviews and think about the aftercare they don't provide especially dealing with complaints.”
